ODAY LITTLE WHITE SOCKS TURNS 3!

It's amazing to celebrate a milestone as a blogger, no matter how big or small, and I am extremely proud that a little idea I was playing around with has become something I love and cherish, and I get to share with everybody.

Let me be truthful here. From me to you, I didn't even think LWS would last a year. I didn't ever think I would be able to give myself the title of 'blogger', or use my blog to make money, work with brands, or give me the chance to meet some of my favourite people. I didn't realise the doors that my blog would open, the opportunities it would create, or the person it would lead me to become. As this is a celebratory post, it should be all sunshines and rainbows, but just like anything in life, it is never that straightforward. I am so proud of the journey LWS has taken me on, but here is a little story of how Little White Socks became the blog you see today.

PAST

I started my blog back in 2014 because I was bored. I was bored with life, bored with being myself, bored with having nothing to do. I finished university a few months before, and I felt like I was completely wasting my life away. I was at what should of been my peak, but I had nothing to do. I lost my passion for fashion (ignore that pun), but I didn't want to be that fashion graduate that everyone expected to be 'the next big thing' to be doing nothing with her life. I guess I honestly started my blog because it was an excuse not to be doing nothing. Nothing is a very scary thing. Having nothing. Being nothing. Doing nothing.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't completely naive about the blogging world. I thought it was something I could do and enjoy in the safety of my own home, where I was completely in control. That was another important thing, having control. Everything I had done in life was what was expected of me. I knew from day one, that my blog was something to do while I worked out exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I didn't want to be just a blogger. I didn't even think I could call myself a blogger. I thought that was saved for those earning ££££ and had over a billion followers. All I knew about blogging was what any absolute newbie would think; post about what you love talking about, which I guess is true. For me, all I wanted to talk about was fashion. Made sense as that has been in my life for the majority of it.

All was good until about June '15. I had been blogging for just over a year and all I had constant in my life was still LWS, and like anything else, I lost my drive. I started posting less, and everything I was doing became a struggle. I continued posting because I felt like I had to, not because I wanted to, and that sucked. If anyone had read my blog from the start, I had a pretty pastel pink and blue theme going on. All very cute, all very me. Somewhere during that time, I had felt like my blog wasn't fitting in with what all the other bloggers were doing, so I changed myself. It was clearly the wrong thing to do. I had a unique way of putting my ideas forward and I changed that to be like everyone else. I knew this wasn't me, so I stopped blogging.

I planned to go on a short break just to gather my ideas. Think up something interesting that I'll love to write about and my readers would enjoy too. I didn't expect it to last over a year, but you know what, it was the best decision I ever made. I really got to think about what kind of blog LWS would be, and what I want it to all be about. I've talked about exactly what I got up to in this post, but to summarise, as you can see, I redesigned my blog and presented it in the best way that can show me off on a website, (if that's even a thing) and I realised I didn't want to be a fashion blogger, but a blogger that shares her ideas, and inspires her readers to try something new, and keep motivated in their daily life.

PRESENT

So, now we are in the present day, here on LWS' 3rd birthday. A lot of people discredit blogs because it's something anyone with a computer, or even a smartphone can create. That is true, but it takes real passion and hard work to make something of your blog. To give it a platform, a respected reputation, and a place people want to return. That's what I have been working on since I returned back to blogging. I want to be a respected blogger, and provide a platform where my readers want to come back to over and over again.

I keep talking about this in so many posts, but I don't think words can even justify how I feel. I think I spend most of my days doubting my blog's successes than praising it, but it's the people in the blogging community that keep me going. Any comment, like, retweet, literally anything makes all those doubts disappear and motivates me to become a better blogger.

SO WHAT DO I WANT FOR THE NEXT YEAR?

I obviously want my blog to grow, I want to gain new readers and keep my loyal ones, but I think with the next year of blogging, I want to be a little selfish. I think as humans we are always thriving to find the best possible version of ourselves, and especially being in my 20s, I'm still experimenting and trying to find out who I am. I want this mentality to reflect on LWS. I want there to be less rules, less looking to fit in, and more just a creative and personal outbursts. My life is full of restrictions so I need Little White Socks to be my escape.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to anybody who has taken the time to read my posts, interact with me, or share my work on your own platform. Let me know in the comments below which year of blogging you are currently in, and your biggest high and low.