With all this social media fluff, it's easy to get lost in the clouds. Slowly but surely, we dress and act like the people we idolize. In my case, I adore bloggers Kristina Banzan and Nicole Warren. When I first cut my long, dark brown hair, I had hopes of looking like a young Nicole Warren. All I needed next was to perfect the eyeliner wing.
Even though my following is small and my resources are limited, I really believe in the possibilities of the internet and the power of individuality. But as I struggle to find my own niche in this universe, I also find myself getting discouraged. Naturally, it takes time, talent, and charisma to make a mark in the world of blogging; and nowadays, it seems like everyone has a blog. Everyone has a YouTube channel, a Snapchat, an Instagram, a Facebook, a Tinder, and a Twitter. So what makes me different than the thousands of other girls blogging just like me?
Well, nothing actually. To many, I'm sure that I seem like just another okay-ish face with mediocre photographer skills (depending on who you ask) with a rag-tag budget and design skills (if any). To the internet, I'm probably just another Millennial trying to point out things that have already been said/done. But overtime, I've started to accept these facts as false.
When I was a couple years younger, I wanted to be like everyone else. I wanted to be cool, conventionally pretty, and unequivocally dateable by all means. But as the years passed by and I started to practice for my first set of job interviews, I learned that one of the trickiest questions an interviewer can ask is, "What makes you different than the other candidates?" Well, considering that all of the other candidates before me are just as, if not, more qualified than me, I'm totally stumped. Then, I started to think, "What makes me different? What makes me special?".
Biologically, I am uniquely special. But in terms of experience, background, and desires, I am just like most normal, middle class girls. Surely there has to be something special about me. After all, we are taught that we are all special at a very early age in life. But maybe it's an illusion. Maybe I was never as special as I was raised to be.
The more I think about it, the more I realize that I don't want to be like everyone else. I don't want to blend in and play it safe. But it's all easier said than done, so as I explore what makes me special, I hope you find yourself thinking and sharing the things that make you special. In the end, those who are different are the ones who end up making a mark on the world.
The most popular bloggers are individualist yet relatable. Charismatic yet goofy. Exceptional yet down-to-earth. These as the characteristics that I hope to channel in my blog. As always, thank you for following along!
xx Ella-Kol