Hi babes! Today is SUCH a good day, eek! March 19th marks a special place in my heart for a few reasons. One of them being my birthday! My 29th to be exact. The last year of my 20’s! Not only is it my birthday, but it’s also my blogaversary! SMILE DARLING IS ONE YEAR OLD! Like, what?! How could my baby grow up this fast?! I seriously cannot believe I have been a blogger for a year.
This year has been absolutely incredible blogging wise! I have learned so many new things, met so many fabulous individuals, and experienced so many new places & opportunities. To say I feel blessed is an understatement!
At the end of the day though, Smile Darling would actually be nothing without all of YOU! You make me thrive! You make me work harder! You make me question myself. You make me feel like I actually have a purpose in life. You help me share my personal stories. You help me experience new products and places. You help me pick up the pieces when I feel broken inside. I love all my followers more than you know! I love when you message me and we interact. I care about your questions and what you have to say. You make me laugh! You make me cry (in a good/relatable way). I wouldn’t be celebrating 1 without all of you! At the end of the day, this is a team effort!
To commemorate this special day and in honor of my birthday, I want to share 29 + 1 (29 for my birthday and 1 for the blogaversary) things I have learned and discovered about blogging this first year! So, yes that means 30 things haha!
- Blogging is harder than it seems/ you think
- Instagram is a highlight reel for sure
- You need to stay consistent with posting
- A preset is a must
- The blogging community is a welcoming, beautiful, and supportive group
- Some of these women have become my best friends that I can talk about anything with
- Writing content is actually hard
- Trying to make yourself unique/ trying to find your own niche is difficult
- It takes at least 45 minutes-2 hours to get a photo ready for instagram (editing photos, coming up with captions, linking clothes on LikeToKnow.it and 21 buttons)
- Not everyone in your family and friend group will be supportive
- Bouncing off #10, you find out who your friends are
- The people who follow you are very interactive and will freely give you feedback
- Trolls exist
- Writing vulnerable posts will open up doors for others to be vulnerable and share their stories too
- Constructive criticism will make you thrive
- Giveaways are not just for giving back to your followers. They help you gain more followers and reach markets/ people you otherwise wouldn’t have
- Blogging has made me become a better public speaker (instagram stories, I’m looking at you)
- Being an influencer has helped me gain confidence in myself and my abilities
- It’s okay to be transparent, honest, and emotional
- It’s okay to change your aesthetic
- I never knew I could have a relationship with people I never met! Blogger friends in all countries!
- I never knew how fortunate I would be to work with so many big brands and to try new products
- It’s harder to grow your following and readership than it seems
- Women supporting women would become my new mantra
- It’s okay to not post for a few days! You make your own schedule and deadlines (except when you are working with brands)
- I have experienced so many different cities because of being an influencer
- My followers are fu**ing AMAZING
- Hashtags don’t always matter
- You don’t always have control over certain situations
- Your posting times will change based on your followers interactions
I have learned so much this past year and I continue to learn new things on a daily basis, as the influencer community and social media are always changing! Thank you to all my OG’s that have been there since the start! Thank you to my new followers and readers who saw something in me!
I am excited to see what the last year of my twenties brings me! Can’t wait to share it with all of you!
Love you all the most!
xx Courtney Fabiano