What Blogging has taught me

I remember writing a similar post on this topic a few years back; I think I may have just been blogging for six months but I had learned a lot. Now, it’s been two years since I first started blogging and I have learnt so much more from blogging. I would say blogging is definitely one of my favourite things to do and I cannot imagine anything else I could be doing consistently for so long. I guess it’s because blogging involves a few of my passions including Beauty, Photography and Writing. It’s definitely one of the most rewarding things I have done. I thought it would be nice to share my thoughts on what blogging has taught me and I hope it is useful for anyone who is considering starting a blog.

Improving my Writing skills: I have always loved writing since I was a kid. I guess I inherited this passion from my Dad who was a prolific writer and went on to win several awards in Journalism. Although we write on different topics, I would say our passion for writing still makes us share a special bond. Blogging has helped me improve my typing skills (touch typing is now my thing), I have improved my vocabulary and I think I have found my writing style. I do a lot of writing in my full time job and I can say hand on my heart that both aspects of my life have influenced each other. I am not a perfect writer at all by any means ; for Pete’s sake I still find some grammatical/typo errors in my posts. However, I am definitely getting much better.

Improving my Photography Skills: Photography is a big part of my life and blogging has helped me improve these skills. Blogging always gives me something to photograph and provides opportunities for me to improve the way my photos look on print and on screen. When I first started out, I used my iPhone and I absolutely loved it. I started using other cameras until I got my DSLR. I have learnt so much from using my DSLR and I have taken several photos of places, people, and objects and of course pictures of myself. I cannot even articulate how much blogging has taught me about photography. I always try to push myself every time to create beautiful photos. Without blogging, I guess I won’t have as much reason to consistently pursue my love for photography.

Learning to use Adobe CS6: Let me just put it out there, I have never been pro at even simple techy stuff. I was just really basic but I have to admit, I definitely had an interest. When I bought my DSLR, I decided to trial Adobe Photoshop and it was a little difficult but it became much more understandable with time and practice. I don’t do a lot of crazy stuff on there but I do know how to make my pictures look much prettier. I would never have taken the step to learn this if I didn’t have this blog. Now, I use Adobe Photoshop CS6, Adobe Premiere (for editing YouTube videos) and Adobe Indesign (more on that later). I have used these skills in my current workplace on a few projects which I would have loved to show you but I prefer to keep my work life private for many reasons.

Learning to code HTML/Graphics: I am definitely not a guru with HTML or coding but I have learnt a few simple techniques and tricks via various tutorials which have been helpful. I remember seeing other people’s blog templates and wondering how they could customise it so well. I quickly realised I had to learn how to work with HTML and some simple coding techniques to make my blog design stand out from other blogs with similar templates. I absolutely love it now and I am forever twiddling with my template (although you may not notice because I do it at odd hours). I have designed headers, social media buttons, graphics, etc. Google is always the answer but these blogs (Xomisse and PinkPot) are amazing at helping you make these tutorials easy.

Being Confident: I know many people who know me in real life will think I am confident but I don’t think it’s absolutely the case. I know when I was younger I was super confident because I did not really care about so many things. It’s bizarre that I sometimes struggle now that I am older and it does make me laugh a few times. However, my blog has helped me find my voice and going back to doing YouTube videos has given my confidence a tremendous boost. I deliver quite a few presentations at work and my voice sometimes goes wonky and high pitched because I am nervous. It does not look good at all especially when you are delivering a presentation that affects people's lives a lot but I have improved a lot since last year. Although it may not seem like it is directly linked to my blog but it has definitely played a part in boosting my confidence.


I have learnt a lot from this little space of mine that I am sure this post will be pretty long if I don't stop here. I am sure many bloggers will agree with me on some of these points. I am very keen to know what you have learnt from blogging or any other hobbies you may have. Leave me your lovely comments below and don't forget to enter the La Roche Posay Giveaway which is currently running now...xx