Why I Finally Decided to Start a Food Blog
I wanted to start a food blog for about 2 years prior to creating @nicolesfoodbowls. I put it off constantly, rationalizing my procrastination by convincing myself that people would judge me, that I’m not good enough at cooking to create a page dedicated to it, and that I don’t know how to take good photos; this list went on and on. In 2020, I made it my resolution to finally stop making excuses, start the page, and pursue my passion. At first, my posts were awkward to say the least; my pictures were taken from strange angles and improperly lit, my captions were too forced, and I worried that people I know would find my page and make fun of me for it.
As soon as I started the page, I quickly fell in love with the process of cooking, plating, and photographing my meals. I began posting regularly and slowly learned where to find the best lighting in my house, how to write captions that show off an appropriate amount of my genuine personality, and how to interact with other food accounts and health food brands. I was shocked by the unexpected amount of support I received from my friends and the amount of fun I had throughout the process.
Within a few months of starting my account, I became extremely discouraged. I felt like I was putting a lot of effort into my page and not seeing the results I wanted. To combat this, I compared my older posts with new ones, and the improvement was stark. It felt good to see that even though my page had not grown exponentially, I was still able to learn a few things along the way. Now, I try to gear my focus towards producing content that is enjoyable for me to create and share, and I love seeing others do the same. If you’re toying with the idea of pursuing a personal passion, stop making excuses and act on it! I promise that you’re capable of much more than you think; you are truly the only thing standing in your way. I compiled a list of some of the lessons that I’ve learned from creating my food blog and, hopefully, they inspire you to follow the ambitions you’ve been putting off!
Here are my biggest takeaways; some food (bowls) for thought, if you will:
1. Realign Your Focus; Numbers Aren’t Everything
The moment you begin to worry about not having enough followers or likes, the fun gets sucked out of having a side project dedicated to something that you’re passionate about. Focus on doing what made you want to pursue your interest in the first place. Work on making genuine connections with other like-minded individuals, as well as people who are interested in what you do. If your ultimate objective is to amass a large following, set small goals (e.g. gain 100 new followers in the span of this month) and work towards them, but keep in mind that numbers aren’t everything.
2. Avoid Comparing Yourself to Others
There are a lot of food pages on Instagram. Like a LOT. Take the number of food accounts that you think exist and multiply it by 9. That’s how many there are. A majority of them have more followers, higher quality photos, and wittier captions than I ever will. Instead of asking myself, “How can I be more like _________,” I try my best to hone in on my strengths and only look to the other accounts for inspiration. Save posts or articles that stir your creativity, and interact with users whose content you genuinely enjoy. Who knows, maybe you’ll make some new virtual friends while you’re at it!
3. Be. Consistent.
It took me 6 months to hit 1,000 followers on my page. Although this isn’t a large number, it didn’t happen overnight. It took 6 months of consistent posting, lots of creative recipe brainstorming, and active engagement with other accounts. Consistency is truly key when it comes to reaching the milestones you set. You know what they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Is my food bowl Instagram account comparable to an ancient Italian city? I’ll let you decide. The bottom line is, if you put enough dedication and effort into whatever it is you are passionate about, you will eventually start to notice others find interest in what you’re doing.
I plan on adding onto these takeaways as I continue to work on my account and posting updates as they come. In the meantime, follow me on Instagram @nicolesfoodbowls!
Thanks for reading,
Nicole Baranchuk
