1.12.2015

minus & plus - my year as a style blogger



When I looked back at this year's blog entries & photos, it was mostly outfits. & liiiiike, what?? No. Just no. My intention for this blog has always been more of the scrapbooking nature. A capturing of moments, a retelling of stories, a future laugh or sigh (depending on the topic) when we re-read these posts years from now -- & outfit posts don't really play into that.
+ However! Just like I love looking at my mom's trendy oufits from the 70s & 80s, I imagine that even 5 years from now, there will be a bit of "WHY WOULD I WEAR THAT?!" already happening, & in 20 years from now, I'd hope to have a teenager who enjoys revisiting these old photos from waaaay back in 2014. To be fair, I'm sure these outfits will play a part in the future laughs or sighs.

Finding & taking time to do outfit photos required way more commitment than I could ever hope to sustain, & it also required coordinating schedules & times with Jared or Kelsie, or whoever I could grab to stand behind the camera.
+ It did force me to get the real camera out (vs. my iphone) & upload whatever images I had sitting on the memory card. I'm also really proud to look back & know that I stuck to a year-long blogging commitment.

Although the point was always to make do with what I had in my closet, I definitely pressured myself into more than a couple purchases that were strictly because I knew I needed an outfit post that week. Quite frankly, I don't have the budget to keep up with trends.
+ My goal was to never shy from re-wearing shoes or jeans, because that's REAL LIFE. Too many style bloggers share gorgeous outfits but rarely reuse pieces, & I just think that's impractical. These posts really made me put some effort into using the clothes I (or Jared, teeheeee) owned in new ways, on top of sometimes just really causing me to put some effort into wearing clothes that weren't a sweatshirt & leggings.

- I sort of assumed that if you consistently post outfits & throw in some mildly laugh-worthy humor, you will accrue a following. This did not happen.
+ I did get to connect with some great ladies in the style blogging community, & even if it was only for a year, it was a fun community to be a part of. As someone that had been in the bleachers of style blogging, cheering, for years, just getting to sit on the team's bench was an experience.

- I won't lie... Standing on a sidewalk, or in a parking lot, or in the middle of an alley striking poses & having my picture taken was embarrassing. Additionally, I am assuming that taking & sharing photos of me! me! me! in my own clothing came off as pretty brazenly vain to some, especially since I didn't even really have a claim on being fashionable.
+ But! I learned a lot about posing, which has already been useful when I'm working with models for photoshoots. I learned a lot about making trends work for my shape, which has already been useful when I'm working my retail job as a stylist. I also (& this is perhaps the most important lessons of all) learned a lot about my body - What looks flattering & how to stand, contrasted by a lot of photos the world will never see that taught me what to never wear again & how to absolutely never, ever, ever stand. My year as a style blogger taught me so very much about my body type & how to stand with confidence, even in the middle of a city sidewalk. 

____________________________

Iiiiiiin conclusion... No, I won't be posting outfit photos anymore. I am happy to say I tried it, & stuck with it, but at the end of it all? Fashion is not the reason Sitting in Our Tree exists. I will be sharing the occasional outfit photo + details on my Instagram, & I have every intention of bringing the DSLR out with us more often as we continue to get to know DC in 2015. Style-in-action posts, if you will.

So, if you made it through a year of my face & crossed ankles (right leg over left leg is apparently me favorite, as illustrated in the above image), congrats! & thanks for hanging in there. It was a fun little ride.

6 comments:

  1. Even if style blogging isn't your thing, it's awesome that you made the commitment to blog and actually stuck with it. I'm loving those above outfits. You seriously have some amazing style. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are so sweet, Serena. I can't wait to hang out with you!

      Delete
  2. Hey, Kelsey! I don't really ever comment on blogs, but I felt compelled to comment on this post. I have followed your blog for a little over a year now and I just wanted to let you know that I think it's great! Chelsea Diane Courtney was my wedding photographer and I stumbled upon your stylish corner of the internet somehow through her. Anyways, I was just hoping to leave you some encouragement. Specifically, that I loved your fashion posts (I pinned several of them) and, for what's it's worth from a stranger, I think your blog is tops.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are SO kind. Ah, thank you for sticking with reading this little blog for so long! xo

      Delete
  3. Even if taking photos is time consuming and awkward a little bit, lady -- you da bomb!

    Great job!

    ReplyDelete

because lezz be frandz.