6 Ways Blogging and YouTube Changed My Life

Happy Sunday everyone! Dramatic title today, yes?

I've talked very openly, very regularly about how amazing I think the blogging and YouTube community can be. There's something incredible about having this little bubble to escape to from time to time, where everyone is interested in similar things, and you can talk to people at the other side of the word as regularly as you talk to someone who lives next door. It connects people in such an amazing way, and I really do struggle to picture what my life would look like now if I hadn't involved myself in this little world. So, naturally, I thought it was time to turn this topic in to a list style post - here are 6 ways blogging and YouTube changed my life!

1. It has opened doors for me career wise:

My blog and my YouTube channel are not massive in terms of follower number - I don't have thousands of subscribers or followers, but over the past couple of years I've made a conscious effort to publish posts and videos on a more regular basis, and that is something employers have been impressed with. It's a fun hobby, but as you guys will all know, it takes a lot of time and effort! From finding time to film a video and then edit it, to making sure you take photos of whatever it is you are blogging about before the lighting is awful (living in Scotland, that is no mean feat!), it requires times and dedication. I can honestly say that at least three jobs/internships I have had have been partly to do with my blog and channel, which, now having been to university twice, says a lot.

2. It had boosted my confidence:

This is quite an important one; I really do think I owe a lot to blogging in terms of how much my confidence has grown over the past two years or so. I've always been a very chatty person with people I know - my friends will tell you, I rarely shut up for long enough to eat my meals (hence the reason I'm always last to finish at dinner), but with new people I used to be incredibly shy. I was a painfully shy child who got really anxious about going to new things that my friends wouldn't be at, and it definitely held me back at times. Since blogging though, I really pushed myself to change that. I started saying yes to going to events where I wouldn't know anyone at first, and continually accepted invites to meet ups where I could get to know the people whose blogs I'd been reading for so long. Now the prospect of going to events solo doesn't phase me in the slightest, and I definitely think I've gained a lot of confidence in other life situations because of it. Starting a new course at uni last year, I threw myself into talking to everyone on my course immediately, something that without a friend by my side would, in the past, have made me feel nervous. Alongside a few other life changes, I think blogging can take some of the credit for that.

3. It has taught me new skills:

A couple of years ago, I wouldn't have had the faintest idea about video editing. "But you did a degree in Film and Television Studies", I hear you say! That's true, but my course was all theory - think English Literature, but studying films and television shows instead! This time last year, I edited a video for one of my university group projects, and that project was nominated for an award at the Herald Scottish Digital Business Awards in Glasgow last month. When they announced our names at the ceremony, they cited the use of video as one of the things they liked most about our project - how cool is that?! I now have over 100 videos on my YouTube channel, and the progression from totally unedited videos filmed on my phone, to properly edited videos with cuts, titles, music, endcards, etc, is actually really amazing to see. iMovie is fairly straightforward once you start using it, but it blows my mind that that is an entirely new skill I have to offer in terms of future career, all thanks to the blogging community!

4. It has made me appreciate the little things more:

source

A platform like instagram changes the way you look at the world. In some ways it can be a negative thing - Emma and I were just talking last night about how sometimes humans spend too much time trying to capture the perfect photo of something amazing rather than just appreciating the something amazing! However, what I love about instagram is that when you're in the blogging mindset, you start noticing everyday things - the cup of tea you're drinking, the pretty street art you walk past, the sparkly new nail polish you just put on - and realising that they'd make a pretty photo. It brightens up your day because things that you wouldn't have thought much about before, suddenly become a significant part of life. That can help cheer you up after a bad, or even just an uneventful day, and that's something to be thankful for!

5. It gave me my topic for my Masters dissertation:

source

I love blogging and YouTube so much I just spent the past six months studying it! I wrote my masters dissertation on the impact of social media communities on the consumption of beauty products in women aged 18-30, and I loved every last minute of it. I felt so connected to what I was studying, and it must have showed, because I ended up getting a better mark than I ever expected, and winning a prize for best dissertation on my course!! Finding something you feel so passionate about is a gift, and not only do I think I learnt a lot during my studies, but I've learnt a lot about the beauty and marketing industry just from blogging myself. I know what sort of PR emails bloggers respond well to and what puts them (and me!) off. I know how to organise a blogging event, how to promote something on twitter, or run a twitter chat. So many skills!

and finally...

6. It has given me a huge new group of amazing friends:

We all knew this was going to be the last one, right?! I genuinely count myself so incredibly lucky to have met the people who have come into my life on this blogging journey. The people I have met have become such an integral part of my life that it actually stresses me out to imagine life without them! People I started off reading their blogs or chatting to them on twitter have become people I don't go a day without speaking to, who I go on regular nights out with, discuss everything from life goals to politics to makeup to feminism with, and I wouldn't change it for the world. I used to watch people like Louise (Sprinkle of Glitter) and Zoella, back in the early days and think, "how cool must it be to end up making such a close friend through your blog". Well, now I know. And it isn't only the people I see and speak to regularly - I'm so grateful for every last person who reads my blog or watches my video, anyone I chat to via twitter or instagram, and the lovely people I interact with regularly during the Sunday night #lbloggers chat. It's such a lovely community, and I sometimes have to stop and pinch myself when I realise such a lot of important people to me wouldn't be in my life if I hadn't started my blog and my YouTube channel!

So there we have it - six ways blogging and YouTube changed my life!!

How has writing your blog/participating in the blogging community, or making YouTube videos changed your life?

Thanks so much for reading, I hope you've all had a lovely weekend!