Monday Musings - blogging, business and beyond (with slide film photos)

After reading this post by Lady Moriartry the other day , it got me thinking - why do we blog? And does blogging necessarily have to turn into a business?

We're way past 2007 and I doubt we'll see any more stellar careers rising from blogging - let's face it - the blog bubble has burst and it's just become a more fiercely competitive world. There are very few people who actually make a living off their blog or manage to find jobs thanks to that; and more and more people who are trying.

But, like anything else, blogs come and go. especially in the volatile world of fashion.

While I could try and speculate upon why I think certain people blog, I think I should ask myself- why do I blog?

My experience is fairly strange, as I used to have a different blog before this one, back in 2009.

Why was I blogging then? Blogging used to be for geeks and losers and people who didn't have any friends in general, why was it suddenly cool? I guess because I discovered the fascinating (and dangerous) world of fashion blogging, look book, wardrobe remix and the likes.

And so many pretty and stylish girls! Maybe I just needed to belong and feel accepted or trying to prove to the world that I could also be stylish and resourceful.

And...there was also a bit of an ulterior motive, as I was trying to launch an Etsy shop back them (as you can tell, I did have quite a vintage collection already; that's what you get when you've been wearing mostly thrifted stuff since the age of 14).

The result? I did get attention and some appreciation but I also felt frustrated, ugly and simply poor most of the time. Also, I drove my then-bf crazy. And spent waaay too much time on ebay.

This time around...I kinda did things the other way around - I didn't have the patience to try and win people over with my style, I was pretty desperate and needed to make some cash, pronto!

So the blog started mostly as an accessory to the shop, but I don't think that's really what I wanted.

Even if I thought I would be wiser, I still feel the same frustration as the first time around, maybe even more so. I keep thinking- what am I doing wrong? Have I really put on that much weight? Do people simply hate my face? Why can't I take sharp photos with super blurry backgrounds like everyone else?

The truth is...maybe I wasn't trying as hard. or maybe I've just been trying too hard.

The blogosphere has changed and I totally feel that.

But then i asked myself- why did i start reading blogs in the first place? First of all, to learn about new cool stuff, such as music, movies and books. Most of my early teenage reads have been influenced by this long-defunct romanian reviews proto-site and my music music education has been shaped by the cookshop (and last fm, let's not forget that one).

Then the fashion blogs were a source of inspiration from real people and a way to discover new cool designers, learn more about vintage or simply find out where that uber cool necklace was from.

But then the people started to seem less and less real and there was this huge socio-cultural gap. Somehow blogging gives you the feeling of democracy - the illusion that the people you see there are more or less like you. actually, upon a closer look all it does is just accentuate the class difference between people who buy Louis Vuitton and the ones who go to Emmaus (the French Salvation Army). They both take pics on the Pont des Arts. Or there are some who buy both. And everyone claims they are poor/broke.

Before living abroad I couldn't picture how some young people can be that well off. I also feel that living here has taught me that everything is about class struggle, income and social status. No, i can't join you guys for dinner because I can't afford to eat in a place like this.

Then there are real people, who you feel like you really can relate to and who address the same problems that bother you.

In the end, do you really have to be rich in order to develop aesthetic judgement?

It's probably just the lower-middle class vs the upper-middle class and higher up. You do need to have a camera and a computer in order to blog, after all.

So maybe before dissing this as white people problems, we should consider the need for a new class that would bridge the gap between the two very wide ends of what we call ''middle class''.

Anyhow, I didn't mean to try and get political, but this is what Paris does to even the most politically ignorant people like myself - it turns them into revoltes.

Maybe I should try making this blog into something I would like to read.

In the end, all I really want from all this is to add more dimension to the brand I'm trying to develop; in short, I guess i'm just trying to say that I'm a real person, you guys! Not a spam bot, a like machine or a greedy corporation.

I don't want to make money off my blog (you could argue it's a promo platform for the shop but actually all the other social networks bring in more views than the blog) , I guess I just want to show off my styling skills outside of vintage shoots, share a little more about the movies I love and which fuel the whole concept behind the boutique, share some (what I think is) cool stuff from time to time and well... enjoy the luxury of thinking aloud. in writing.

And of course, I'm always happy to hear that someone is listening.

Come to think about it, maybe the first time around I was being more sincere; and regular, and generous.

Maybe that's what we all need in the end - a little more sincerity. Can we have a virtual toast to that?

PS : last but not least, I am grateful for all the appreciation and positive feedback I've been getting, the sales I managed to make, but sometimes it just gets hard and maybe I just needed to let out a little steam. The irony of it all? I just got an email that my shop has been featured in a online mag. It's definitely something that made me smile. Thanks Whim Magazine!