blogging thoughts | does everything need to be new new new?

Here are some photos of me wearing a nice dress and looking rather vacant.  The end.

Seriously though, I did wonder ‘what am I going to write about???’ after shooting these photos.  The dress is pretty cute, but A) it’s not a new item, so I can’t point you in the direction to buy it if you so wish, B) it’s neither particularly on trend nor groundbreaking – I mean it’s floral but we’re no longer in Spring so I can’t even use that line anymore, and C) I’m not foolish to think anybody is invested enough in the life of Lily Kate France to be desperate to know what I wore on Tuesday evening.  The old ‘what I wore today’ posts have all but died a death it seems.  So yeah, where do you go with blogging when there’s nothing new to share?

Purchasing new clothes constantly wouldn’t be viable for me, but tbh I wouldn’t choose to even if I could.  Sure, I like adding the odd new piece to my wardrobe and it’s great to receive items from brands, but I genuinely enjoy both making my own clothes and thrifting too, so would always continue to do so out of choice.  I have more than enough clothes to last me a long time and I still reach for my favourites year on year.  Other bloggers have discussed this in greater detail but it’s a topic I wanted to briefly touch on too.  I’d consider myself a ‘lifestyle blogger who shares personal style’ rather than a fashion blogger, so the need to produce new fashion content doesn’t exist the same for me as it does for others.  However, my question still stands – what is there to say about a dress that isn’t new, groundbreaking, or special?

Newness and its importance to blogging is easy to discuss in terms of clothes, but relevant to writing about life in general too.  In a sea of announcements, new plans, and new destinations, writing about plodding along through day to day life can feel a bit ‘meh’.  It doesn’t always feel like the most inspiring of content, anyway.  Like I said, I doubt anybody’s life depends on knowing what Lily got up to this week.  But despite the 2807 quotes that fill my feed every day with ‘live every moment to the fullest!!!’ vibes, life does involve rather a lot of plodding along.  I’m sure that isn’t news to anybody.  Not every day involves new things or excitement, and that’s perfectly OK.  It’s unrealistic to expect otherwise, so the pressure to come up with something new to share irks me a little.

My feelings about blogging change so often these days – one day I feel all ‘girlboss go getter’ (cringe as that sounds, I hope you know what I mean) and want to write loads of informative posts, with each being long, detailed, and discussing an interesting (and preferably new) topic or place.  Other days I just fancy a brain dump and good old natter, and want to post short diary snippets, often.  As you can probably tell, a bit of both generally works for me.  I’m hopeless at sticking to either for any length of time.  Sometimes I feel like doing so is essentially shooting myself in the foot from a business perspective though, so here’s where I’d really like a discussion on the topic.  I spend more than enough time on this blog to really treat it as a business and justifiably want to make money from it.  However, I don’t want to lose sight of the whole reason I started and not just write about whatever I want, when I want.  Is it essentially a business decision to decide on a niche and aesthetic and keep to it?  Evidence from other bloggers suggests so.  Would doing so bring more sponsored opportunities my way?  Or would it make brands that don’t sit neatly in that niche turn away?  Who knows.

This has turned into something of a ramble but hey, that’s what happens when you have nothing new to share.  You overthink the things you do have!  I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on all things new in blogging (both fashion related and in general) – do you think it’s necessary to keep things interesting, or would you rather see more old school chatty blogging?

Oh and in case anybody is interested in my outfit, the dress is from Topshop last year, the shoes are borrowed from my mum (no matter how many pairs I own, I’ll always find a reason for borrowing hers) and the red lipstick is from Primark of all places.  It feels rather like poster paint but for a £2 one that caught my eye whilst picking up a pack of cotton wool, I can’t complain.  It stays put, that’s for sure!

Lily Kate x

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