Where Bloggers Get Their Inspiration

The irony in this post is just too great for me not too share. I was having a bit of a blogger's version of writer's block when it came to what to post for today. I have a long list of topics and post ideas, but none of them felt right to share today. I wanted to post something that was fun and not food related because I already had several food related posts planned for the week. I reached out to my followers on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat. I got a few replies back, but I still wasn't loving anything that came in. In order to figure out what to write about I went to my go to sources of inspiration. As I was browsing, it hit me! I finally figured out what to share with you guys today. I thought it would be fun to share how I get my blogging inspiration. Whether you yourself are a blogger or not, we all need some inspiration every once in awhile, so I thought it would be fun to share. 

One of the most difficult things about blogging and maintaining a blog after several years is producing high quality original content.  I'll admit that during the school year when I don't post sometimes it's because the thought of having to think up content sounds more overwhelming than relaxing.  I try to produce content that is relevant to my life, what would be interesting to me to read, what I find as eye catching, and recommendations from my readers, friends, and family. Blogger's writer's block is totally normal, but there are some things that can be done to prevent it. 

My sources of blogging inspiration come from a whole host of things. I get tons of inspiration from Pinterest. I use pinterest to inspire my blog photography, color schemes, DIYs and occasionally something sparks a post or two.  Another great source for me is magazines. I like to browse through all different types of magazines. They provide me with insight as to what others like to read about, what the in products are, new recipes to try, photography ideas, and design inspiration.  This week my mom brought home In Style  from her weekly grocery shopping trip, so this has been my most recent go to.  I'm sure many bloggers can agree that another great source for inspiration includes reading other blogs. It's fun to see what others are posting about. I never take the same post from a blogger, but sometimes I'll see a series I like, a concept I think is neat, or ways to establish themes in my blog. From reading others blogs I also gain more wisdom as to how the blogging world works and learn some tips & tricks from seasoned blogging professionals. A newer source of inspiration for me has become photography. I got a camera last year as a gift from Todd, but I never had the time to learn how to use the camera.  This summer I have spent some time learning how to take pictures. I have been using some of the pictures I take as ideas for blog posts. It's kind of like a backward design approach to a blog post because the photographs come first rather than the content. 

While I am browsing through all of these  sources of inspiration I have a pad of paper and a pen nearby. I jot down any ideas I have onto a brainstorming blog post list. This list is ongoing and gets updated as I find new ideas. As I begin to use the ideas, I will highlight them to signal that they have been used.  This list is also a go to when I can't think of what to write about. Sometimes just looking at my list will inspire me to add new topics to it. 

Feel free to use some of my sources of inspiration to inspire your future blog posts or moves in life. I'd love to hear what inspires you guys whether it's in the blogging world or in life!

XOXO