Money. It’s one of the benchmark metrics that other creators use to judge each other by. How many sponsored collaborations did you have? How much money do bloggers make? Did you have a 6-figure year? For me, the answer is not that many, the ones I wanted to, and not enough to live on. Granted, this isn’t my full-time position. If I wanted to make it so, I would need to invest more into it, but I don’t make thousands off my blog, and that’s okay. It doesn’t make the content I create less fun for me, but it does mean I am selective in how I work.
Using annual gains as a metric is a normal business practice. Over time, my work has scaled and I do make enough to pay for everything I spend. There are many costs associated with blogging. Photographers, clothing (whether you’re buying or subscribing), licensing and editing software, web services. Parking and driving around to shoot locations. Each of these things costs money, a total that comes into the thousands each year. For me, I try to break even each year at a minimum, and any other money I make is me making relationships that I might be able to convert into larger collaborations one day. Don’t get me wrong. It’s really hard to not compare myself to other bloggers, but everyone’s path is different.
At the end of the day, I know that I’m not doing this for the money. If I was, I would surely not be talking about the major issues within the fashion industry, politics in any way, or topics that make people scared of having an opinion run away. I’m not cultivating a space where people can think that their transphobic, racist, sexist, or homophobic views are accepted. I want to educate, share, and create content to help young women my age. I’m working on this and creating this blog where I can be an honest version of myself. If that resonates, great! If not, there are many other creators who might be more your fancy.
Instagram is the name of the game and because of this, we live in a constant environment of comparing ourselves. They’re skinnier than me and go to the gym more. They have nicer clothes. They have a better camera or the newest iPhone. You know the drill. We’ve all done it. It’s a part of being human whether we like to acknowledge it or not. I choose not to live in the comparisons when thinking how much do you make blogging because it never goes well. To be frank, there are many systemic issues that impact the popularity of a blogger. Everyone’s circumstances are different, so I can’t judge myself against that.
At the end of day, today is not my day, but maybe one day. I would love to do this full-time and share little pieces of my world, but right now that day’s not here. Might be I need to tweak my site’s SEO. I might need to make better content. Right now, there are a million things happening in my life. I don’t entirely have time to figure out exactly where I’m going wrong. It also might not be in the cards for me. That’s okay. I don’t plan on stopping because I love what I do and I’m excited to continue doing so regardless of how much money I make.
At the core, I forgot why I do this for a while. After my dad’s death, I spent a lot of time trying to remember just why I enjoyed blogging. Was it because I enjoyed getting dressed up and going to Fashion Week? Was I procrastinating in figuring out what to do with my life? There are many questions about why I do this. How much money do I make blogging isn’t one. I recently came back to my why with this relaunch. My why isn’t one fixed thing and it changes just as I change over time. It grows with me and will continue to do so as I write and figure out what I want to do with my life.
In conclusion, how much I make with my blog doesn’t define me. The question of how much money do bloggers make doesn’t define me. I am going to continue doing what I love and sharing how I do so with you all. If you want to be the latest in the know, be sure to join my email list below.