Why it’s OK to not want to be a full-time blogger

Now I don’t know about you, but when I started this blog in 2012, it was because I wanted something fun and creative to do. I’d started to follow other bloggers on Blogspot and loved that they were all writing about what they were passion about. And I wanted to do the same. I wanted to bring together my love of photography and makeup and write about what I wanted to. Not the stuff I was writing about in my day job in consumer healthcare PR.

Fast forward six years, and I’m still using this space to bring together my passions. The focus might not be just on makeup, though I am still a huge makeup junkie, but my passion for writing and photography is still there.

And while my platform has grown and more people are interested in what I have to say, the desire to go full-time just isn’t there. Now don’t get me wrong. A lot of the bloggers I started following before I started my blog are now doing this full-time. And quite a few of the people who started their blogs around the same time as me are taking the leap to full-time blogger status. Which is amazing! And I’m all for people grabbing opportunities, making the most of them and making themselves a great income from it. But it’s just not for me.

I graduated from University 10 years ago this summer and I’ve spent that time building up a career that I’m proud of. It’s definitely not been plain sailing. And there have been moments when I’ve thought of throwing in the towel on the day job to see if I could make it as a full-time blogger. But I know in my heart that it wouldn’t have worked out for me.

I love my blog, and I honestly can’t imagine not having this creative space in my life. I always say it’s the best hobby I could ever have hoped for. But having to rely on it as my only source of income? Well then it becomes a job like any other. Only this time there’s no security of a guaranteed salary every month. And that’s just not for me. I like working for a big corporation, and the perks that come with it.

Someday I’d love to be in a position to work for myself, I’m just not sure it would be as a full-time blogger. It doesn’t mean I don’t love my blog, or don’t have goals and ambitions when it comes to growing this space, or working with brands. It just means that it’ll continue to be a side hustle, and hobby until it doesn’t become fun anymore. At which point, I can disconnect from it all safe in the knowledge that I still have my day job, and full-time salary to support me, and my handbag addiction.

If you’re a blogger I’d love to know whether the goal is to take it full-time, or to keep it as a hobby.