HAPPY BLOG-BIRTHDAY TO ME!
Yep, Little Miss Katy turns three today. (Officially I started the blog on 27th April 2013, but I didn’t install Google Analytics until May 4th so I’m counting today as a second birthday.)
It’s been three years of ups, downs, new friends, amazing opportunities, emotional growth, skill learning, and lots and lots (and lots) of food. Lots of it.
At the beginning of 2017, I told mum that this year would be my year of going freelance. I was going to save up all my blog earnings and build myself a nest egg so I could go full-time by December.
Instead, I booked a two-week trip around Japan. And then I booked a week in Singapore. And a holiday in Greece. And a weekend in Bucharest… you get the point. At the moment, anything I earn through the blog is going straight off to pay for some travel expense or another (I have a running list. And it’s long.)
Which basically means that I’m going to be sticking with my reception job for a while. And actually, I’m surprisingly OK with that.
I’ve taken a step back from trying to be a “successful” blogger. Since I had a mini meltdown about it all a few months ago, I’ve been focusing on just taking photos and writing stuff that I’m excited about. Sometimes I don’t want to write at all, so I use the time to work on other behind-the-scenes stuff, like making my photos better or fixing all my broken links (all 396 post’s worth of them…)
I feel happy again. I’m happy with the photos I’m taking, I’m happy with the ideas I’m having, I’m happy with the opportunities I’m accepting, and I’m even happier with the opportunities I’m turning down.
My blog feels like my own again. It’s finally on track to becoming what I wanted it to be three years ago, when I first clicked that little NEW POST button on Blogger.
So here’s a bit of an update on what you can expect to see on Little Miss Katy in the coming months:
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1. FOOD
Shock horror surprise! Bet you didn’t expect to see food on this blog eh? (Jokes. Obviously. When do I ever talk about anything else?)
Restaurant reviews and recommendations have always been a big part of my blog content, and they’re going to stay that way. But you’ve probably already noticed that I’ve been posting a lot more recipes too.
They’re one of my absolute favourite things to write at the moment. From testing the recipes on my Instagram Stories during the week, to plating, styling, shooting, editing… I love it all, and I’m excited to work on this more!
I also want to do more short posts about random things that I eat when I’m out and about. Sort of similar to my halloumi fries post. “Dear Diary, today I ate a delicious thing. Here is a photo of the delicious thing, and a few more shots of where I bought it. You’re welcome.”
2. TRAVEL
Travel travel travel. My brain is just a big old whirr of travel possibilities at the moment!
I’ve officially run out of leave from work this year, but that’s not stopping me from thinking of weekend breaks, and summer bank holidays, and planning maybe a small trip here and another small trip there…
Which means lots of juicy travel content for you guys! So many of you have messaged me to tell me you’re loving my travel posts at the moment, so I’m excited to do more of this. I’m working towards a mix of lifestyle/here’s-what-we-did-today posts, along with some helpful city guides and food roundups.
3. LIFESTYLE
These probably won’t pop up as often anymore. I’ve mentioned before that I find it difficult to talk about my feelings and stuff, and I’m trying to cut down on blogging about random things just because I feel I need to put a post up.
But occasionally I do want to talk about things that are happening in the world, or stuff that I’ve been thinking about, or that new TV show I’m obsessed with. And that’s what this section is for.
4. HAPPY MONDAY
Guys, to be totally honest, I’m not exactly sure what’s going to happen with Happy Mondays. I thought I’d cracked the code a few weeks back, but I’m struggling again.
I just find them a bit of a chore to write. Every week I open a new draft at 9am on a Monday morning and then just sit there with a blank page, ignoring the tab, playing on Twitter, and pretending I’m just too busy today to write a Happy Monday. When actually, I just don’t want to do it.
So I’m not nixing it completely, but yeah, these posts are definitely going to be popping up a lot less for now. Maybe it’ll come back to me, maybe it won’t, but I’m going to stop trying to force it.
5. VIDEOS AND VLOGGING
I bought a new lens for my camera last week!
It’s a 17mm f1.8, which I’m attaching to my Olympus PEN epl-7. The wide-angle means it’s going to be perfect for taking travel photos and close-up lifestyle shots, but it also means that I can finally shoot video again. Hooray!
I’m definitely going to be working on some travel videos, and I’m also going to experiment with vlogging again. Not quite sure whether I’ll do weekly vlogs, or weekend vlogs (because my weeks are usually filled with work and not much else), or something entirely different, but you can subscribe to my Youtube channel HERE, which means that when I post a video, you’ll be the first to hear about it! :)
And on a closing note: thank you for being utterly awesome readers.
I know I’m awful at replying to your comments, but I do read and appreciate every single one of them. Ditto your tweets, emails, and Instagram messages. You’re a wonderful bunch of people, and if I could, I’d send you all a giant cookie to say thank you properly!
Here’s to another three years of fun, food, and internet loving. And May the Fourth be with you. ♥︎
WHAT I’M WEARING
Jeans: H&M (you’ll need to go about 3 sizes up from your usual…) // Long-sleeved t-shirt: Primark //
Faux leather jacket: New Look (old) // Shoes: Primark //
Camera bag: Olympus // Glasses: Joules via Vision Express
