How To Get Out of a Blogging Rut & Find Creativity Again

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As you all know, I recently went through a huge blogging rut. From the changing Instagram algorithm, to a huge move, crazy ex-roommate and job changes, it was hard for me to focus on The Fashionista’s Diary. I also lost a lot of my inspiration and no longer felt motivated to get a post up on the daily. This upset me so much because blogging was something that I was so passionate about and seeing myself lose that passion affected me more than you probably know. But, I’m glad to say that I’ve found my passion for blogging again and I’m going to share a few things that I practiced/did to get out of my blogging rut and find creativity again.

We all start our blogs for a reason. Whether it’s to get back at the bullies, inspire people, showcase all of those unworn outfits you have hanging in your closet, or just for fun. Some of us take it on full-time and some of us don’t. My hope, honestly, is to take blogging on full-time eventually. When? I’m not too sure, yet. But I can guarantee you that I will work every day toward that goal. This is my happy spot. Getting comments saying you’re happy that I’m back seriously make me giddy. Image source

Take an hour out of your day once a week to create content ideas, plan your posts and get excited. 

This is something that is so important. Whether you want to take an hour out of your Sunday, or Monday, or evening, I found it to be so helpful. Writing down my ideas and seeing sub ideas come about as a result really helped me get pumped about creating new content. I wasn’t just seeing other peoples’ posts and being discouraged. Instead, I was making a move and creating my own ideas, writing them down on a piece of paper and getting myself excited about them. Sometimes, even today, and idea will come to me when I’m in the car or on the subway. In that case, I write it down and then expand on it in my hour-a-week brainstorming session.
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Reach out to companies you love and pitch yourself to them. Getting a “yes” back will give you the fuel you need to get back into it! 

I did this a lot toward the end of my rut. I told myself I needed to foster the relationships I had built with companies over the years. Instead of pitching myself, I would pitch an idea and let them know what I have in mind. Companies and their PR teams have so much on their plate that they don’t really have the time to come up with content ideas for you. If you take the time to present ideas to them and really show your passion about the project, they’re most likely going to say yes. If they say no, don’t worry! Keep reaching out to other companies. Someone is going to say yes, I promise.

Read your old comments on blog and social media posts. 

This is something that really helped me. While in my rut, I figured no one missed me. No one really noticed that I wasn’t posting or had gone MIA. And, when you feel this way, you don’t really feel any passion to get back into it. Well, one night I decided to go through old Instagram and blog posts and read the comments. One word: wow. The amount of support and love I felt just by reading those old comments was overwhelming and I knew that even if I had inspired one person, I had done my job. It reminded me why I started this blog and it reminded me that people do care and people do want to see my content. Which brings me to the next point…

Remember why you started your blog. 

For me, I started TFD solely as a way to inspire people. It wasn’t about making money, getting free things or anything else. It was about being able to write posts, share outfits and tell stories that would inspire someone in some way. I’m in no way perfect and I make mistakes. The best part is having a support system to share these mistakes with and to let them know what you’ve learned. I just think there’s so much that we can do to lift each other up and that’s why I started The Fashionista’s Diary. I’m not the skinniest blogger. I get pimples. I have drama-filled times in my life. But that’s what makes me real, and that’s what makes someone like me relatable. And I remembered this during my “rut.” I remembered the happy feeling I would get when I received an email that someone had followed my blog for so long and could finally purchase something that I had worn. Or the emails from people supporting me and telling me their story when I shared a very sensitive time in my life. Remember why you started and let that bring you back.

Scour Pinterest for inspiration and ideas! 

Pinterest is seriously the best. There’s so much goodness on there and there’s so much inspiration. I just looked at my feed on the daily and saw other bloggers really excelling and doing well. I read a bunch of articles I found on Pinterest, found positive quotes and got ideas. It got me excited and gave me a little push. Image source

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Get a mood board and thumbtack ideas, colors, upcoming trends, etc. to it and have it in a visible place to keep you inspired. 

I have yet to do this but I have my board hung up on my wall ready to go! This is such a visible reminder of what’s currently inspiring you. personally, I like mine near my desk and where I can see it. So, since my desk is in the back half of my living room, I have it in my living room right behind my desk. I’ll be decorating it this week so make sure to check on Instagram! I used to have this in Miami right above my desk and it helped me so much. Every so often I would change it out and add different things. It’s a fun way to thumbtack your favorite People StyleWatch looks, quotes, colors, textures, etc. And there’s so much you can do with it. You can get one on basically every home site but this one is my favorite.

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Connect with other bloggers and vent! Let them help you through it. Chances are, you aren’t alone. 

This one was a big one for me. When I first started blogging, I made it a point to really create great relationships with other bloggers. Because, when things get tough, we have each other! My best friend Ashley was my rock every single day! She always checked up on me, reminded me that I create valuable content and helped me get back into it. Having a friend like Ashley in your life who blogs as well and knows how happy you were when you first started is so important. She reminded me of my passion toward blogging and her motivation and posts inspired me to get back into it and stop moping around. I also spoke with other bloggers in Facebook groups and knowing I wasn’t alone helped me so much. Knowing that I wasn’t the only one feeling discouraged and beat up by life’s little obstacles really gave me the push I needed to return to TFD.

Take a notebook with you everywhere and write down ideas as they pop up. Or, just write them in your notes. In my opinion, a cute notebook makes a world of a difference. 

I am a notebook/stationery fanatic. Anyone who knows me knows that. There’s nothing that inspires me more than a great notebook to jot down ideas and meeting notes on! You can always just write down your ideas in your “notes” app on your phone, but putting a pen to paper is still so therapeutic for me and maybe it is for you, too. I take a smaller notebook with me everywhere and jot down any ideas I come up with, questions I may need to ask you guys, social posts, anything. With a great notebook, you can conquer anything! See some of my favorites below: 

Talk to your followers, let them know what’s going on. Their comments will remind you why you started in the first place. 

Remember that your followers are the reason you are here. Let them in on what’s going on in your life. When I let my followers know what I was going through, I got the best feedback. It made me feel like I had all of these amazing friends that genuinely cared about me and it meant so much to me. As someone who grew up being bullied, having people who look up to me and who wait for my posts means more to me than you could ever know. There’s nothing more special than being real with your followers. Because, to me, they’re my friends. Getting the feedback from you guys was what I needed to be like ‘Ok, Lauren. That’s it. You’ve gone through your stuff and now it’s time to get back to what you love.’

And, well, here I am! How have you overcome a blogging rut or lack of creativity? I would love to know in the comments below!