Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Talk It Out Tuesday: My Blogging Experience

This not the first time I've posted on my blogging experience, but some recent conversations with people brought up some things for me.

I know all of us as bloggers and even as people have been in a position where we compare ourselves to others. I have had my challenges with this as a blogger, but this is getting easier as I am becoming more aware of the purpose of my blog and what it means to me.

My blog is very personal to me. I'm not saying other blogs are not, but I feel like my connection to my blog goes beyond just nail polish. This blog has been very therapeutic to me. It has given me a platform where I feel comfortable being genuinely myself with others. I have a freedom in this blog that I do not feel in another areas of my life outside of my close family and my boyfriend. I also feel most confident with my blog, especially when I do these "Talk It Out Tuesday" posts. I feel good about posting my feelings on issues, challenges, insecurities with myself and others. I feel like I have a voice on my blog, a voice that gets drowned out in a crowd often, but here it's heard. It's appreciated and welcomed here. That is an amazing feeling. A lot of my posts seeking support or talking about insecurities have been so helpful to me, and it has been immensely rewarding to find out they are helpful to others too.

I've been an outcast most of my life. I've never felt like I fit in really anywhere. I still don't! I don't mean that in bad way either, I'm coming to terms with my uniqueness! I'm finding out I don't really need to fit in anywhere in particular. Growing up this was hard though. I felt very invisible at many times in life.I'm introverted and complex person. I'm not the easiest person to get to know, and I internalize a lot. I have a whirlwind of thoughts, opinions, and ideas at any given moment. I'm an idealist who likes to try and fix things, find the opportunity in things, and make everyone happy. I like to see people succeed. I like to make people feel welcome and appreciated. 

Outwardly, no one would probably know these things about me, but with this blog I get to share this side of me. I'm not really a great speaker or conversationalist, but through writing I can say it all. I can share it all. That's why I wanted this blog not just be for me but for my readers as well. This is why I have the "Share With You Sunday" posts. I want to feature other people regardless of their skill, talent, blogger/non blogger, and etc. I know how much it means to me when people take time to recognize and appreciate me. It feels good, and I want to make my readers feel special. You are special to me, and I never want anyone to feel invisible here or unappreciated. I'm know I'm not the best at replying to comments all the time, but if you email me I will always write back to you! 

I think what I'm trying to say is while I love nail polish, this blog is so much less about nail polish than it is an personal journey of expressing myself to others, allowing others to share in my experience, and connecting with people. I could do the same thing if I was into gummy worms, telescopes, or pumpkin carving. Nail polish is just what I love, and it gave me the platform to open myself up to people. I hope this makes sense. I'll never stray away from nail polish in case your wondering. I love it too much, and I'll always blog about it! It's too fun not to. 

I think this is why a lot of other blogs and other bloggers goals have always made me feel so insecure. I think my blog and the purpose of my blog is very different from others. I don't have any professional goals with my blog as far the beauty industry goes. I don't want to big reviewer for PR companies. I'm not a guru. I don't want try and figure out how to make my blog appeal to x,y, and z. I don't care how many page views it gets. This blog is way too personal to me for me to change or improve upon unless it's under my terms. I'll never go around and ask what people think about my blog, changes, improvements etc? My space. I like it the way it is! 

My biggest break is that you all like this too. I did not have to do anything fancy, special, over the top, or out of my way for you all to enjoy what I share with you. I am so thankful for all of you who read this blog. It means so much to me. It's is so amazing that this blog has given me the voice and confidence I never could of ever imagined I could have had as a child and teenager. It feels so good to be heard and appreciated, and I only hope I provide the same for you all as well. So, many many genuine thanks to you all for your kindness and support. 

Happy Tuesday! 


13 comments:

  1. Happy Tuesday! A person can tell when something is from the heart, and your blog is. There's so much PR bullshit, sucking up to companies for freebies and all kinds of other things in ALL kinds of blogs (not just nail polish blogs) that it can feel like wading through treacle. Keep on doing what you do!

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  2. Aww what a great post! I do love your Talk it Out Tuesdays! Truly, you are one of the few (I think there are three) blogs I still read -and I've been reading nail/beauty blogs for years! Most of the blogs I started with have changed what they are about or become a shill for companies and no longer share their actual opinion but toe the company line.

    I can honestly I feel very similarly to you about my own blog. I'm just not interested about cross-posting my links everywhere because its just my outlet. I'm not aiming to get the attention of big brands, small brands or even indie brands -I just like polish! Keep up the good work Steph!

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  3. Thank you Steph for being such a wonderful person

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  4. HI Steph : )
    I admire you for putting this out there. You have written eloquently about things which are hard to admit, and I relate to what you have experienced.
    One thing I love about blogging is that you can do your thing, whatever that is or means to you. What you are doing here is great. This is one of my all time favorite blogs, more so after this post!
    : )lovenailpolishPS. THANK YOU so very very much for including my blog in your Share With You Series a while ago. I just saw that, and I really appreciate all the traffic you sent my way! You rock so hard.

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  5. I love how you open yourself up, and I am so glad that this blog had been therapeutic for you! I'm proud of you for being yourself, doing what you want to do, and not apologizing for it! Love and hugs!

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  6. Well said, Steph! :) I'm glad that your blogging has helped you feel more confident about expressing the real you. It has been a real joy reading your thoughts and sharing this journey with you.

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  7. Thank you for sharing this post, Steph! If it doesn't sound too weird to say, I heard a lot of myself in some of the things you talked about--I expect a lot of people will, bloggers or not--and I love that you've found your voice. Sticking to what you enjoy, what you feel like talking about, what *you* want to share, is exactly what makes Imperfectly Painted such a fun blog to visit. Thank you for being you!

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  8. Thank you so much for sharing this Steph! Lots of love from my heart to yours.

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  9. I love reading these posts, it's what makes your blog so special! And lately I've been having a hard time with my blog and the place it stands between other blogs, so reading this makes me realize once again it is MY blog and I can do whatever I want with it ♥!

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  10. Great blog post. (:

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  11. I really enjoy your blogs and I connected with this post in particular. It appears we have some common ground besides a love for nails and nail polish and it felt as if I was writing much of this. Weird. We don't know each other, but yet, you were speaking my thoughts and words. I really thought you just had to be an extrovert and a social butterfly to be a blogger. Okay so you surprised me with that. I really enjoy your blog posts and glad you take the time and effort to do this. It must be a lot of fun even though I'm sure at times it can require a bit of work. Thanks for doing it. I love your blog!

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  12. If you feel strongly about keeping your blog as is, you should definitely stick to this format. If it is just for expressing yourself through writing, I believe there is nothing wrong with that. Still, you can create another blog site where you can have fun and have more viewers visit your site. You can even acquire extra income by posting advertisements for business owners. And you can even invite business owners of your favorite nail products to advertise on it. What do you say? Oh, and you may visit this page in case you want to learn more about blogging, web design, and more: http://www.endlessrise.com. ^_______^

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