A few weeks ago I came across one of Kayleigh's posts from
Couture Girl which grabbed my attention. The title of this blog post was the very same as this one, '
Is Blogging As Glamorous As It Seems'. Whilst reading this post I felt my head nod in agreement. Like Kayleigh, I also often get people saying things like '
I want to be a blogger', '
bloggers have it so easy', '
you have the dream job'. But is this actually true? Don't get me wrong I absolutely adore my job, but like with any job, there are some disadvantages. Whilst on the surface it may all seem like free makeup, perfect Instagram pictures, and fancy events, but the work that goes on behind behind the scenes...
is a lot! So with nearly four years under my belt, here are the downsides to being a blogger.
1. Finding the time to manage everything: Whilst some think that bloggers have all the time in the world, this is not the case. Each blog post takes a lot of time to plan, prepare, and write-
so picking up a laptop and writing on a Sunday afternoon isn't all that goes into it. As my photos are shot by a professional photographer, a lot of time is spent organising shoot dates, styling the shots, and even studying new poses. I also manage a YouTube channel (
posting at least 2-3 times a week) which takes a considerable amount of time when it comes to filming and editing. I also dedicate quite a large amount of time to my offline work; modelling, presenting,
*and other jobs that I cannot yet speak about. All of the latter activities involve many trips to London and masses of emails. Bloggers also don't work 5 days a week, 9-5, you are more looking at 7 days a week, 12+ hours a day!
Some days can get exhausting.
2. Misconception of you: Unless you watch my YouTube videos, you wouldn't fully understand my personality. Whilst words are powerful, technically they are silent, and often people have thought that I was a 'stuck up b*tch' before even meeting me! Luckily when they do meet me, they soon quickly learn that I am ever so bubbly and friendly (thankfully). However, a lot of people often portray bloggers as 'stuck up' because they think that they are better than everyone else, which is not the case. In the past I have found ex friends to be the worst. I've been elbowed in a bar, mimicked, overheared bitchy remarks in the toilets, and now and again, I get told that I am ugly. But in reality, I don't let things like this get to me. Blogging has made me the most happiest person alive and I truly enjoy what I do, so in the words of my grandmother, 'if they don't like it, they can lump it' (ha!).
3. The pressure: Creating content, easy right? Sure when you have a creative flare sometimes it is pretty easy to 'bosh' out a post, but when writer's block strikes, oh boy. Writer's block is the most frustrating thing ever and often it takes a few days to kick out of it. Bloggers also need to possess extremely good time management skills. Deadlines are often very close to one another (usually only a 14 day turnaround period), whilst you still have to manage your personal life and other business endeavours. It may not seem a lot, but your to-do list can certainly mount up pretty quickly!
4. Justifying your worth: Now I have a manager things are a lot more easier, but when I didn't have a manager, I was always questioning my worth. Some PR companies and brands still believe that bloggers will offer full coverage in exchange for a free product, but this definitely isn't the case anymore. Drawing upon my earlier point, creating content takes a lot of work and the standards are now extremely high. Like me, many bloggers hire photographers, website designers, and SEO experts in order to really optimise their content, and as you can probably imagine, this isn't cheap. So I often find it extremely insulting when someone is only willing to to pay you in product!
5. Annoying those around you: A lot of people find blogging and vlogging extremely irritable, especially when you randomly whack out a camera to take an Instagram picture. I know a lot of people that absolutely hate what I do, so I am often respectful around these individuals. I have actually found that a few of my friends never like to ask me about my blogging, business, or what I'm up to. I'm never entirely sure if its because they can see what I'm up to, or, if they just totally hate what I do. Either way, sometimes it is nice for someone to take an interest in what you are doing.
6. You can never fully relax, even on holiday: Every holiday that Joe and I go on, we always end up creating some sort of content. So you could say that I never truly get a holiday. The idea of turning my phone off for a week does scare me; what if everyone has forgets about me? I know that it sounds ridiculous but it's true. Even if you do take a day or two off, you never truly stop looking at your emails or social media accounts *dough*.
7. Each month is different: Whilst I love the fact that my schedule is completely different every week, sometimes it can weigh on your mind a little. When I first started out as a full time blogger, I often stressed about 'not getting any work' or 'what if I can't pay my bills', but when you work for yourself, I find that you work twice as hard which consequently results to a good work load. But don't get me wrong, after working 12 hours a day, 5 days on the trot, a 9-5 working day sounds ever so dreamy.
8. Standing out: I'm not going to lie here, but it is pretty hard not to compare yourself with other bloggers. I think it is human nature to compare yourself to someone now and again, but where blogging is concerned, not only do you compare yourself to the person, but also to their blog, social media platforms etc. When it comes to winning campaigns and brand deals, often the person with the best blog and social following gets the gig, so there is no wonder why there is a lot of 'comparing'. Whilst I have known a few bloggers to turn sour over others successes, I always say that you ought to feel inspired by success. The best way to do this is to ask questions, research, and find ways to stand out in the community. If I am totally honest with you, I have only just found out what my niche is so watch this space
*rebrand coming soon*.
9. Dealing with hard people: Here,
I'm actually quite fortunate as I have never had a 'bad' client, but I often see a lot of stories float around on social media. Kayleigh has had a few bad run ins, so I suggest you give her blog post a read
here.
10. Other little things: You never know, one day my little world may come crumbling down on me, so ensuring that I have back up plan is always on my mind. Whilst I could probably get a job in digital marketing, but if you are someone like me who now thrives for the self-employed world, then making sure that you wisely invest your time and money couldn't be more important. Other things like doing your own accounts is a job in itself too!
What are your thoughts? Is there anything else that I am missing? Drop me a tweet @eltoria_
Much Love
Eltoria x
Eltoria- South West Beauty, Fashion and Lifestyle Blogger and South West YouTuber
