Monday, April 03, 2017

What Blogging Means To Me ♥

Back in late 2012 I had the crazy notion of starting a blog just pop into my head, seemingly out of nowhere. I was seven months pregnant and was really into my beauty products and makeup, so I thought - why not share this love of mine with the world? Little did I know, that beginning a blog would lead to so many changes in my life, so many amazing opportunities and a 'job' that I couldn't love more if I tried.

I deleted that first blog after three months and amassing over 100,000 page views. I just woke up one morning, decided I no longer liked the name (La Belle Dame Sans Merci - what a mouthful) and wanted to start afresh, to not only share my love of makeup and beauty, but my memories with my newborn baby boy Tyler Lee too.

Dolly Dowsie was created on March 27th and almost four years on it's still going strong. On April 30th 2015 I also created a second blog, Fawns & Fables, as a space to share my airy fairy world and photography.

A sense of purpose in life
I've been through some tough times in my life, times when I thought I was useless and contemplating not even wanting to be on this Earth anymore. I felt defeated, as though I was good at nothing and had nothing to give... then blogging came along.

I now feel as though I have a space in this world and this little blog of mine has contributed to that so much. It's allowed to express my thoughts, share my stories and photography and connect with people I'd have otherwise never met.

It means a lot to me to be able to get up in the morning and know that this space of mine is here, that people are reading and that they're genuinely interested in mine and my little family's adventures in this world.

A passion in life (that I'd have otherwise never have discovered)
Blogging and photography come hand in hand and luckily for me, this has lead me to discover my love for picture taking, editing and sharing.

I'd never picked up a DSLR before I began blogging - only ever using a digital camera to take selfies with friends on nights out, but now I can never seem to put my camera down. It's become a staple in my life and something I'm genuinely passionate about.

I still have a lot to learn but I'd love to be a professional photographer one day, specialising in natural light photography of people in beautiful outdoor settings. I love capturing people's memories in a still image, it's like capturing a moment in time forever and that's such a special thing to be.

A job
I quit my job in January 2012, a year and two months before I began Dolly Dowsie, and little did I know that one day, this blog would end up being my job. Like literally, this is my full-time job and I'm really trying to make a go of it.

This blog has allowed me to stay at home with my children, whilst still doing something for myself. It's given me the freedom to plan my own timetable, have impromptu days out with my boys and has brought me so many fabulous opportunities.

The blog has also allowed me to try and review things that I otherwise wouldn't be able to afford and that's something I'm very grateful for.

Friends
I have to admit, I don't have many friends and somedays I think I may have some non-diagnosed social disorder because I find it so hard to communicate with people - this has lost me a lot of friends along the years...

But I could have never have expected, that when I began this blog, that it would bring me friends that I otherwise would never have met.

I've become great friends with a fellow blogger who lives locally, Louise from Tattooed Lady With A Baby, who read my blog about The Unexpected Loneliness of Becoming A Mother and got in touch with me. We now see each other almost every week and our boys have been friends since they were babies, it's such a lovely thing.

I also speak to a lovely UK blogger, Hayley from Sparkles and Stretchmarks, almost daily and she's been a great support, and guru almost, when it comes to blogging - seriously, she's a fountain of knowledge! I also had the pleasure of meeting her when we had dinner with lots of other bloggers the night before Blogfest in London.

Another blogger I speak to a lot is based in Northern Ireland, Vicki from Wildflower Living, and only having met her once two years ago when we were both at Britmums, she very kindly sent Beau a gift when he was born and it's something I'll always remember. It was such a kind-hearted gesture.

Fantastic experiences
I could never have imagined all the fantastic experiences that this blog would bring me. Yes it's something I work hard on on a daily basis - seriously, the tasks of blog work are never ending, especially as there are so many social media channels to care for too, but I never thought that people would read, interact and then offer me opportunities based on my little space on the internet.

I've had the pleasure of organising my own blogger's meet up, along with a fellow Cork blogger and what a fun day that was! Blogging has also led to me being invited to London twice for blogging events and also travelling to Frankfurt as part of my Pampers Baby Board member role.

I've also been invited to other blogger events, hotel stays and press invites, all of which I so grateful for and always enjoy. I'm still amazed when anyone offers me an opportunity - be it a review or experience, because I really do think myself as a nobody and always feel honoured to have been asked.

Blogging means a whole lot to me. It's more than having two virtual spaces for me to ramble along and share lots of pictures. It's given me a self-esteem, a community and a voice and when I look back on all the things I've been able to do because of this blog, I think "wow" - and for that, I'm very thankful.
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16 comments

  1. Blogging can be fantastic can't it. I find being a Mum quite lonely too at times! Not how I thought it would be at all.

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  2. Aw I'm privileged to have a got a mention! I'm delighted you started your blog and that we found our friendship through it. Keep up the good work xx

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  3. I can relate to all of these. I also find being a Mum very lonely, but I feel a real sense of belonging in the blogging world!

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  4. Blogging is fab isn't it? I love how it makes us explore different parts of ourselves. I would never have expected to find that my passion of cooking would become my full time job. I love it and would find doing other work quite tricky! Keep doing your thing because you're brilliant at it! Elinor x

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  5. Trust me you are not alone on this.
    I am the same as you. I have little friends. In fact I don't have any friends that live nearby. A close one lives in sligo and the other in Germany. Does my hubby count as a friend?
    Keep writing. I love reading your blog. I haven't been able to read it all lately because I was mental busy with deadlines on the blog myself but I will catch up. Hopefully we can meet one day too :) x

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  6. Lovely to hear a bit about you :) It's great you have other blogger friends you can chat to. Lx

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  7. A great post - I only started blogging 3 months ago and am really enjoying it so far - it's amazing how many new people you get to interact with online! x

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  8. I feel totally the same! I couldn't imagine life without it, it's totally become my passion xx

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  9. So nice to hear how much you love blogging and all the fun and friendships it has given you. I love blogging too!

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  10. I have said this before and I will say this again, you are bloody brilliant. The fact that you have turned this into your job, have found a virtual space to call your own and have made new friends is amazing. I have been following you for quite some time and honestly I am amazed with how well you have done. It is a real inspiration to me x

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  11. Blogging has brought me so many wonderful opportunities that we would never have experienced otherwise. I love looking back at how the kids have grown too and it has allowed me to stay at home with them too. Lovely to hear you feel the same

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  12. A lovely read - I am new to the blogging world but really enjoying it so far!

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  13. I can relate to your post too. I blog out of passion where I met new friends sharing the same thing. Writing has been a stress reliever for me. So continue blogging, you will meet a lot of people through your posts - ANOSA

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  14. Loved this hun! Blogging is amazing isn't it? I think friendship and a sense of purpose have been my highlights too xx

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  15. Loved this and I can relate to so much of it. I never knew I would make so many awesome friends through my blog x

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  16. Really relate to this. Can't wait to read more x X

    www.earningbythesea.co.uk

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