A couple of weeks ago (although it’s fast feeling like a dream) I was basking in a European summer on the glorious Greek Island that is Santorini. We had the most wonderful, sun-filled week in paradise. I hadn’t laid eyes on Santorini in over ten years & it was even more breathtaking than I remembered. The sparkling whites, the endless views, the piercing blues & pops of pink flora make this place a picture perfect postcard. No wonder this place is an Instagrammer’s dream. You honestly cannot take a bad photo in Santorini.
My European friends over at Rekorderlig were kind enough to supply the goods for the most glorious sunset picnic I have ever had in my life. As it turned out, the trip co-ordinated with the six year birthday of See Want Shop so it was quite the celebration! I can hardly believe it has been six crazy years since I decided to launch a little blog as a creative outlet for my passions in life. Little did I know that this hobby of mine would completely transform my life! What an incredible ride it’s been. And it’s all thanks to you – my loyal, genuine & fabulous readers.
As I look back on my humble beginnings I realise just how much I have learnt about myself along the way. When I started blogging I was 25 years old, had just returned home from the trip of a lifetime & moved back in with my parents. I had downloaded instagram (or what I thought was a photo-editing app!) on my travels & started using it to share my life with the world. That is when everything began to change. Event invitations rolled in, brands started sending me gifts & suddenly my followers began climbing in numbers. Had it been possible to buy Instagram followers back then,
I suspect people would have thought that is exactly what I had done in order to get the number of followers I had. But, nope, it was all me, and a testament to the hard work I had put in to make this a genuinely successful venture.
Today, I am constantly asked by those starting out in this industry how to gain followers. I always struggle with his question because for me, it was never about the numbers. It grew completely organically & unintentionally. Back then, there wasn’t growth services (like those listed on The Small Business Blog) and similar tools that can be used to boost profiles, so it had to be done the hard way. The way it works these days is so very different to when I began. It’s oversaturated with content & the algorithm can hold your content hostage. My advice? Stay true to your individual brand, create engaging imagery & focus on the followers you already have, not the ones you don’t. The more your current followers interact with your photos, the more the algorithm will love you. But it’s no easy feat.
This is why I will always love creating content here on See Want Shop. This is a platform that I own entirely, can control completely & will always show off the content I’ve worked so hard to create. It’s a humbling feeling to know that I have dedicated readers who will take time out of their day to come say hi & read what I have to say. So from the bottom of my heart thank you so much for supporting my blog & helping it to grow to become what it is today. No algorithm can ever or will ever change that.
In the past six years, I have made some incredible lifelong friends & I couldn’t be more thankful for the internet options in my area for bringing me close to so many people from across the globe. Though my friendships have changed dramatically since I started blogging, but you know what? I am totally okay with that. I am now completely surrounded by people who support me in what I do. There is no way I would have made it this far without them because as we all know, haters are always gonna hate.
But enough about haters, because it’s my blog’s birthday! And what a way to celebrate, with our very own, private sunset picnic. Our Airbnb overlooked one of Santorini’s iconic blue domes & made it the perfect spot to lay out a picnic rug for the evening. We stocked up on baked goods (those cheese filled bagels in Greece are dangerously good), fresh fruit & of course our fave Rekorderlig flavours. What more do you need?
So thank you for six years of blogging about my passions in life, sharing the love & riding the wave! And thanks to Rekorderlig for helping me celebrate this birthday in style & good taste. Cheers to that!
3 comments
Congrats on 6 years of blogging!! That is amazing! And I totally agree that Santorini is stunning!
http://www.rdsobsessions.com
Magic <3
http://www.evdaily.blogspot.com
Thank you Ewa!
Lisa x
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