My Blurred World: 4 years on

I never expected for my writing to reach four corners of the globe, my only focus was to help just one person. If my writing could do that then I was on the right track.

My 16-year-old self never would have thought I’d be sat here four years later, looking back at the highs and lows of my blogging journey so far, reminiscing over what blogging has brought to my life, the accolades I now have to my name thanks to this little corner of the internet and most important of all, how I’ve gained a new found confidence through sharing my story online.

I celebrated my 4th blogaversary the right way at a Shawn Mendes concert on Sunday night but of course, I had to have a little celebration on here as well. Plus, getting lost in writing a blog post helps to combat those post concert blues.

So let’s take a little look back at the last 4 years  shall we? 

My Blurred World: 4 years on

I didn’t know exactly what direction I wanted to take my blog or even if I’d stick to it, it all started with a focus on some of the feelings I experienced at the time as well as a few posts about accessible beauty and my growing passion for beauty, fashion and makeup. 

But as I opened up a little more about my experiences with sight loss, others who were in a similar situation to me started to reach out and I realised that there are so many people out there who can relate and as this became clearer, the feeling of loneliness I had started to fade a little. 

As cheesy as it sounds, every word I write comes straight from the heart and although I cringe when looking back at some of my old posts, they’ve all played a part in building My Blurred World.

Some of my favourite posts are some of my most honest and open, such as the Things I wish I’d known when growing up with sight loss which I published last summer, my documentation of the feelings of loneliness and isolation which I’ve felt over the years due to sight loss; a post which received an incredible response from fellow blind/VI people and charities alike, my account of my struggle with confidence and last week’s post about my experiences with anxiety. 

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I never expected to be so open with the world in terms of these kinds of topics but once I start writing, you can probably tell that I find it a little hard to stop.

Although the more personal posts are nerve wracking to share, a massive part of me is glad that I put these things out there because they’re the kind of posts I could have benefited from reading a few years ago. 

Of course, not all of my posts are so deep, I absolutely love writing about things such as concert experiences (expect another one coming very soon), beauty, fashion and so much more. 

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It’s not always been plain sailing, I’ve gone through spells of feeling uninspired when it comes to my blog as I’m sure every blogger does and there have been times when it’s been difficult to publish new content but I’ve learned the importance of stepping back when those times come around. 

We’ve built up a lovely little community here and there’s no bigger motivator than when someone says something I’ve written has helped them in some way.

Thank you to every single person who has ever sent me a message, left a comment, hit the like button, shared a post or just simply taken the time out of their day to read just one of my posts. 

But most of all, thank you so much to anyone who has encouraged me to share my story and helped me to find comfort in this small corner of the internet. 

It means more than you know. 

I’ve received messages from people who I never would have come across otherwise, I’ve had incredible support from so many amazing charities and I’ve made some truly special friendships.

To think that it took me over a year to share my blog with the people I know offline, I’ve come a long way since then. My Blurred World has evolved in so many ways and I’m sat here in disbelief at times when thinking of the opportunities I’ve gained, the lovely people I’ve been able to meet and how blogging has encouraged my own personal development, it can all be quite surreal.

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Some of the highlights from the last 4 years:

• Being named as one of the most influential disabled people in the UK in Shaw Trust’s disability power 100 list 2018 – I don’t think I’ll ever get used to writing this one down.

• Meeting fellow blind/vision impaired people who have helped me to realise that I’m not alone

• Receiving messages from others living with sight loss or someone who is connected to vision impairment or disability in some way, hearing them say that my writing has helped them; Nothing- will ever come close to the feeling that creates

• Winning two awards at the Teen Blogger Awards 2018

• Working with L’occitane on my first sponsored blog post

• Making an appearance and sharing my story on TV and radio programmes such as Heno, BBC Radio Cymru, RNIB Connect Radio and BBC Wales News

• Being featured as one of the #InTheSpotlight bloggers in the June 2018 edition of Blogosphere Magazine and attending my first blogging event with Blogosphere in February this year.

• Featuring in Allure Magazine alongside some lovely fellow blind/VI ladies

• Writing articles for organisations and publications such as Scope, Able Magazine, Paths to Literacy, Blind New World and so much more. 

• Having the opportunity to share my story online and feeling quite shocked that people are taking the time to read my very long ramblings

As you can tell, there have been some true pinch me moments which I feel so incredibly grateful for and a lot of them come down to the support I get from everyone reading this, thank you just doesn’t seem enough somehow. 

A lot of lessons have been learned with every step I’ve taken in this blogging journey and everything I’ve experienced so far just makes me even more excited to see what the next 4 years have in store. 

My Blurred World is now a special diary, a reminder of my personal development; every word I’ve written, every photo that’s been taken and every comment left by so many lovely people reminds me of how far I’ve come not only as a blogger but in my life offline as well.

My blog has helped me to develop my confidence along the way and although it’s been a journey of highs and lows, some important lessons and incredible opportunities have come along with it.

My 16-year-old self did well in deciding to create My Blurred World, who knows where I’d be without it. 

Here’s to the next 4 years!

Are you also a blogger? If so, how long have you been blogging for and what has your corner of the internet brought to your life? So many bloggers are doing amazing things, so many are making a difference and whether you’ve been doing this for 4 years or 4 months, your words can make a difference and we all deserve a pat on the back because blogging can be hard work, so many of us put our hearts and souls into what we create and we should all be proud of the platforms we have no matter how big or small. 

Elin x