My Blogging Journey And The Lessons I Learned in My First 7 Months

Have you ever wondered what it’s really like to dive headfirst into the world of blogging? From the exhilarating highs to the gut-wrenching lows, the first seven months can be a rollercoaster. But fear not, because today I’m uncovering the unfiltered truth about my blogging journey and the lessons I learned in my first 7 months.

Armed with these unique lessons, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the blogging world and realistic expectations of what it’s like in the first 7 months.

So, if you’re ready to uncover the secrets, face the realities, and unlock the potential of your blogging journey, then let’s get started!

My First 7 Months of Blogging

Before we jump in, I need to give you a little background of my story to give context to the 7 honest lessons below. So, here goes.

I am currently 26 and working full time on building this home decor, DIY, and lifestyle blog, Katie T’s Home. I double majored in Business Admin with a concentration in Marketing and Visual and Performing Arts with a concentration in Visual Art. Before starting this blog, I had two marketing-related jobs that I gained lots of knowledge from. However, the latter job was corporate and not a good fit.

The next thing I knew, I was jobless with zero desire to put myself through anything like that again. So, with a little research and prior knowledge, I made the leap to start my own blog.

I decided to go in the direction of home decor, DIYs, and lifestyle because these are topics that I’m passionate about. And because of the small commission I earn from the affiliate links in the posts, I have the opportunity to pursue a career-fulfilling hobby while inspiring others in their creative home endeavors.

So, full disclaimer, I am currently 7 months into this blog, so if you are looking for some secret inside scoop from a successful person making tens of thousands of dollars per month on their blog, then this post is not for you.

I wanted to make this post for the people who are thinking about starting a blog or already have and are just a few months in. These brutally honest lessons were things that I’ve learned on my own and felt that there was no information out there from the traditional success stories.

And I’m not saying that the traditional success stories for beginner bloggers are bad, but I think so much time has gone by from the time these success stories started to where they are today, so they might have forgotten what the first 7 months were actually like. Or, maybe they didn’t go through any of these things. Maybe it’s just me lol!

So, with that said, I firmly believe that every story, successful or not, is different in the blogging world. So, naturally, these 7 brutally honest lessons may or may not pertain to you.

All I know is, that I want this post to help my fellow bloggers not lose hope or feel like they are alone in their situation while also starting my new lifestyle series for Katie T’s Home.

So let’s jump into the 7 honest lessons. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to my site (you’ll find the sign-up towards the top of the post) and comment below if you have any brutally honest lessons that you learned in the beginning stages of your blog!

The Harsh Reality of Starting From Scratch

The first lesson from my blogging journey is the reality that getting set up doesn’t happen overnight. Putting together a website and finding your style will take some initial time in the beginning.

So, to put things in perspective, I had experience with maintaining and editing a website at one of my prior jobs. And yet, it still took me about a month to completely set everything up and launch my first blog post. I was also working on the website full-time.

Now, it has been over a year since I did anything website-related, so I had to research and relearn some of the things I already knew. But, plan on it taking some time.

YouTube is a great resource for learning basic skills on how to do this. And believe me, there is so much to learn.

You’ll probably face a lot of pressure when creating your website. The do’s and don’ts and the everlasting decisions you didn’t think you would have to make. My advice? Be patient with yourself. And if that means stepping away for a bit to think about how you want to proceed, then allow yourself that time.

However, don’t feel pressured that your website needs to be perfect. Because even if you’re in love with the setup today, that doesn’t mean you’ll be in love with it 6 months from now. Be happy enough with the presentation, but know that no matter what, it’s likely to change in the future.

Unpopular Belief About Finding Topics in Your Niche

When it comes to finding topics in your niche, there’s a popular belief that you need to list a lot of blog post topics before you start blogging about them. The thought process for this was to prepare people so they don’t start blogging about a niche that doesn’t have enough content.

I understand and slightly agree. However, I’m also here to completely disagree. Yes, I recommend creating a short list of different topics and posts. I wouldn’t do much more than 20-30 because I did and didn’t use most of them. Why? Simple, I gained experience and new and better ideas along the way.

To this day, I have a schedule of upcoming posts, and sometimes a new idea sparks and I write about that instead.

So yes, have enough topics to talk about, but know that you will be adding to the list. For all of your home decor and lifestyle bloggers, know that this topic has endless possibilities. Don’t stress over not having ideas because they’ll come with time.

The Art of Solving Problems

Whether it’ll be scheduling issues, website malfunctions, or creating quality photos. Even overcoming obstacles like photography lighting, editing, and having the resources to put your vision in motion.

Problems will come, and unfortunately, it’s part of life. But it’s all about the mindset. For example, I like to remember these moments of issues and problem-solving for two reasons.

The first is that it’s character-building. I’ll be more educated after I figure out the solution and better for it. Or perhaps the problem will spark a new idea and lead me down a different and beneficial path.

The second is because overcoming these situations gains confidence. Whether it’s confidence in my abilities to solve problems or confidence to know that the coined statement “if it were easy, everyone would do it” holds so much weight.

The Importance of Finding Your Unique Voice

Finding your unique voice is not just about standing out and being different for the sake of it. It’s about understanding that your voice is your superpower. It’s what sets you apart and allows you to connect with your audience on a deeper level. Your voice is an expression of your personality and values, and it should shine through in the content you create.

Moreover, your unique voice brings a fresh perspective to the table. It allows you to approach topics from a different angle, providing new insights and ideas.

But finding your unique voice is not a one-time event. It’s an ongoing journey of self-discovery and growth. It requires you to constantly reflect on your strengths and interests, listen to feedback, and adapt your voice accordingly. As you evolve, your voice will naturally evolve too.

Blogging is Not Really “Free”

While it’s true that blogging provides a platform for anyone to express their thoughts and ideas at no monetary cost, it is important to recognize that blogging is not entirely free.

First and foremost, creating valuable content requires a foundation, i.e., the website. So whether you invest in a self-hosted platform, plugins, legal notices, or even creating a business email, there will be charges from the foundation alone.

The next tier is the resources. This includes taking your photos to buying stock photos. I personally take my own because that’s the direction I want for my blog. But this can come at a cost, especially if you need the proper equipment.

While yes, I’d say the majority of smartphones are great to start with, it’s not always ideal. Whether, it be needing a camera that can take long videos, having multiple angles for videoing and photography, a reliable storage space, the quality of the photo with poor lighting conditions, or all of the above.

Or even a platform such as Adobe or Canva to edit your assets. Let’s take it a step further and throw in a reliable desktop that can withstand the storage space. Or one that can withstand the functionality of a high-quality platform such as Adobe Premiere Pro.

All of these factors may be potential investments for you. And while yes, it’s still cheaper than opening a traditional business or other hobbies (depending on your motive), it’s not free either. There will be costs down the road.

Final Tablescape Décor Setting for Fall Modern Farmhouse

So from my experience and my blogging journey, anticipate that blogging will come with a cost.

And for all of your decor, DIY, and lifestyle bloggers like myself, there’s always the cost of buying decorations or materials, but that’s the fun part so it’s okay!

Embracing Failure as a Stepping Stone

The last piece of my blogging journey is discussing the importance of embracing the failures that are sure to come.

Embracing failure as a stepping stone is a crucial mindset to adopt when it comes to blogging. In the early stages, it’s easy to become discouraged by the lack of immediate success or the occasional missteps.

However, instead of letting these setbacks define you, it’s important to view them as valuable learning opportunities.

For example, several weeks ago, I had some scheduling issues for my blog posts. The situation then escalated into my website breaking. It ended up needing to be reverted to the condition it was in the day prior. This meant that all the work I did on the new blog post was lost.

Because of that incident, I decided to take a couple of weeks to upgrade the layout of my website and restrategize how and what I do. This includes incorporating the lifestyle piece of my blog.

I decided to make my blogging experience the first lifestyle post because it seemed like a good foundation. I’m not just jumping into a random day of my life.