I am not quitting blogging. Thought I should put that out there first and foremost.
For those of you who have followed The Style Safari for a long time, you know that I was forced to quit my blog back in 2012 because of a conflict of interest with my full-time employer. When I came back to blogging in 2015, the blogging world had changed, and ‘influencers’ emerged in place of ‘bloggers’. Influencing was the name, and monetizing your influence through clicks, affiliate links and sponsored content was the game.
These days there is so much controversy around the instagram algorithm and whether or not Instagram is dead, as a new generation embraces the next social platform, TikTok, that as a 33 year old I have to ask myself, what’s next? What after blogging for me?
Many influencers saw so much success on instagram that they quit updating their blogs altogether, and as generation Z got into the mix, they aimed for influencer status without ever starting a blog in the first place.
I started my blog back in 2010 because I had a lot of opinions about fashion and travel, hence the name “The Style Safari.” But as my lifestyle changed and the years flew by, I realized that I… just have a lot of opinions.
‘Blogging’ in it’s original state still fits me because I have a lot to say! Whether or not my husband or my family or my friends is particularly interested in all of it is fine… because I have my blog as my outlet to express my opinions, and hopefully share with you, my readers. I can go on and on about motherhood, DIY projects, life hacks, fitness, fashion and travel on my blog, even if it all doesn’t translate as well on Instagram. And ironically, my blog is performing better now than it ever has in the 10 years I’ve owned this domain. Really! I feel like after all this time I have found my groove and Google is just now rewarding me for it. So thank you to you all! And google of course…
I know blogging won’t continue to be a medium forever, and frankly if you told me when I was 24 that I would still be blogging at 33 I would have laughed in your face. But quitting my blog the first time made me realize how much I missed this space, so until I have nothing to say, I will still be here, sharing my observations, findings, opinions.
What’s After Blogging?
But back to the point… what’s after blogging? An article came out last night about Arielle Charnas’ Something Navy brand and how she is officially starting her own lifestyle brand with $10 Million in funding. It kept me up late because I couldn’t turn my brain off around what’s next for me. Wendy of Wendy’s Lookbook has opened up a cannabis boutique in NYC, Julia of Gal Meets Glam of course has her own collection, and blogger’s from all over the spectrum are launching their unique businesses that can take them away from being in front of the lens.
So here, in this post, I finally need to answer the question I’ve posed to myself, and to you. What’s after blogging? For me, it’s hopefully a clothing brand. I’m still grappling with how I will be different, what my point of view is and how I will run it sustainably (without $10 million in funding… unless you’re offering) but my hope is by putting it out there, I am making the official first step towards making it a reality.
I am not sure there is a ‘what’s after blogging’ for me, because I actually love blogging. Even if I start my own brand, I can’t imagine not coming to TheStyleSafari.com every day as I have for 9 years, typing my thoughts out for you to read, seeing my posts get shared around the internet, and partaking in the community and friendships that this blog has built over the years. I hope you continue to come back here week after week and follow my journey, and I thank you for following along the journey so far. Believe it or not, we have a long way to go!
