Blogging: The Great, Good, Bad and Ugly

It's crazy to think I've been blogging for a little over two years now. What started as motivation to learn how to use my new camera, has evolved into so much more. While I love blogging for many reasons, I will admit that constant exposure to the "blogging world" may have some negative effects.

I have wanted to write a post discussing these things for awhile, but have put it off because I don't want to seem like I was bashing blogging. The good definitely outweighs the bad, otherwise I wouldn't be blogging! I love it, but of course it's not all sunshine and rainbows.

The Great // My favorite thing about blogging is the supportive community of awesome, creative people. It can be really scary putting yourself out there, but I'm convinced bloggers are some of the nicest people out there. Since day one, fellow bloggers have always ben supportive, positive and friendly. This blog started as a style blog, and I was super nervous about putting outfit pictures online...it just felt so strange. But the supportive feedback was amazing! We bloggers are in this together, and I love that sense of community.

The Good // This blog has taught me so many things! It has motivated me to learn more about photography, try new recipes, make more diy projects and try new styles. I love that blogging inspires me to be more creative and pushes me to create more consistently. There is so much to be inspired by in the blogging community, and being apart of that is a lot of fun. If I hadn't started this blog, I would have never discovered my love for photography.

The Bad // The blogging world moves quickly. A lot of blogs post every single day, and it can be really overwhelming to create quality content at that rate. Trying to juggle work, relationships and blogging can be really difficult, and when I can't keep up I feel guilty. I often have to remind myself this blog is a hobby and if I can't post as regularly as I'd like, there is no reason to feel bad about it. It's supposed to be fun!

The Ugly // Sometimes blogs are inspiring because they depict a fantasy, an unrealistic representation of life. You probably know what I mean by this. Simply scroll through Pinterest and you see pages of beautifully decorated rooms with no clutter, perfectly styled hair, food that sits upon the prettiest plates and expensive outfits outside Fashion Week.
This isn't everyday life, which in fairness is kind of the point. We read blogs because we like pretty things! These images inspire us, but it's not always attainable which can be discouraging. Let's be real, our homes get cluttered, our hair is not thick enough to braid it like that, and the outfit outside Fashion Week is awesome but unpractical. The constant exposure to unrealistic beauty in all areas of life can lead to feeling inadequate and wanting more material things.

Whether you just read blogs or write one, what are your thoughts on blogging? What do you love about it, or maybe hate? If you write a blog, how has it changed you?