For the second instalment of my 'blogger's guide' series, I wanted to talk more in depth about finding your niche in the blogosphere. For me, at the very beginning, my blog was all about something I loved and was passionate about in equal measure: fashion (and shopping.) My first ever post, which you can read in full here, was about what I was going to wear to a friends Wedding party. Reading it back, I feel quite nostalgic because this was honestly the first time I'd ever committed something to 'paper' as it were, for what is essentially public consumption (although of course then I had no followers) and it feels very true to the style of my blog today; no rules or constrictions, just me, chatting about what I was going to wear to a party, as you would to a friend.
The idea of adding images didn't really occur to me until later on in my blogging career and I will of course dedicate a post in this series to talking about that. But at the beginning, this blog was a talky, chatty, all-my-own-opinion culmination of things I'd bought, things I wanted, and things I was inspired by. Back in '09 there was no Pinterest (obsessed) so I made my own lists up and put outfits together verbally rather than with images. A little naive, perhaps, but I suppose the point that I am trying to make is that my blog was only ever intended to be a creative outlet for myself, and I never expected anyone to even comment on it, let alone contact me on behalf of a brand and ask if I'd like to work with them!
My 'niche' as I suppose you could call it, was my love of thrifted and vintage finds and sharing these on my blog was a great way to get others interested and inspired. I know there are many, many blogs dedicated to vintage fashion, charity shop fashion, designer fashion and high street fashion, but I felt my appeal might lie in being able to mix the whole lot together; to advise my readers if I'd found an amazing sale somewhere or to give them tips that helped me when rummaging in the depths of a Devon chazzer. Hence, Credit Crunch Chic became a destination for me to post about putting together really great looks on a shoestring; or showcasing a great designer 'dupe'.
The crux of the issue at the time, for me, was that I had no money (I still don't; it's all hanging in my wardrobe) and amidst the doom and gloom of the recession I wanted to be able to feed my shopping habit vicariously through my blog. An early post advocates the joys of 'Faux Shopping' (here) and another sings the praises of bargains nabbed on eBay. I've never lost that interest in bargain hunting, and whilst I have been lucky enough, and worked hard enough, to be able to afford some lovely things, my favourite posts are always the ones in which I'm showing something I've picked up for less than a tenner from some charity shop somewhere. I always try and stay true to the message I am writing about, and I like to think that has made Credit Crunch Chic the blog I hoped it would be.
XO Amie
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