1. Have you ever looked at someone's blog and thought yours will never
measure up?
I'll be honest an answer with a resounding yes. I am particularly aware of the shortcomings of my pictures, which are taken before or after work with my no-frills camera in my halogen-lit kitchen. I frequently wonder how I can measure up to the beautiful photos of women in corn fields shot by their boyfriends/partners/husbands who just so happen to be photographers. That is just not my life, and I do feel that my blog suffers a bit for it.
2. Do you (did you) feel pressure to meet some kind of undefined
standard for fashion bloggers?
Not really, in that I know my style is quite different from most bloggers out there (who aren't Orthodox Jews wearing a heck of a lot of clothing and a headcovering every day.) I know that this blog is rather unique, which helps keep that sort of pressure off.
3. Many established fashion bloggers are also extraordinary DIYers,
bakers, and crafty people. Do you think you need to combine all of
these things to be successful at blogging?
If you measure success in partnerships with big brands and millions of pageviews, sure. But I try to define success a little differently. For me, it is more about the community and conversations that this little blog sparks. That said, I do think that just OOTD blogs (mine included) can be a little too narsisitic and stale. I am making an effort to include other types of posts, like my recent Goodwill Outlet tips. While I may not be an amazing baker or crafter, there are elements of my daily life relating to style that can be helpful or interesting to others, and I would like to focus on them a bit more in the coming year.
4. The most successful blogs are the ones that have their own personal
voice - how are you developing your voice or how did you find yours?
I have always been a writer, so putting words on (virtual) paper wasn't too much of a stretch. In terms of developing unique content to match my voice, which I would say is equal parts sarcastic and sincere, I just write about what I know. I am not a fashion insider, so I don't pretend to be. I'm just a recent college grad who gets dressed every day, trying to do something creative with what I own.
5. Toot your own horn... what's one thing you do that is unique to you
and your blog? What gives your blog an edge?
I am limited in what I can wear, but it hasn't limited my style. I'd say that the casual reader might not even realize that I dress according to a specific religious code, and that longtime readers who know appreciate what I do within the restrictions of my faith. I am proud of sticking to my guns. I love that my blog is a resource for modest dressers but isn't limited to them.
13 comments:
oh goodness this was excellent and so true. Thanks for sharing.
Personally, I adore blogs like yours that are truly works of love. I figure that, in a world where there are so many bloggers in cornfields, the ones who pose in their kitchen (or, like me, on their balcony) keep doing it because they really enjoy the process and outcome.
And your style is fabulous. As you know, being a fellow museum professional, we often work with limited resources. I tend to think people get the most creative the more limited they are. And you are nothing if not fantastically creative.
i so agree...community and conversation is a HUGE goal of blogging for me.
i think your photos are actually really good. i never manage anything as good in my artificially lit kitchen.
I totally agree with your last sentence. I really like your style and your hats, its actually not undifferent to mine, and I love that I am not excluded despite holding a different opinion re modesty. I am not so keen on modest dressing blogs usually, if people talk a lot about about modesty and tempting boys and other girls being evil tarts who parade their bodies, that just turns me right off because I do get uncomfortable with some of the anti-women reasons given for modesty. I am finding your reasoning a lot easier to understand, even if I don't subscribe to it.
Well, there you go! sorry for long and possibly incoherent comment.incogh
I like your pictures. I am terrible at indoor photos, and I think yours looks very nice.
Hello..just found you on FF..love your definition of blog success.....really nice to meet you:)
"I am limited in what I can wear, but it hasn't limited my style." I love this quote, Nina, and it's so true about you. Like one of your other commenters, I also really like your kitchen shots - your smile and your attitude resonates through your pictures, whatever the lighting.
I admire your style photos, if only because I cannot take an indoor photo at all without botching it up somehow.
Also, you have incredible style, and I admire that you make it work with your faith and your resources.
Absolutely coherent, and (perhaps surprisingly) quite similar to my own thoughts. I feel little kinship with modesty bloggers who extol the virtues of being covered so as to prevent men from temptation. I do, however, value the traditions and practices of my faith as a whole, even if I find this particular facet rather archaic. And I am really appreciative of readers who aren't just like me, who have differing practices and ideologies but still visit.
Thanks, Collette, and welcome!
Thanks, Sara. And I have your posts on photo editing starred, so I may be brave enough to venture outside of my poorly but brightly lit kitchen into the dim bedroom and/or living room, now that I am armed with some tips on brightening!
I love your take on kitchen and balcony bloggers! Another comment I want to print out and magnet to the fridge. You're spot-on about this as a work of love, and I should really stop beating myself up for having the ill fortune of marrying a future doctor instead of photographer.
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