I recently had a conversation with a friend about whether you can be a blogger and maintain your privacy. She asked me if there's anything I wouldn't write about and I answered an unequivocal 'yes' because as much as I publish here and lord knows I love me a good old gossip, I'm actually a pretty private person. What you see on these pages is a curated insight into my life, but personally, I choose to have a distinction between what I share and I what is kept offline.
We all know those Facebook oversharers: the ones that update every relationship peak and trough, the ones that tell you every tiny detail of their health and wealth. I'll be honest, I often find this fascinating. In a world where the media carefully edits reality, it can be a relief to know that somebody else has had a shit day in the office or that their shower also leaks into the flat below (because most London landlords are too damn stingy to fit a bathroom properly).
But these are sprinklings of truth compared to the hurricane torrents that some people actually face. There have been some heartbreaking and eye-opening posts from some of my favourite bloggers recently about how they are coping through the toughest of times. Sophie has spoken openly about the effect the loss of a loved one has had on her and her family, Dee has covered her mum's illness on Twitter with courageous honesty, Katie regularly writes about her battles with anxiety in a way that just gets me, and Rosie's posts on her separation have moved me to tears.
I've alluded to negative things in my life on here but generally only a good time after they've actually happened. When the shit has hit the fan in my own life, I actually stop writing. It's not because I'm ashamed or embarrassed by what's going on, but more because this blog is my happy place. It's where I go to remember the shiny parts of life, because too damn often I forget those bits. There are people out there, like the ladies I've mentioned, who are so perfectly eloquent that they say it all for me, and I'm so thankful for that.
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| I'm wearing: Top - Primark / Rings - ASOS / Jeans - River Island / Trainers - Superga |




Well said hun! You're totally right, this blog is yours and you can write whatever you want to write! And a blog is different things to different people, if they want to share their troubles and worries that's fine and sometimes that helps themselves and others, and if they don't want to share it that's fine too. I don't think it's hiding, wanting to be positive about things and having a place/hobby that is where you go to be reminded of happy things!
ReplyDeleteAnd I always love reading your blog posts - so don't change a thing!
JosieVictoriaa // Fashion, Travel & Lifestyle
Love this, Charlie. I rarely share more personal posts - sometimes I want to but I find them so much harder to write than sharing the "highlights" and writing travel guides or restaurant reviews. x
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you wrote this (in your usually eloquent way!) I think it's a great thing to have a curated little space of loveliness to come back to for yourself as much as anything, it's not about not dealing with the shit stuff everyone else does, it's just about doing you really isn't it? I like to keep my little corner cheery and spaniel filled because I know that in six months time I want to read back and smile
ReplyDeleteM x Life Outside London
Spot on, lovely. It's ALL about you doing you. And I regularly re-read posts to cheer myself up!
ReplyDeleteCx
Sometimes I find them super easy to write but not to publish. So I keep them hidden, or I handwrite them in a journal and that way I still get them out of my head.
ReplyDeleteCx
This is the place I'm probably most honest, so I'm 100% not hiding anything, I just keep a few things to myself. And thanks so much for reading and commenting!
ReplyDeleteCx
It's a tricky one knowing what to reveal and what to keep private but I think it depends on each individual person and how they feel about what's online. The thing I love about blogging is that it's all about personal choice, style and content! Alice xxx
ReplyDeletewww.woodenwindowsills.co.uk
Absolutely! I kind of just write what feels natural to me and I can't express myself half as well as the others I've mentioned in this post. Thankfully they are wonderfully eloquent for me!
ReplyDeleteCx