The Ugly Truth Behind Blogging & The Real Investment
Victoria Lise with one of seven Magic Mountains. Nevada.
Victoria Lise visits pop art installation, Seven Magic Mountains in Nevada.
VL walking through Seven Magic Mountains land art display. Nevada.
Victoria Lis @ Seven Magic Mountains, Nevada.
Blogging is an investment way beyond finances. Sure you may invest in your domain, host, camera equipment, maybe even a web developer but the greatest investment you will give to your blog is time. Countless blogs have invested in all the above and more than I would even be able to tell you about (let's be honest) but nothing sets a blog apart from another than seeing dedication, commitment, and authenticity from the person or persons running the platform. When I began blogging I realized being a blogger came with a stigma, admittedly one I knew nothing about whatsoever. It didn't take long to recognize how generic the blogosphere seemed to be with loads and loads of similar material. Beauty tutorials and reviews, travel bloggers reviewing the exact same locations, clothing hauls, blogging awards, snap chat filtered photos, a sea of sameness. And many with a common theme and feeling- seeking sponsorship, likes, and followers.Then there was the stream of bloggers preaching blogging secrets and how to have a successful blog which in the end was measured by followers rarely the quality or ingenuity of content. I'll tell you through my observations and self research most of the advice is crap unless you're looking to be another brick in the wall. It took a lot of searching for me to find those who had incredibly moving works of art, expression, and something unique that was all of their own. Reading about how to get instagram followers or how so and so has such a great following and wondering how he/shedid it is pretty empty and meaningless content. It looked like consumerism on steroids and self-worth equal to what you bought, and how many people liked it. It illuminated the dark side of society where the effects tourism has on fragile ecosystems has no place as long as you get the IG worthy picture that generates likes, where beauty products are pushed like pigs through a meat processor with no regard for animal testing or even the numerous chemicals they're composed of, where more, more, and more is still never enough. And this is just skimming the surface.It broadcasted how little society cared for anything other than consumerism and seemed consciousness had no seat at the table. It seemed to drive people to stay disconnected and revealed how heavily invested many were in their image. Many comments were left with the intention of having others check out and/or follow their own blog not because they were actually interested in someones else's. Intuition tells one who is here because their passionate and who wants attention or to boost their imagery. This is why the blogging investment dwindles down to time, commitment, dedication, and authenticity. All the rules other bloggers want to throw at you go right out the window when you bring what's unique to you to your own page. Sure, catchy titles are helpful, quality photos stand out, and consistency keeps you relevant within the scroll but if it's another post keeping up with the trends or watering down who you are so you can be who you think you should be or posting what you think others want to see you will only attract those doing the same. It's the law of attraction.People are more apt to invest their own time in someone who they can genuinely connect to or content they can genuinely connect with. There are plenty of beauty and fashion bloggers who are rocking the virtual runway because there is a clever purity to what they share making them relatable, dependable, and well, real. Today marks 2 years since I started victorialise.com and while I won't tell you how to up your following I will tell you that YOU are your greatest asset. Your worth is not equal to the number of likes or followers you have on any platform and if you feel it does well, you need to re-evaluate. That's an easy way to sell yourself short and lose yourself in the process. Show up to the blogosphere because you love and believe in what you have to offer not to seek validation through your following. You're a human before you're anything else and people relate to the human experience more than anything else largely through vulnerability. Many cliché' sayings contain truth like; BE YOURSELF! Or in modern-day lingo; DO YOU!Many, many heartfelt thanks to all of you who have connected with me over the last two years. As much as I adore words I find it tough to find the right ones that would bring justice to the appreciation I feel for our exchanges, your continued support, your genuine interest, and bringing yourselves and your incredible expressions to the public eye. You are of immeasurable value! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I look forward to what's to come ♥
Until next time- Happy Trails!