I was a fashion blogger.
Just like Intellifluence Influencer Spotlight Alessia De Bonis, an Italian influencer and blogger, I started my blog to document my daily wear. With that, the first brand deal I got was actually for a startup shoe store in Greenhills. I will never forget the excitement I felt when a brand contacted me for a collaboration with my blog! Meanwhile, my first event was for a clothing department store. This was where I met my first blog friends.
Although I am not much into luxury labels, I was super interested in the art of putting together pieces of clothing. Every time I am feeling my outfits, I just have to take a photo and file them on the blog. To make my posts more personal, I made sure to put in a story about my outfit, how I put them together, where I got them, or what I did on that day while wearing those clothes.
Blogging was new back in 2009. I was in college, and a journalism student. I was still finding my voice, so I kept writing and writing whether it was required for our class or just for my personal outlet. I’ve always been one to document my life ever since, keeping a padlocked diary as a kid full of ideas and secrets. I guess it’s just right that blogging became a full time work for me now!
At first, I did not expect social media to grow to where it is now. I didn’t even think of creating a brand for myself. Now more than ever, brands are going even more digital, tapping and trusting more content creators to advertise their products and services. I started a blog because I enjoyed it.
One of the many challenges I had to go through in my more than 10 years as a content creator is diversifying whenever there’s a new trendy medium in the market. I started everything with Multiply, a now defunct page where you can create your own website complete with a blog, a marketplace, digital photo albums, etc. From there, I jumped to having my own blog, to creating a Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram.
I also went through Snapchat and now opened a Tiktok. I wouldn’t call myself a “techie”, but I really try to adjust along the way. Not only because it is needed in my line of work, but I genuinely enjoy experimenting with new ways of documenting my life.
If anything, I think one of the common traits of the bloggers I know who have lasted a decade or so is their flexibility. My old social media accounts are still running like usual, but I also go to new social networking sites like Tiktok and podcast channels, to hangout where the people hangout at the moment. Also, I take these new networks as chances for me to learn and grow.
Meanwhile, although I still enjoy dressing up, I wouldn't call myself a fashion blogger now. I usually introduce myself as a travel blogger, I really enjoy writing and giving tips about my travels abroad most especially in Korea. My content greatly changed since 2009, but I think this is already a given as human beings. We are constantly changing, from our interests and life directions, as we grow older. I've come to accept that even our blog niche may change from time to time along with our life phases.
At the end of the day, the cliché “Content is King” still holds true. Regardless of your chosen niche at the moment. And whether it’s in writing, video, or photo format, it's still the story you’re putting out in the world that still matters most.
But of course, it wouldn’t hurt to have A+ storytelling skills too, to get your message across smoothly to your audience.