Three Years

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Three years ago today, I sat down in front of my laptop and wrote my first ever blog post. I had absolute no idea if I was going to write another one, no idea of the direction I wanted to go in, and absolutely no idea about photography. I just knew it was something I wanted to do. So I wrote. And I just kept on writing.

I had no idea I would still be writing this blog three years on. I had no idea that my blog would turn from something I did for fun into a huge part of my life. From taking photos in minus 20 degree weather when I lived in Minnesota, to documenting my travels across America, and being a source of release through car crashes and break ups and family bereavements, my blog has always been here for me. It has been an outlet of creativity, a source of inspiration, and a place to practise my writing and photography. I've also learned a lot about business; social media, advertising, working with companies, business conversations. I'm proud to say that my blog, the hard work I've done for it and skills I've gained from working on it really impressed my employers, and was one of the reasons why I got my current job. Something that for a long time has just been a hobby really came into its own this year as a demonstration of my dedication and commitment.

I am a complete different person from the person I was when I started this blog, and I'm not ashamed of that. I will never, ever delete old posts because I'm ashamed of them or who I was back then. If you go back a year, two years (and now three), into my blog, you can see the development into the person I am now. When I first started writing this blog I was just starting my second year of university and my blog was just one of a number of commitments 
-the dance society, the student newspaper, my writing work and my part time bar job to name but a few. In my third year I was finding my way in a year living and studying abroad, and my blog allowed me to share my experiences with my friends and family back home, and in my final year I was having a tough time at university and with my family bereavements, and I used my blog as a creative outlet as respite from the stress. 

Now I've just started working a job that I love, I've finished my degree and I've moved into the next stage of my life. My blog may not be updated quite as often, but it's also going through a new stage of evolution, into something I balance alongside my full-time job. 

When I first started my blog, I didn't really think anyone would read it. I definitely didn't think that after 3 years I would have over 600 followers, nearly 800 posts and hundreds of people reading my blog every day. I didn't think I'd be working with companies that I have loved and admired for years, or that I would have some of the experiences that blogging has afforded me. And I have you guys to thank for that. I like to think I'd still be writing even if nobody was reading, but the fact is I appreciate every single person who reads my blog or leaves me a comment or a tweet or an email, and it makes it all worthwhile. I've made so many amazing friends while blogging and it's been such a wonderful experience.
Here's to another three years.

Charlotte xxx