Blogging- The Realities and Flat-Out Fails

Wednesday, August 10, 2016


If we're going to be honest here, let's just come out and admit it- blogging looks a lot prettier than it actually is. As bloggers, we try our hardest to show the absolute best parts of life- the aesthetic images, the cute outfits, the gorgeous, delicious recipes. But what the readers rarely see is the amount of effort that it takes to get those images, and the fact that we as bloggers have developed over time the talent of making things look a LOT prettier than they actually are. I don't know about you, but I rarely eat my breakfast on a super cute patterned plate with a coordinating mug, flawless lighting streaming in behind me, with my artfully-placed waffle with strawberries on top and a vase of flowers on the table in front of me.

Like, never.

But those are the images that you tend to see when you're scrolling through blogs, or Instagram accounts run by bloggers. I'm not going to lie, I do the same thing. Literally, 85-90% of my best shots are staged. Yes, occasionally there's that gorgeous sunset, or adorably candid moment that I luck up and capture, but most of the time, if I want things to look good, I have to stage it. Ask any blogger- we all do it. And then there's the editing process- brightening the photo, boosting the contrast, sharpening it. It takes work to get that aesthetic!

In honor of the Blogaversary Extravaganza, I wanted to go behind the scenes of blogging, and show you all the realities of it. Because hey- I'm about as far from perfect as you can get, so this should be pretty funny.

- - - - -

1// Flatlays


The other day, I posted this lovely flatlay photo on Instagram. Because obviously, this is my workspace and I use it all the time. (To be honest, I was pretty proud of that photo. XD )

But you want to see the reality?



That's what it actually looked like. (Tip: white posterboard is a life saver.) It literally took me a good 15-20 minutes, and eleven shots to get it right. Then I tossed it into the A Color Story app to brighten it and make it look prettier, resulting in the shot that ended up on my Insta. 

2// Early ideas for a "good post"


Whyyyyyyyyy, tiny self?? WHY did you think that one sentence was worthy of a post???

(Which granted I'll always be mad at Gaston for that BUT STILL that's beside the point.)


I also had a thing for sharing random Pinterest memes. True, they're typically funny BUT THAT'S WHY PEOPLE FOLLOW YOU ON PINTEREST, BABY GRACE ANNE. THEY WANT ACTUAL CONTENT ON YOUR BLOG. *sigh* And I wondered why I couldn't get followers.

3// The Animal Variable


On Easter, I thought it would be a great idea to take a selfie with my cat. What could be cuter?

.....

There's a reason that selfie was never posted. 

4// Instagram vs Life

First off, we have the Instagram dessert.


(Not going to lie, this was really good.)

Now, the normal dessert.


Fattening and messy and glorious. 

5// Room Shots


See, when I post photos taken in my house, this is what they look like. Neat, clean, attempting to be aesthetic. (By the way the photo of my cat is 100% unedited. Cross my heart. I can't believe it either.)

But what you DON'T see is that literally on the other side of the bed I have a pile of clothes, probably haven't straightened my room in at LEAST a week, the tabletops are cluttered with makeup and a thousand bobby pins. I'm wearing no makeup and yoga pants. Real me. 

6// The Embarrassing Amount of Photos Taken


So many photos that are never used. Half the time I have like, 20 copies of the EXACT same photo. Why? I'm not sure. (Also ignore the random shot of water bottles on my camera roll. I believe I was asking my mom if we bought the right brand at Costco. XD ) 

7// The Judgement

As I mentioned in the previous point, as bloggers we take a lot of photos. Like..a lot. Oftentimes in public. Which results in the non blogger people being like-


Nothing like lowering your phone in shame as the waiter nears the table when you're attempting to Instagram your food. I'm not trying to be a stereotypical white girl, I swear. 

- - - - -

Well, if any of y'all were ever under the illusion that I have my life together, I have officially shattered that for you. And I'm quite okay with that. There are sooooo many more photos that I could have included in here of what my life actually looks like, but I kind of decided that you didn't need to see all of my gross hair days. I'm sparing you. 

Point of all this being, blogging isn't perfect. Nothing is. Sometimes, you just have to embrace that! No one has everything together, no matter how much you think that they do. So, the next time you see a flawless Instagram image, just think- there's probably a lot more behind that image you'll never see.

- - - - -

So, now I want to know- what is YOUR blogging reality? 







37 comments:

  1. THIS IS LITERALLY MY FAVORITE POST ON BLOGGING EVER!

    Seriously, so true, so honest, SO REAL. Especially coming from a blogger like you who seems to live this perfectly aesthetic life. Thank you SO much for this post Grace, you rock.

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    1. OH MY GOODNESS THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! *FLAILS*

      Hahaha, well trust me- my life is FAR from aesthetic! I am so happy that you liked this post, Hannah. This comment brought a big smile to my face!

      Delete
  2. This was the best ever
    Like rvery blogger needs to show behind the scenes reality of their posts

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    1. You are the best ever.
      Honestly I would love reading that so much. XD

      Delete
  3. Whoa this is so weird but I used to have those exact snowmen sheets! I literally had to do a double take when I saw it. Also, your cat has gorgeous eyes (I think I've said that before. I'm the worst at doing that)

    The seize the day pic is so aesthetic-y I love it!

    It's always weird when you're in public (this happens a lot with my Driver's ed class) and you hear someone paraphrase something off the internet (usually a teenager post or something that's gone around tumblr at least a trillion times) and then you're all like….they exist in the online world….and then you get irrationally mad because you've seen that post a million times and now they expect you to laugh and you have to do the fake laugh. Honestly, most jokes are better online anyway.

    I laughed so hard at the "NO BABY GRACE ANNE" because that's me all the time looking back on things like "STOP IT, ABBY YOU'RE JUST A FETUS AND YOU KNOW NOTHING OF THE WORLD SO STOP WEARING JEANS THAT DON'T FIT AND BE QUIET."

    I kind of want to do some posts with more pictures I've taken, but my phone camera kind of sucks. When I still had a functioning kitchen (we're remodeling) I tried my hand at making sushi. And since things were going so well, I thought I could post about it! But sushi rice gets really wet and sticky, so I couldn't hold my phone to take any pictures. So I did what any sensible amateur blogger would do- I asked my little brother to take pictures. Most of them were really blurry, and the ones that weren't were just…closeup shots of my arm??? Maybe I'll try again when I have a kitchen, but for now I'll just stick with writing.

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    1. Oh my goodness that's hilarious!! XD Aw, doesn't he? Everyone thinks I filter his photos like crazy but nope he's just crazy awesome. (Psh, you're good!)

      Ahhhh, thank you!!

      THAT'S THE WEIRDEST THING EVER. It always freaks me out a little. But I had the fake laugh, I'm always so terrible at faking it. You're right- everything is funnier online.

      XD Oh my gosh. I'm the same way. If you don't yell at your past self, then you must have been a surprisingly non-awkward child and I want your secrets.

      Ooh, you should! Having other people take the photos always is an...interesting experience. I always have to get my sisters to take a million for me.

      Delete
  4. AAAAHHHHHHHHH, GRACE THIS POST!!!!! I LOVE IT SOOOOO FRIGGIN MUCH!!!!! I seriously think I need to do a post like this!!! Especially, since half the time I blog I am still in my jammy pants! :p Thank you for being real, gurl! <3 xoxo

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    1. EEEEKKK I AM SO GLAD!! You DEFINITELY should! I would love to read it! I literally blog in pj's ALL THE TIME. Glad you liked the post, Hannah! :) xx

      Delete
  5. I've been struggling with this idea lately. Like, I love beautiful things but sometimes life is messy. A Beautiful Mess may have a great title sponsoring that idea, but they aren't particularly messy. In fact, they are pretty much Instagram goals. Our idea of exposing our messiness is a perfectly chosen and properly faded picture of our hair blocking our blemished face. I'm not sure that counts.

    This is why I LOVE this post! You are real and yet still beautiful!!!

    As for me, you should see all of the time I spend putting on makeup. (Granted, I like the process. It makes me feel /ready/.) I too have a billion pics when only one is chosen. I can spend about an hour for each Instagram photo.

    Great post Grace! Love this series!

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    1. "Our idea of exposing our messiness is a perfectly chosen and properly faded picture of our hair blocking our blemished face. I'm not sure that counts." AMEN!! That's not messy at all. And as much as I love A Beautiful Mess, they're the furthest thing from messy in the blogosphere. Everything that they do is perfectly aesthetic- no mess in sight.

      Thank you SO much, Hannah!!! <3<3<3 You are the sweetest.

      I'm the exact same way. I love putting on makeup, and I usually end up taking FOREVER. And photos- oh my goodness. It takes so much time!

      I'm so glad, Hannah! You are such an encouragement:) <3

      Delete
  6. <3<3<3!!! I'm loving these more and more. =)

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    1. Thank you so much, Emily!! I'm so glad that you're enjoying them!

      Delete
  7. THIS WAS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I HAVE LIKE EVER SEEN HAHHAHAHA

    That selfie with your cat

    goals

    You actually should have posted that *laughing emojis* EVEN I WAS THE ONLY PERSON WHO WOULD HAVE APPRECIATED IT. <3

    Wow I need to get myself a white poster board

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I KNEW THAT YOU WOULD APPRECIATE THE CAT PHOTO!!!!!!

      I was literally uploading it and I thought, "Aaliyah is gonna love this." I almost sent it to you ahead of time. XD

      You do you do they're life saving.

      Delete
  8. That was AWESOME. I'm with Aaliyah...need that white poster board!!
    Ah, the secret life of bloggers... :p

    Great post, Grace!! :)

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    1. White poster board saves lives. Save a life. Buy a poster board.
      Aren't they great?! XD
      Thank you so much, Megan!!

      Delete
  9. MY GOSHHHHH k this is so accurate for me I can't even. LOVING THIS AND YOU <33

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    1. I'M SO GLAD YOU LIKED IT YOU ARE THE BESTTT! <3<3<3

      Delete
  10. omg i loved this post. I am so glad to see we are all in the same boat. The struggle is so real. Keep these type of posts coming. Love them.

    Joanny
    Check out my blog
    imachoccakeaholic.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We all really are in the same boat!! I'm so glad that you liked this post, Joanny:) Thank you for stopping by!

      Delete
  11. Agreed. This is a great post. Ususally I don't try to make pictures of my topic for my posts, but when I start comparing myself with other blogs I tend to take 30 minutes trying to make it beautiful. We need to focus something on the things they'll hear other than the things they'll see. great post!
    Ellie R.
    www.uniquelyyou1.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
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    1. "We need to focus something on the things they'll hear other than the things they'll see." <-- YES! YES YES YES! It's so easy to fall into the comparison trap, especially with images, but it's just not worth it. Thanks for stopping by, Ellie!

      Delete
  12. I'm laughing right now. What you wrote is so on point! Especially no. 1 and 2. No. 2, that is what you mostly expect on Tumblr.
    xTiara
    http://awaveofvellichor.wordpress.com

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    1. Hahaha, I'm so glad that you enjoyed it! No. 2 really is Tumblr- I think my younger self thought that Blogger and Tumblr were the same thing. XD

      Delete
  13. I need a big white piece of paper for those kind of shots. I loved this post!

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    1. Big pieces of white paper are the best- they've saved my life multiple times. XD I'm so glad you did, Vanessa! <3

      Delete
  14. oh my, this is just so accurate.
    also, I'm gonna keep that tip in using white poster board for the future....thank you in advance ;)

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    1. Isn't it?! Like, this is my legit life. XD
      Ooh, you definitely should! White poster board is the best. Anytime;)

      Delete
  15. Okay, but the amount of work you put into to provide such amazing content for your followers is so amazing. Like, I'm happy if I just bother to rant via my keyboard once a week! XD Seriously, love your blog and aesthetic and I love the behind the scenes look. Because messy *is* aesthetic and real and valuable. Also, I love the selfie with your cat!

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    1. :') Ashlyn, this is seriously the sweetest, thank you so much! It means a lot. And I have to say, I love your rants;)

      Delete
  16. THIS IS SO SO TRUE. Like you nailed the reality of blogging in one post. I loved this post so much!
    AWWW YES THOSE PINTEREST ROUNDUP POSTS (wait..i still have a series of pinterest round-up posts that i do -- like my "made to inspire" series. WAIT HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THAT I GAVE UP PINTEREST. *goes and flails*) ahem. anyways, but i used to do those so much too ;) They were my go-to when I was out of post ideas which was shockingly often :)

    Hey, and I think that messy is a form of aesthetic too. It's so raw and authentic. AND YES I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN when I'm at a restaurant or something and I want to snap a picture of the FOOD and the people in the next bench are probably just thinking "what a strange generation." NO NO NO AGHHHH.

    LOVE this post!

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    1. EEK I'M SO GLAD!!
      I LOVE THOSE POSTS! I just meant the posts where it's literally just one image from Pinterest. Your posts are fabulous. I'M GOING TO MISS THEM NOW THAT YOU'RE NOT ON PINTEREST.
      I think that it is, too! I like it a lot better than when people only post the perfect shots. I FEEL SO BAD LIKE NO I'M NOT A COMMON WHITE GIRL STOP JUDGING ME! XD
      I'm so glad, Autumn! Thanks for reading!!

      Delete
  17. "Nothing like lowering your phone in shame as the waiter nears the table when you're attempting to Instagram your food. I'm not trying to be a stereotypical white girl, I swear."

    Oh my goodness, I feel your pain! This has totally happened to me, lol. :) I love your honesty. I think that a lot of bloggers and Instagram-ers do try to make their lives look or seem perfect, so it's refreshing to hear about the behind-the-scenes aspect of the art. :-) My blogging reality is pandemonium: often me just hunched over my computer typing and re-typing and struggling to format the post all while in my pajamas, haha.

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    1. Like, I'm sorry that your food is so aesthetic. I need a photo. Stop judging me. XD Haha! Most of my blogging is done in pj's or yoga pants- it's the only way to go!!

      Delete
  18. ASDFGJKLDSD I'M FLAILING BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW TO ORDER MY THOUGHTS AND I WANT TO SAY ALL THE THINGS RIGHT NOW. OKAY. LET'S ATTEMPT THIS.

    1. THE CAT PICTURE IS BEAUTIFUL

    2. THE BLURRY CAT PICTURE IS BEAUTIFUL TOO. LIKE IT COULD BE A REALLY INTERESTING AND PROVOCATIVE ALBUM COVER. (and omg the album could be called.... provoCATive....ignore my hideous puns I'll be gone in a minute)

    3. YOU ARE AUTHENTICITY GOALS. LIke....bro. Seriously. If everyone were even half as extraordinarily honest and raw and imperfectly PERFECT (you know what i mean?? LIKE FLAWLESS BUT FLAWED BUT NOT??) as you are we would live in a much better world.

    4. THE MESSY DESSERT LOOKS 453282263 TIMES BETTER TBH LIKE GET IT IN MY FACE RN

    5. I've been thinking about this whole authenticity thing a lot with blogging and instagram and even music lately...SO IT'S LIKE REALLY AMAZING THAT YOU JUST HAPPENED TO BE TALKING ABOUT THIS RIGHT NOW. Like... I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO WORDS. But there's something really cool going on here and I can'tsdfghjkl;

    wow sorry this is a terrible comment

    BUT YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL AND AWESOME I LOVE YOU SO MUCH BRO <333333333

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    1. EEEEK OH MY GOODNESS *FLAILS*

      1. THANK YOU THANK YOU I DON'T KNOW HOW MY BABY IS SO BEAUTIFUL

      2. WHY THANK YOU IT'S MY FAVORITE PHOTO EVER. If I ever end up with an album that's the cover, right there. I have a cover all set. Oh my gosh, your puns are beautiful don't leave XD

      3. OH MY GOODNESS *TACKLE HUGS YOU* You are the sweetest human being ever and you make me smile so much. <3

      4. DOESN'T IT?!?! IT WAS THE MOST DELICIOUS THING OF EVER.

      5. WE'RE MIND TWINS!!! I've been thinking about it a lot lately too, and since it fit the theme, I was like hey, why not?!

      this is not a terrible comment it's the best comment ever.

      YOU ARE AMAZING AND STUNNING AND SUPERB AND I LOVE YOU SO MUCH <3

      Delete
  19. eek this post is freaking relatable.

    AMEN TO WHITE POSTERBOARDS. and DID YOU KNOW that you could put a sheet of wrapping paper on your white poster board to get a cute even background? ITS SO AWESOMEEEEEE

    Oh, and I often am balancing my white poster board on "a pile of clothes, probably haven't straightened my room in at LEAST a week, the tabletops are cluttered with makeup and a thousand bobby pins." MY LIFE.

    Seriously though this is probably one of most awesome blogging posts I've ever read.

    ReplyDelete

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