The Apprehensive Blogger

I can still recall the myriad of emotions I felt when my first year Media and Communications tutor proclaimed, “You are required to start a blog. You will be solely accountable for that blog. You are to post content regularly on said blog. Your blog is assessable.”

EXHILIRATION?!

….

CURIOSITY?!

…

UNEASYNESS?!

..

Embarrassment!

.

As a self-professed lover of all things blogging, vlogging and everything in between, I willingly spend hours watching beautiful women apply their makeup with precision and skill that I will never grasp, indulging in the lifestyle of luxury bloggers and shamelessly seeking ‘What's in my Bag/Purse‘ posts.

The directions of my tutor on that particular day, filled me with excitement at the prospect of being the new ‘it‘ girls.  My imagination ran wild with images of me sharing my passions and quirks online, with an audience of adoring followers.

That wishful foresight  was cut short by a rude moment of awakening.

 You are a law student. 

You will be a lawyer.

You could be a diplomat, or a politician. 

One day, you might have kids, or worse –

clients.

I quickly feared the process of blogging and approached each assigned post with great apprehension.

Before hitting that all important ‘Publish’ button, I would run (and re-run) through my posts, to ensure  that I did not disclose too much information, that my arguments held academic rigour, that there was no apparent political or ideological bias and importantly, to ensure I crossed every ‘T’ and dotted every ‘I’.

Blogging soon became something I would do solely for my assessing teacher, and not for young men and women who I identified with. My work was sporadic – at times without content for months on end. I would not dare share my posts with my Facebook community. I would not divulge that an online page hosted my innermost workings and ideas.

My personal and professional life were diagonal from one another and I had no intention of those two areas of my life ever meeting. The fear of failing for all to see, or the reality of a hurriedly published piece affecting my future, pacified my instinct to write the content that I love to read.

At the end of the day, I came to the determination:

& so what if I fail? 

So what if God forbid, friends, future children or clients come to the realisation that I am human!

At the end of the day, it is important to grasp onto the things you love and hobbies you develop. Life is more than just the daily grind - paying bills, washing clothes and engaging in other menial tasks. Every individual has light and shade to their being and it is not fair to paint all professionals with one brush. Humans are multifaceted. We are more than just a name, age, postcode or profession.

Whilst someday I hope, like many others do, to reach my goals as a career person – that does not mean that I can not write about fashion, lifestyle, the lessons life teaches (usually the hard way) and of course, social commentary.

I remember sniggering when peers began ‘Fashion Blogs’ and wrote endlessly about what lipstick shades are most appropriate for the autumnal seasons. Whilst I rolled my eyes in public, behind closed doors I was proud and in awe of the bravery and go-getter attitude exhibited. After all, the bloggers and vloggers whose every word I cling on to, such as Lydia Elise Millen and The Sydney Fashion Blogger, did not miraculously become successful overnight. I am certain people laughed at them. I do not doubt that friends and colleagues questioned why they were wasting their time.

So why not give it a red-hot go?

What do you, or I, have to lose?