Erika Lily Castro

Real Talk: Why I Write and Why I Became a Lifestyle Blogger

Hello my Lovelies,

I know you may have come across countless blog posts of your favorite bloggers and their journey to why they became a blogger. I’ve never shared with you my journey nor reasons as to why I write. I also have never shared with you all why I opted to be a Lifestyle Blogger after labeling myself as a Beauty Blogger and to having migrated to a Fashion Blogger these last few years.

Keep in mind that everyone has a journey and has a story. Some may be similar and others may be quite different in so many ways. As a disclaimer, I do not blog full-time. I do have a career that pays the bills and I do not find myself making my blog a full-time commitment anytime soon.

So, why do I write? Just like music and dance, it helps me to escape. For as long as I can remember, the one thing I enjoyed doing as a kid was reading. I couldn’t wait for the day when I would finally be able to learn how to read a book instead of relying on photos to help me understand the story. When the day finally came, there was always a book in my hand.

I was always captivated as to how a few simple pages could transport me into another time, a different era, reliving someone else’s footsteps, searching for clues inside a mystery, or tugging my heartstrings during heartbreak (even before I knew what Love actually was). I thought to myself, the mind really is a powerful thing and ones imagination even more. Yet, it’s also the words that create an impact that can carry on within someone’s life for many years to come.

Shortly thereafter, I began to write my own stories. Whenever the teacher requested three pages, I always delivered six, eight or even ten pages. I always had a hard time condensing my own thoughts within a page limit. I found it was best to say more than to never say enough. Having to create three drafts of the ten pages is something I clearly didn’t think through…thank goodness for computers now.

From reading numerous pages and creating my own stories, I had realized that I had never really looked at my own…at my own thoughts, especially when there were moments I needed to release everything that was going on in my mind and heart. So, I purchased my own diary aka journal. This one particular journal led to 10 others and never once did I fill up the entire pages on either of these journals.

These journals were a release. I felt good because they were my own words scribbled on paper for only my eyes to see and no one else. I loved it so much that I found myself writing everyday until I had nothing else to say. The most interesting thing, is I found myself writing whenever I wasn’t feeling well…never once did I really write whenever I felt happy.

I needed to find another route to explore and I found myself writing poetry. Chicken Soup for the Soul was the very first book I had ever read that introduced me to short stories and poetry. I was fascinated by every page and it only increased my interest even more.

I had back and forth moments with poetry. I tried to write a few and found myself taking a break very quickly as I became short of ideas. I found myself getting bored for trying to write about flowers and sunny days, especially when I didn’t quite feel it at the moment. Over time, I’d find myself just laying on the rooftop and writing whatever came to my mind… even if it wasn’t all love and rainbows.

University came around, working came around, responsibilities came around and I found myself pushing away the very things I enjoyed most….reading, writing, singing, dancing, drawing, painting and photography. It all paused and got placed in the “when I have time” box. Which is a tricky thing to do as we will always find a reason of it never being “the right time’.

With Myspace and Facebook creating waves, I took it as an opportunity to re-introduce my love for photography. Yes, I was the one creating numerous albums with 500+ photos. Too much?

When Instagram entered the scene, that’s when things shifted for me. I thought, what an amazing platform to view photos from different walks of life. This was a gateway for me and I needed it. As I began to create followers, that’s when I knew that I could incorporate my love for writing once again.

I got into beauty products and got hooked with fashion. I wanted to showcase to the world my interests and ideas. So, I created my own blog. This was the platform that was going to create the inspiration that I needed and longed for. I didn’t want my writing to be all about unhappy moments…but I also didn’t want it to be about butterflies and rainbows.

I first introduced myself as a Beauty Blogger which I quickly came to find out I didn’t enjoy it very much. Mostly because I didn’t have the money to constantly purchase beauty products to test and all that was compiling were tons of unused products. I then shifted to becoming a Fashion Blogger. Fashion was really where my interest was in the most. Again, I began to face a problem…I was running out of outfit ideas and thus decreased my motivation/inspiration to write because I had nothing to write about.

Over time, I began to introduce new categories into my website such as Travel, Food, and Writing. Later on, Youtube videos. I began to feel better and knowing that if I was dried up in one area, then I’d have another area to write about. However, I still felt unsettled to be labelled as a Fashion Blogger. So, not too long ago after thinking deeply…I made the decision become a Lifestyle Blogger.

Becoming a Lifestyle Blogger gives me the opportunity to write about whatever I want. Also, relieves the pressure of having to constantly coordinate/plan an outfit to write about and to also conduct endless amounts of photographs. I’m more in control of when I can post content and what type of content.

This is a hobby for me…a passion that I truly enjoy. The moment it becomes to feel like another full-time job, the moment the enjoyment begins to disappear. Then I end up feeling that I can’t give my very best to you all.

So, why do I write? I write because it helps me escape the very things that consume my mind on a daily basis, it gives me the opportunity to let YOU escape if you need to (not necessarily by showing “happy” photos all of the time, but to let you know that I am a person who also goes through deep Sh*t), it gives me the opportunity to showcase my love for photography, it gives me the chance to challenge you and let you think on a deeper level (there is a reason why I have my “Writing” section which is apart from the Beauty, Fashion, Lifestyle, Food, and Travel aspects), and because I simply LOVE it.

I’m a Lifestyle blogger because I got tired of being placed in one single box and I needed to expand my wings so I can fully explore and share everything to you all. I have tons of content I want to share with you all and so many Real Talks as well. My series has taken a new form via my Insta Stories which I am making it a mission to also write about any of the discussed topics within my blog. This way everyone is in the loop. Also, I will continue to share my series via my Youtube channel as well.

There are many reasons why most of us write, but most of all, I want to inspire you all. Inspire you to take action on things that matter, inspire you all to open that “when I have time’ box and pull all of those passions you kept stored away for such a long time. I want to uplift you all when you need it most and I want to learn from you all whenever I need it the most. We’re all in this together. To inspire one another, to motivate each other, to help each other grow, to empower one another, to support one another, and to constantly remind people that we are all human and we all have stories.

So, there you go. That was my journey. What is yours?


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