FBFF questions!- How do you (think you) match up?

Happy Friday all!  I've decided to join in on Katy Rose of Modly Chic's FBFF (Fashion Beauty Friend Friday), where she organizes a group of questions around a relevant topic for bloggers to answer.  I joined the group prior to the holidays, but this is the first time that I will have managed to get around to joining in on the discussion instead of just lurking.  This week touches on perceptions of success and comparing yourself to those around you.  This got a bit long, so I won't be fussed if you don't read it all the way through, but I'd love to hear from you what your thoughts are on these questions, especially since I'm trying out Disqus for comments now and I'll be able to reply to your individual comment.

1. Have you ever looked at someone's blog and thought yours will never measure up?
Starting off with an easy one!  I feel that way a lot of the time, but I don't feel that that's a reflection of my own insecurities or a lack of pride in what I'm doing here- there are a lot of talented people out there who are showcasing themselves on the internet and many of them have been doing it for a longer time.  I consider myself to still be in the early days of this and developing what I want to do with this space as well as exploring photography, and I know that I don't put as much time into it as a lot of people out there.  I also in general tend to approach things with the attitude that while I'm doing quite satisfactory, I could be doing better, so while I've been really happy with what I've done, sure I'd like to be doing it better.

2. Do you (did you) feel pressure to meet some kind of undefined standard for fashion bloggers?
I'm a little leery of calling myself a fashion blogger, possibly because I know that I don't fit into those undefined standards- I'm not model-esque, don't put up editorial-quality spreads, or showcase high-end stuff.  But I wouldn't say that I feel any sort of pressure to work towards these things.  I suppose that I felt more anxiety along these lines before I actually started posting (would I be laughed off the internet, do I have something to contribute?), but haven't thought much of it since starting actual posts.

3. Many established fashion bloggers are also extraordinary DIYers, bakers, and crafty people. Do you think you need to combine all of these things to be successful at blogging?
Oh dear.  I don't want to contribute to the potentially problematic attitude of striving to "do everything and do it better than you," but I must admit that I love baking/cooking and I'm fond of crafting things- I'd even like to start incorporating those interests here, in part because I've seen it done well elsewhere.   I don't think that pulling together multiple things makes you into a shiny veneer of perfection.  Most people have multiple interests and can't really be categorized in one simple way, so it makes sense to me to post about different topics.  That said, I certainly don't think that you need to combine these things to be a successful blogger (unless you're trying to launch a crafty/baking blog), and I don't feel any pressure to include them.

4. The most successful blogs are the ones that have their own personal voice - how are you developing your voice or how did you find yours?
I don't know that I've really thought about this intentionally.  I do like non-fiction writing and wrote a fair bit in college since I double majored in English.  But really, this is a very casual thing for me and I tend to write similar to how I might speak if I were telling a friend my posts.  This may be in large part due to the fact that this blog is the result of text messages with a couple close friends who've contributed to the content here and I was surprised when someone other than them started to come here.
 
5. Toot your own horn... what's one thing you do that is unique to you and your blog? What gives your blog an edge?
My style is pretty unrelentingly frilly (cupcake-y), but I know that's out there (probably any Anthro-blog?).  I'm a grad student in lab sciences, which means I'm an outlier among my immediate environment and I dress somewhat impractically, but all those things are out there too- in fact I've even come across a blogger who's a student at the same school as me!  I feel like it's easier to see things we've got in common though, so I don't know that it's possible to identify anything unique to me and my blog other than my actual self.  So there you go.  I'm me and I think that it's pretty darn awesome thing to be, and I'd love to use this blog to help other people feel that way too.


You can find out what other bloggers think about these questions on modlychic.blogspot.com, abd read more about Fashion/Beauty Friend Friday here.

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