1 YEAR ON INSTAGRAM || SOME THOUGHTS

As of June 22nd, I will have been on Instagram for one year. But hear me out, I'm not completely behind on the social media wave; I've been using Instagram for a lot longer than 1 year, but I'm soon celebrating my 'Instaversary' for my Blog Instagram. This means that 1 year ago, I took the step from using my personal Instagram for very occasional and shy blog promotion to promoting my blog loud and proud in its own little corner of the 'gram.

For anyone scrolling through my Instagram, it's easy to see that there's been a whole lot of change over the year. I started my blog Instagram the same way I started my blog, really. I was naive; I hadn't really done my research. I know a lot of people will prepare to start a 'blog Instagram' by scrolling through hundreds of similar accounts - with me, I was kind of going off how I felt. In a way, I guess I still am. My blog, as well as my Instagram, has always just been 'going with the flow'. As a creative person, I use these platforms to portray myself honestly and personally. Even looking at my grid now, there's still a sense of 'going with the flow' whether you see a 'theme' or not, it's all a simple case of "yeah, that looks good - let's post it".

Despite the somewhat laid-back approach that I might seem to have, I didn't quite expect the sense of protectiveness that came with having a blog-Instagram. It's my little hub; my own place to promote solely my blog and, in an incredibly similar way to a blog, the place where I can build a reputation from others simply through photographs and words. Some may think it's a second blog or a mini blog. I sort of agree - if your Instagram and your blog fit together like lock and key, you have quite a hefty tin of magic on your hands. And, like I imagine many people will be, having that little corner of the internet, looking after it (whether that's by spending your money on it, or writing for it) kind of makes you feel like a mother to it. It's your own - and my blog-Instagram is almost like my second child.

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Come to think of it, there are a few things that I wasn't expecting when I started the @aliceroseglow Instagram account. One of which is the amount of nature and outdoors I seem to consume. I'm not gonna lie, for the purpose of this blog post I sat and calculated an average percentage of the photos on my grid that are taken either outdoors or of natural things (e.g. plants) and I don't think I was shocked to see that the figure was just over 90%! Now I don't know whether my involvement with nature has come with the time that my gap year has given me because, in the past year, I've probably been on more walks than anyone I know. Although, it's always been something I've enjoyed with my family, so perhaps it's just me growing up and pursuing what I enjoy. Either way, it's plastered all across my grid lately and it makes me quite content.

Another thing that actually surprised me was the hashtags. I remember after starting my account in June, after a few weeks I started learning about 'Shadowbanning', it was actually Abbie who helped me with this one. At the time, people were staying well away from #bblogger (which, luckily, is never a hashtag I need to use) but it started showing me that there were struggles that people were facing on Instagram. Imagine wanting to promote your hard work on a platform only for the platform to take it away from you. But not only did shadowbanning shock me, it was the number of hashtags I'd need to use on each post. Of course, I'm not obliged to use these hashtags but, if I want to put my blog out there, I have to use my resources. Young little me, when my blog first started, would pop a picture on my Instagram without hashtags and thus only really present it for my school friends to see (who F.Y.I, never gave a sh*t about my blog).

The last thing that I didn't expect was how much I'd show my face or disclose any indication of my location. First of all, my face. My identity was always ambiguous and, as I've said before, it's understandable given the age I was when I started my blog. Now I feel a lot more comfortable with showing my face and I think it's especially because of the way other bloggers also present themselves in photographs. The same goes for my location. I'm most certainly not going to go handing out my Postcode to every Tom, Dick, and Harry, but I'm happier these days telling people that I'm a North-East gal. While I'd still rather be living on a golden coast or in a quaint countryside village instead of this part of the UK, sharing my location has enabled me to take up lots of exciting blog opportunities.

It's obvious to see that, in the beginning, I was quite happy dabbling with themes. I dipped my toe into all different types of themes: different colour schemes and settings, and also finding out what kind of theme I found most accessible and expressive. Looking at the image above, you can easily pick out the theme-trio that resonates the most with the kind of content that I continue to publish today. And, being honest with you, I look back at this grid with a smile on my face. It looks quite pleasant and interesting, doesn't it? Admittedly, I found the trio things quiet restraining. In fact, even today I find the whole 'pre-shooting' thing quite restrictive - I prefer every now and then to post a picture from that actual day and not just a photo that will fit in.

I wrote a while back about How I Edit and Theme my Instagram and how much VSCO saved my editing life but, it's ever-changing. Every day I am wanting to step up that little bit more. Work on aperture impact, creativity, hidden messages, and more. I might have a deeper venture into the wonders of Lightroom Editing Software, I might vow to use my DSLR a little bit more, and I might even book a shoot with a portrait photographer. Who knows?!

I've enjoyed the past year on Instagram, I've learned a lot and gained a lot for both personal experiences and blog opportunities. It's all completely worthwhile and I'm looking forward to seeing what another year will bring.

How long have you been on Instagram?