Blogging in 2024 | I'm Back To Blogging !

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Dust off the shelves and fluff the cushions; an eerily familiar sound of the lifting of the laptop screen can be heard and the slightly janky blogger homepage wobbles it's self together again (will the drop down box ever load again, who knows)... 

It's 2024 and here I am, blogging!

Well it's an all too familiar sight that's not been quite so familiar to my eyes, nor typing fingers, over the last twelve or so months. After a long spontaneous break from the blog I am once again back here, back to blogging in 2024. And my heart could not be happier. Now, in my nine years of blogging (on and off at times we can agree) a lot has changed and on that subject of change, I have also changed. I'm not that little sixteen-year-old Ellie anymore, polkadots and frills aren't so "in" and I've matured a lot. That all sounds rather dreary and quite frankly scary doesn't it! Matured and all those things yes and recently I did a bit of pondering, which came to a rather large realisation of all this while walking and sitting by a waterfall in the beautiful place that is the Lake District. It was rather a bit of a shock to the system but one that I think had been slowly ruminating around in me for quite some time. In a way, it felt a bit like grief, a goodbye to the old Ellie. So, 

why did I come back here if that Ellie has all grown up and gone?

Well, I may have matured, may have gained the odd stress-induced grey hair or forehead crinkle, may have decided that it's time to have a good old clear out and start dressing a little more sophisticated but when you take all the layers away, you've still got Ellie.

I'm still Ellie; I still adore beauty and the never-ending imagination of what can be created with makeup; I still feel very passionately about a good dress and outfit planning still sparks the same joy in my heart; and, ultimately, no matter how far you take me away and no matter how much I think "maybe it's time has come",  I still get a pang in my heart to come back here and...

blog.

So yes, I really did think last year "that's it, I think my blog has had it's time" but given some time away and some very deep reflecting, I don't think that's actually quite frankly correct. This blog is mine and my heart wants to blog!

So, is this still a beauty blog? Yes! Nothing in terms of subject is disappearing over here. This is my happy home of waffling away and chatting all things beauty and clothes, with a dabble of maybe the odd added extra (a spot of baking of course). What I really miss about the current social-sphere (that's what I'm calling it these days - it's so bloody vast!) is the real and truly authentic community sense it used to have. I'm talking 2009, catching up in the comments, having a good old natter away with like-minded people, interested in the same passions and keeping up with them. Although it can seem some things on today's modern social media (Instagram, reels, shorts, vlogs e.t.c) do have a sense of community - bare with me here as I'm going out on a limb and this could be a little controversial - I actually think a lot of it is very much fake and I don't think it really is all that authentic.

Does anyone else feel this too?

You could argue this point till the cows come home and yes, we're humans and no matter how much we deny it we all flipping hate change. Change is inevitable and the modernisation and expansion of social media, and the internet, is very real and was always going to happen. And in another ten years it will have all have changed and grown and evolved again! Although there's bits I really don't like, I'm not knocking it because I think there really is some genuinely good pockets of information, fun and support and it continues to inspire incredibly talented people and amazing, innovate ideas and I'm always all for that! But if there's space for all the new can't there still be space for the old? Well, I sure think there can be and with returning back to blogging that's a large part of the idea of what I want to bring. I want to be part of and create that old school, genuine community and old school 'keeping up with their blog' that there used to be. Yes there's loads of new in the social-sphere but do we have to engage in it all? 

No, and I think that's a large part where it all fell down for me. In a nutshell, I found myself trying to keep up with "trends" and get involved in all the latest ways of sharing and I've realised it actually stripped my heart of its joy for this. 

So, rounding up this big waffly update, I'm well and truly (I mean it Lord) back to blogging in 2024 and my mission is to create - and do so in a adapted and inclusive but not overwhelming way of the new social-sphere - the community way we had back in 2009 - 2016/18. So, returnee's or beauty and outfit planning lovers alike, if this sounds like your cup of tea... welcome aboard! If you have Feedly - or actually Bloglovin as I believe it's made it's comeback! -  feel free to add me to your feed to catch my latest posts or why not save me to your favourites tab so you can hop back on the regular. Likewise, you can follow my Instagram @thatsveryellie or X (formerly known as Twitter...) @ThatsVeryEllie. In the long run, I'd like to maybe start something like an email list as I think that'll be a little easier of a way to stay up to date up with posts too so keep your eyes out for that also!

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My fellow readers of blogs in 2024, hello! I can't wait to see you in my next beauty-related post! 

Oh and also, if you too are still running a blog please do pop your link in the comments below so I can pop over, say hello and give your blog a follow too - that's exactly what I want this community to be! 

Get your digital cameras out and flatlays at the ready, That's Very Ellie the blog is back!

See you in my next post,

Ellie x