Sunday, May 24, 2015

Blogging Thoughts and Changes

Thoughts

I feel like ever since August I've been in a blogging funk that I couldn't ever really snap out of. I think it was an accumulation of a few things First, my cat got really sick in August and needed life saving surgery. That kicked in my anxiety and depression big time and it took me a good 2 months to mostly snap out of that.

Secondly, I feel I became overwhelmed with nail polish. I used to have swatch-a-thons swatching 20-30 polishes in one go. I couldn't do that anymore. I used to find this relaxing, but now I HATED it. Not only was it time consuming and tiresome it was giving me headaches and the jitters breathing in nail polishes fumes for 7 hours at a time. Also, I couldn't keep up with all the nail polish out there. I can't keep up with all the indie brands, nor can I afford to purchase a ton of indies. It's too hard to be involved in all the indie groups or FB fan pages out there to know what's going on and who has what. Not to mention, there is so much drama with some indie brands I would rather just remain ignorant.

Mainstream brands haven't been peaking my interest lately either as I feel the interest in nail polish in the general public has gone down. Mainstream brands are where I find majority of my nail polish. Mainstream brands are not producing original or fun colors like they did 1-2 years ago. I already have 1,000+ of polish, it's hard for me to find something that sparks my interest these days.

That all being said, I'm probably only buying 15%-25% of what I used to buy. I don't have a ton to blog about. It's not because I do not like nail polish anymore. You wouldn't catch me dead without nail polish on my nails! I love painting my nails still and always have fun picking out colors to wear.

It's just I'm running out of material and when I accumulate 10-15 nail polishes the idea of swatching all of them is daunting. I also do not have the patience for nail art at all, so that's out of the question (sorry!).  I used to have 4-5 posts a week. When I set up a routine, and don't feel I can live up to it I beat myself up over it. I've felt like a failure for the past 10 months because the blogging process I used to have no longer is working for me. What happens? I either overdo it or under do it.  Hence why some weeks I have 5 posts up and others I may only 2. I felt a need to try to keep up my momentum when I had the material while burning myself out in the process and not having the desire to really keep it up.

I really thought about throwing in the towel a few times, the past few weeks especially. The thing is, while swatching may not be my favorite activity, writing and reviewing is what I love. Every time I go to write up a post I'm energized and full of things to say and share with you all. I love that aspect of blogging. I do also know that you can't have a nail blog without swatch pictures. That's when I gog to thinking about how can I re-work my routine to make it work for my lifestyle and interests now.

Changes

The first thing I had to come to terms with was that I would not fail as a person and a blogger if I decided to reduce my number of posts per week and set a posting schedule. So, instead of shooting for 5 nail polish posts a week I'm going to shoot for 3. This way I only have to swatch 2-3 polishes a week instead of worrying about doing some enormous number and feel pressure to have posts up all the time.

*2 posts per week will be newer polish reviews
*1 post a week will be either a "Way-Cool Mani Wednesday" or "Throwback Thursday" post

The other issue is my new buying habits. I'm not purchasing the same number of nail polish I was in the past. I'm not going to have constant new material. What I do have is 1,000+ bottles of nail polishes I love who rarely see the light of day anymore. This is where Third Week Throwbacks comes in to play.

*The 3rd week of every month I'll be doing a week of throwback nail polishes. I'll be swatching and reviewing polishes that are 2+ years older. It will be like Throwback Thursday, just extended :). 

Finally, some flexibility. I love reviewing products in general. I'm always trying out new beauty, bath, hair, and so forth products from the drugstore or other stores. Same goes for food items, candles, and other odds and ends. I always have an opinion about them of course. Also sometimes I have some thoughts/opinions on blogging and nail polish topics. I want to share these opinion and thoughts with someone. Why not you guys?

*Saturday and/or Sundays I'll be either posting either reviews of some non-nail polish products or be discussing some blogging/nail polish topic. 

For the fist time in a long time I feel organized, confident, and good about what I'm doing blog wise. I will admit perfectionism was seeping into Imperfectly Painted, and it really caused me to lose my blog mojo. I allow myself to get overwhelmed so easily that's hard for me to sit down, break things down, and come up with a solution.

I found a solution, it took a LONG time, but I did! I want to thank you all for sticking with me. I know I'm not your traditional nail blog. This blog has always been a personal experiment, journey, and escape for me from the stresses of real life. I want to keep my blog this way, and I needed to stop getting in my own way.

Thank you for listening!

27 comments:

  1. I'm sorry to hear about your cat's illness - it's hard when a pet is sick, they can't tell you what's wrong, and it really throws everything off balance. I hope things are much better now.

    I'm really looking forward to your throwback weeks! I run into older polishes at places like Big Lots and TJ Maxx all the time, and finding swatches of so many of them is really difficult. So many of the bloggers who swatched them back then aren't blogging anymore and either their blogs are gone or their picture links are all broken - and I do like to see swatches before I buy any polish! This sounds like not only a great way to spend time with your stash, but also really useful to those of us still finding older polishes!

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  2. I love your idea of revisiting older polishes! So often our older polishes get neglected with all the new collections that come out. Many times your throwback Thursdays remind me of something I already have that I haven't worn in a while. Your solution sounds like a good one, I look forward to seeing future posts!

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  3. Sounds awesome! I love the idea of adding more throwback posts. Blogging has become so purchase oriented that I sometimes feel bad posting something someone can't buy. But most of us started off by sharing pics of what we were wearing and what we loved, not just to sell stuff. And posting one to two times a week is plenty! Last week I didn't even get anything up because I was too busy with work. Do whatcha like!

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  4. I can't wait to see the changes. I know that you have been struggling with this and you have all my support! <3

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  5. Glad you found a solution you're happy with, because ultimately isn't that the goal of blogging in the first place?

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  6. Your blog is one of the 1st blogs that i started following when i started my obsession with nail polish/nail art. I may not comment often but i read all your blog posts and facebook posts :)

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  7. I like your blog because you cover drugstore and mainstream polishes. I only buy mainstream and I can't keep up either! I don't mind if you post about a polish that is not brand new since many of them are still new to me. I find new favorites sometimes this way. Let others post every new thing to hit the market and you do what you do best. Your blog is so refreshing and I don't feel pressured into wanting or buying every new collection because frankly, I just can't and don't need to.

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  8. Way to go Stephanie! I hear you on the o many polishes. I have so many that I should just post whatever when I want. I don't have the money for indie polishes either

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  9. Way to Go Stephanie! don't burn yourself out on our account, have fun with your hobby :)

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  10. Good to hear you figured it out for yourself Steph, it needs to be fun and if it isn't you need to find a way it will be!

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  11. I have always read your blog because of your writing - you are personable and fun! And always honest. So this phase is wonderful and I'll continue to read everything you post! I look forward to the throwback posts - I'm not buying as much anymore either, so this will be so much fun! Take care and hope your kitty is all better.

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  12. Thank you for your feedback and kindness. I'm glad you'll enjoy the more throwback posts.

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  13. I'm glad you like the idea of me adding in more throwback posts to my blog. Thank you for your feedback!

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  14. Love the idea of throw back polishes! So many gems out there never see the light of day.

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  15. You're so right. The nature of nail blogging has definitely changed over the years. I do worry about posting polishes that are no longer available for purchase, but I'm hoping that won't matter. Pretty polish is pretty polish, and I'm thinking some of my readers have been with me for awhile and still have them! Thank you for your feedback.

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  16. Thank you so much <3. I appreciate your support and friendship.

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  17. Thank you. Yes it is!

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  18. Thank you so much, Beth. I recognize your name. I know you've been reader for awhile. I appreciate your support and for sticking with me. I'm so glad you enjoy my blog still.

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  19. Thank you, Cindi. It's good to hear that you and many others appreciate me posting stuff that isn't the latest and greatest is still well received. Nail blogging has changed so much lately, and it is always about what new is out now or nail at. There are still excellent polishes out there now that don't get any attention anymore since they're not brand new or don't get any attention at all!

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  20. Thank you, Heather! If I had the money and time to figure out all that's out there with indies. I'd definitely dabble more into, but I don't!

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  21. Thanks, Dina!

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  22. Exactly. I had to. It was do or die for sure. Thank you, Deborah!

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  23. Thank you so much for your kind words. I so appreciate you telling me that about my writing. That was my goal with my blog was to connect with others. I want to share my experiences and opinions as if I'm your friend, not an expert or guru. Writing that way is natural for me, and it means a lot to me that recognize that as a strength in my blog.

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  24. Thank you, JoElla!

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  25. Thank you for going back to "older" polishes! I also have 1700+ and don't find the need to buy many that are new these days. I want to bring back the joy to those older lovelies! Thanks for doing what you do!

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  26. These sound like great changes Steph-- glad you were to find a solution to pull you out of your funk! I definitely like seeing your throwback posts and the fun manis you come up with. Glad you are staying in the blogging scene-- I hope it continues to be fun for you, even if it's not all polish! Looking forward to reading! =)

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  27. Can't wait to see the changes you have in store! :)

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