It’s fair to say there’s been quite a bit going on in my life in recent weeks – new baby, away from my beloved work (my second family), blog moving forwards in a great direction -however, all these changes left me asking myself some vital questions about my blog:
- Am I writing about what I truly love + what matters to me?
- Does my current writing topic come naturally?
- Does my blog reflect me + my personality?
- Am I conveying my true voice: (apparently) witty, (often) sarcastic + (always) truthful?
- Along with various other questions I find myself pondering at 2am mid baby feed!
The answer, unfortunately, is: probably not!
Back in November, I was lucky to be awarded the Amara Interior Blog Award for Best Organisation Blog for my work at the aforementioned beloved work (The French Bedroom Company) – where I freely muse about the hip/happening goings on within the interiors world; for this reason, I felt my natural place in the blogosphere lay within the interior design sector. HOWEVER, the more I have starred at my screen over the past 5 months wondering where to start, I’ve come to realise whilst interior inspiration is in abundance in my working life, my “real life” consists of so much more (often a bit too much more!) + for this reason – so should my blog! It is a reflection of me + all that I treasure!
Illustration by Inslee Design
Mummy Blogger?! I had a real (negative) thing about being a “mummy blogger”, insistent I wasn’t “one of them”. The last thing I wanted to be blogging about would be “The Top 5 Nappy Creams”; about what jnr had been up to for the past 2 minutes 34 seconds or reviewing teething gel. Then I read THIS amazing book for mummies + it opened my eyes to the fact there are mummies out there like me – willing to be brutally honest about motherhood (cracked nipples et al), whilst keeping a fantastic sense of self.
Me with all my babies
Lifestyle Blogger? At the same time, I felt my day to day life paled in comparison to the many 20 something “lifestyle bloggers”, who, on a daily basis, scatter my inbox + news feed with enviable images of their latest far-flung, self-discovery trip to some unnamed island in a crystal sea with their pal, the yogi trained monk, all whilst dressed in the latest designer string bikini + sipping on a cocktail at sunset; OR showing me their current fave hot London eateries to grab a bite (if you don’t starve during the 3 month waiting list for a table!). My life usually consists of a last minute bungled camping trip with a pit-stop at the closest drive-thru!
Fashion Blogger? This one got me thinking, as I always thought I’d loved fashion- but then I noticed that my wardrobe, for some time now has consisted of pretty much the same staples – grey tops, jeans, grey tops, white floaty dresses + more grey tops! I like to think of this uniform as “classic”, knowing what I like + sticking to it, but the truth is, it’s just easy – I know every grey top will go with the jeans + if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! Accessories on the other hand are my bag (excuse the pun!)! I love an on trend bag, pair of trainers (in days gone by this would have been heels!) + ring! So in actual fact, although I considered myself “into” fashion, I just very much like being on the periphery-accessorizing edges in a grey marl slouchy!
So, I’m a mummy, living a normal (read – chaotic + often accidentally comedic) life, who loves her home, design + grey t-shirts – so I guess that makes me a well-designed mummy blogger sharing her life, everything I love + the occasional handy tip on blogging! Who needs a pigeon hole anyway?!
Ahh, this post really struck a cord with me, I never really know where to place myself either and in recent months just getting a moment to dedicated to blogging and write a bloody post has been impossible! It’s nice to see that I’m not the only one out there with the same blogger/mummy/wardrobe issues 🙂
Author
It’s always so good to know I’m not the only one too! As mums we’re so used to having to multi-task I think we find it impossible to just stick to one thing – we’re programmed to cover at least 3 different topics at one time! Finding the time is the most difficult thing, but then not feeling guilty if you haven’t posted is pretty hard too! Good luck!
Beautifully written! I completely relate to your sentiments. It’s always a challenge trying to place a specific label on ones writing, I’ve definitely felt this way and held the same sentiments about “mummy” blogs. So glad to have found your blog, it’s very enjoyable and relatable.
Author
Hey Andrea, thanks a million for your comment and great to hear it was relatable – here’s to being a non-mumsy mummy blogger! Love your great post on family photography – I’ve been wanting to do this for a while! Your pics look amazing. Have a super evening x
This is my crisis (except of course it isn’t really a crisis….. like an outbreak of Measles or something) I’ve lost my voice somewhere and I don’t know how to sit well in the “categories”. It’s such a first world problem but totally doing my head in, keep thinking about it even when I should be thinking about more important things like WORK!
Author
Haha, this made me laugh! It’s easy to lose track of where you were/want to be x