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15 In blogging/ lifestyle

blogging thoughts | does everything need to be new new new?

Here are some photos of me wearing a nice dress and looking rather vacant.  The end.

Seriously though, I did wonder ‘what am I going to write about???’ after shooting these photos.  The dress is pretty cute, but A) it’s not a new item, so I can’t point you in the direction to buy it if you so wish, B) it’s neither particularly on trend nor groundbreaking – I mean it’s floral but we’re no longer in Spring so I can’t even use that line anymore, and C) I’m not foolish to think anybody is invested enough in the life of Lily Kate France to be desperate to know what I wore on Tuesday evening.  The old ‘what I wore today’ posts have all but died a death it seems.  So yeah, where do you go with blogging when there’s nothing new to share?

Purchasing new clothes constantly wouldn’t be viable for me, but tbh I wouldn’t choose to even if I could.  Sure, I like adding the odd new piece to my wardrobe and it’s great to receive items from brands, but I genuinely enjoy both making my own clothes and thrifting too, so would always continue to do so out of choice.  I have more than enough clothes to last me a long time and I still reach for my favourites year on year.  Other bloggers have discussed this in greater detail but it’s a topic I wanted to briefly touch on too.  I’d consider myself a ‘lifestyle blogger who shares personal style’ rather than a fashion blogger, so the need to produce new fashion content doesn’t exist the same for me as it does for others.  However, my question still stands – what is there to say about a dress that isn’t new, groundbreaking, or special?

Newness and its importance to blogging is easy to discuss in terms of clothes, but relevant to writing about life in general too.  In a sea of announcements, new plans, and new destinations, writing about plodding along through day to day life can feel a bit ‘meh’.  It doesn’t always feel like the most inspiring of content, anyway.  Like I said, I doubt anybody’s life depends on knowing what Lily got up to this week.  But despite the 2807 quotes that fill my feed every day with ‘live every moment to the fullest!!!’ vibes, life does involve rather a lot of plodding along.  I’m sure that isn’t news to anybody.  Not every day involves new things or excitement, and that’s perfectly OK.  It’s unrealistic to expect otherwise, so the pressure to come up with something new to share irks me a little.

My feelings about blogging change so often these days – one day I feel all ‘girlboss go getter’ (cringe as that sounds, I hope you know what I mean) and want to write loads of informative posts, with each being long, detailed, and discussing an interesting (and preferably new) topic or place.  Other days I just fancy a brain dump and good old natter, and want to post short diary snippets, often.  As you can probably tell, a bit of both generally works for me.  I’m hopeless at sticking to either for any length of time.  Sometimes I feel like doing so is essentially shooting myself in the foot from a business perspective though, so here’s where I’d really like a discussion on the topic.  I spend more than enough time on this blog to really treat it as a business and justifiably want to make money from it.  However, I don’t want to lose sight of the whole reason I started and not just write about whatever I want, when I want.  Is it essentially a business decision to decide on a niche and aesthetic and keep to it?  Evidence from other bloggers suggests so.  Would doing so bring more sponsored opportunities my way?  Or would it make brands that don’t sit neatly in that niche turn away?  Who knows.

This has turned into something of a ramble but hey, that’s what happens when you have nothing new to share.  You overthink the things you do have!  I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on all things new in blogging (both fashion related and in general) – do you think it’s necessary to keep things interesting, or would you rather see more old school chatty blogging?

Oh and in case anybody is interested in my outfit, the dress is from Topshop last year, the shoes are borrowed from my mum (no matter how many pairs I own, I’ll always find a reason for borrowing hers) and the red lipstick is from Primark of all places.  It feels rather like poster paint but for a £2 one that caught my eye whilst picking up a pack of cotton wool, I can’t complain.  It stays put, that’s for sure!

Lily Kate x

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15 Comments

  • Reply
    Antonia
    21st July 2017 at 9:58 am

    This is new as nobody ever wrote the completely same post as you. Although there have maybe been similar ones this one is unique as it’s written by you. It’s so hard to find “new” things to write about when let’s be honest almost everything has been said, done or written before. As a humans we interact and adopt things from different peoples, situations and life in general so everything we do is a combination of little ideas from all around the places. But the big difference is that it all combined into something unique in your own mind. (Sorry if I’m sounding preachy.) And by the way this dress is absolutely gorgeous. xo

    • Reply
      lily kate
      22nd July 2017 at 9:02 am

      I guess that’s the best way of looking at it! Are there even any original ideas left to be had these days? Everything has been done! I love your way of thinking, thank you 🙂
      The dress is cute isn’t it!

  • Reply
    Jenny
    21st July 2017 at 12:48 pm

    I think it can be hard to know what to write about etc. I know lots of people say you should have a niche and stick to it to make yourself stand out amongst all the competition, but I personally like to write about what I want to write about. I don’t really want to feel that I’ve got to stick to something in particular. I think sometimes it’s nice to write more chatty posts and I really enjoy readings those types of posts too x

    Jenny | LuxeStyle

    • Reply
      lily kate
      22nd July 2017 at 9:05 am

      So many people recommend having a niche but I just feel like I’d be cutting off my nose to spite my face! A niche just sounds so restrictive and repetitive. I enjoy reading the chatty posts too, so hopefully plenty others are in the same boat!

  • Reply
    Amy
    21st July 2017 at 1:39 pm

    I feel the same struggle. I certinaly don’t fit into any sort of catgeory with my blog. I would say a lot of the posts are beauty based and I seem to draw attention from such brands because of that, but I also hare the odd fashion and brain dump posts, maybe sometimes soomething food related to, but I love being all over the place. It certainly is hard to be ‘new’ in the world of blogging, I’ve been trying to think of some new way to do or say things for a while to not much end. But I think the drawing point of blogs to readers is they are our personal space, someone gets to see what we like, what we’re trying, what we’re thinking, they get to have a little nosey into our lives, and I think we just have to keep on doing what we’re doing and we will attract those who find checking out our life interesting 🙂

    Amy .. http://www.thenoiseinwonderland.com

    • Reply
      lily kate
      22nd July 2017 at 9:15 am

      Personally I like the ‘all over the place’ blogs because you never know what you’re gonna get! Sounds like I’m quoting Forrest Gump haha. I’m glad I’m not the only one who struggles to think of something new all the time! The original appeal of bloggers was the fact that they were just ordinary girls living ordinary lives, but some have skyrocketed into stardom now and the face of blogging has changed a lot. We can’t all keep up with that thought so I think there might be a trend reversal back to the good old chatty ones soon!

  • Reply
    Ana
    21st July 2017 at 1:40 pm

    I could never keep up, so I stopped trying haha! I prefer reflective posts to the constant rush of ‘new new new’ at the moment. It’s exhausting otherwise x

    • Reply
      lily kate
      22nd July 2017 at 9:17 am

      Haha me too, I’d seriously struggle! I find blogging does encourage you to be reflective and look back at how things have changed though which I really enjoy 🙂

  • Reply
    Abi
    21st July 2017 at 1:45 pm

    I loved reading this!!! I love a mix between structured interesting posts and then also personal chatty posts. Just post whatever you like, it’s great to let your personality show through x

    Abi | abistreetx

    • Reply
      lily kate
      22nd July 2017 at 9:20 am

      Yayy objective achieved then! Me too, I think the combination is best or either just gets overwhelming. Think the general consensus is just ‘write whatever you want’ 😀

  • Reply
    Sophie
    21st July 2017 at 5:39 pm

    I loved this – I really enjoy all different types of blog posts, more old school chatty ones and the glossier ‘new in’ fashion ones and everything in between. But my absolute favourite if I had to pick is outfit photos but with words that aren’t just about the clothes – for which the items don’t need to be new and this is exactly the kind of post I’m talking about 🙂 I mean obviously nothing NEEDS to be new for a post anyway because if its your post its your rules entirely, but I completely understand where you’re coming from about the classic ‘what i wore today’ posts seeming to have died a death because I also feel like I’m ‘not allowed’ to post an outfit where nothing is currently in store unless its either super trendy and ‘fashion’ or I’m trying to make some kind of point. Its a kind of weird thing to try to navigate and I often overthink it I think, but I really related to everything you said here! Sophie xxx
    p.s it’s a lovely dress and these photos are gorgeous!

    http://www.sopharsogood.com

    • Reply
      lily kate
      22nd July 2017 at 9:24 am

      You and I have very similar tastes then! Some of my favourite bloggers are the ones who generally have fashion photos with thoughtful posts. Does feel a bit pointless to write about an outfit that nobody can buy or be particularly inspired by doesn’t it? I’m glad others can relate to this anyway!
      Mama France did a good job with the photos didn’t she!

  • Reply
    Pixie
    22nd July 2017 at 6:22 pm

    For me I think your blog works perfectly – I love getting something completely different every time. Some days a fashion post, sometimes a travel blog, other times your thoughts and experiences on the OU and distance learning. I’ve unfollowed several bloggers I’ve read for years when they’ve chosen to move solely to publishing sponsored posts, I personally hate having bloggers pushing random products at me just because they are getting paid to do so.
    Your dress is seriously cute Lily – even if it is last years! In the real world who really buys clothes to wear just once or twice? I wear summer dresses I’ve had for several years!

    • Reply
      lily kate
      14th August 2017 at 11:11 am

      I’m so glad you like my blog how it is! I think I’d just get so bored of writing about the same topic all the time. I’ll be sure to share more OU blog posts once I start my second year in October. I do include sponsored posts every now and then (hope that’s OK!) but only when it’s a brand that’s genuinely relevant to me and I’m happy to support. No writing about random items just for the sake of the money – loss of integrity just isn’t worth it.
      Too right, what’s the point in wearing something only once? I love my summer dresses way too much for that!

  • Reply
    florals for (pretending it's) Spring
    28th February 2018 at 9:41 pm

    […] are currently available.  Does that make me a bad blogger?  Who knows, I’ve discussed blogging and the pressure for all things new before, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with digging oldies out of the wardrobe.  This […]

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