It’s no secret that this year has been a weird one for me, in terms of my social media and blog presence. I did a soft “relaunch” back in March that I thought would reinvigorate me on this blogging journey and get me to start posting again. A quick look at my Instagram, TikTok, or blog will tell you that is not, in fact, what happened.
I didn’t write a single blog post between April and November this year.
I didn’t post to my Instagram feed more than maybe once or twice per month in 2022.
I certainly didn’t post a damn thing on TikTok, or Youtube, for that matter.
You get the picture.
I’ve been struggling a lot with what it means to be a content creator as the industry rapidly shifts. I’m sure by now you’ve noticed the pivot to short form video on basically every platform that exists. There’s more noise than EVER on social media and in our daily lives. And I’ve struggled with where I fit into it; how I want to show up and break through the noise. I’ve also struggled with what exactly I want from this space I’ve created. I feel like I’ve lost my WHY.
So, over the past I-don’t-even-know-how-many months, I’ve been meditating on this dilemma of mine. And suddenly one thing became crystal clear—I don’t want to be a social media creator. Or someone whose primary focuses are social media growth and consistent posting schedules on their app of choice—whether it’s TikTok, Instagram, etc.
This isn’t a diss to social media creators at all. I support all the TikTok girlies, the YouTube vloggers, and the Instagram creators alike. But that just isn’t me. Truthfully, I’ve always struggled with finding the right balance between real life and social media, and how much I share online. I’m actually a naturally private person, so sharing my everyday life on Instagram stories all day everyday just never felt natural to me.
And I think that’s okay. I’m finally giving myself permission to think outside of the box when it comes to my own journey as a content creator and what sharing my life online means to me. All this time, I’ve felt like I had to show up a certain way, act a certain way, and share things in a certain way because that’s what I saw successful bloggers and creators doing. But I’ve realized that if I don’t want to show up in that way, I simply do not have to. I can still be successful, on my own terms.
So what does all of this mean?
Well, for starters, I realized that I need to prioritize the platform(s) that feel good to me and do away with the rest. Trying to have my hands in all the buckets simply has not worked for me and frequently has lead to burnout and lots of self-doubt. What’s the saying? “A jack of all trades is a master of none.” In trying to be everything, everywhere, for everyone, I haven’t really excelled in anything.
With that being said, I started The Pretty Little Hustler as a blog-first business. I love writing, and shooting pretty photos around the city and during my travels; I love sharing actual thoughts and ideas in long-form blog posts. So, that is what I’m going to do—focus on the space where this all began, right here on my blog.
This may sound crazy in 2023, when there are countless articles and discourse online around the idea that “blogging is dead”. But I beg to differ. I still read lots of blogs, and in fact, some of my favorites are still wildly successful. THAT’S the kind of creator I want to be. And THAT’S where I’m going to focus my energy for the time being.
I won’t be deleting my social media (so don’t go and unfollow me just yet!), but I simply won’t be focusing on it. I hope to still show up on Instagram stories when I have something to share; it’s funny remembering how reluctant I was to embrace stories and now they’re my favorite feature on Instagram. And I also plan to return to Youtube. I actually started my first Youtube channel over a decade ago, right before I started college in 2011. A return to long-form video content sounds like a fun challenge for me, and I hope to use my channel to support my blog by growing and connecting with my audience there.
So that’s the plan! In 2023, my focuses will be on my blog and Youtube channel. And that’s it. Well, I guess I will also mention Pinterest, but I’ll be using that specifically to drive traffic to my blog. I’m no longer going to feel guilty for not posting on Instagram or TikTok. And maybe I’ll still show up there sporadically when the inspiration strikes! Some people will think I’m crazy and that’s okay. I’m not doing this for them. I’m doing this for me.
I hope you’ll continue to follow along here and on Youtube. I think with these two platforms as my focus, I’ll be able to create some really fun and much more intentional content over the next year. Cheers to 2023!
