I am in the midst of a huge blogger identity crisis.
When I started this blog over five years ago (!!!), it was solely a book blog, and it remained that way for over four years. Then, this past January, I was feeling slightly burnt out on reviewing and made some big changes. While I still enjoy talking about books, my life is nothing like it was when I started. Back in 2009, I was a college student living at home with my parents, working part-time, and spending nearly all my free time reading. At that point, I hadn’t yet gotten into fitness or many other hobbies.
Life looks completely different now. I’m married, I have a career, we own a home, and I have a baby on the way. Before this pregnancy, I spent a lot of time running and working out, which I plan to pick back up again after the birth. Needless to say, I don’t have nearly as much time to read and review as I once did. I also have so many other big things happening that I feel like writing about and documenting. I just plain love to write, and reviewing alone doesn’t always give me the space to be as creative as I’d like.
Books are still my biggest passion and always will be. I still spend as much time as possible reading, though my numbers are nowhere near what they were when I was a college kid with endless hours of free time. I still enjoy reviewing too — mostly because I love being able to go back and revisit what I thought of certain books years down the line.
That said, this blog has grown and shifted right alongside me. These days, I average just a couple of book reviews each month. More often, you’ll find me writing about marriage, pregnancy, motherhood, home ownership, fitness, weight loss, and general life updates — alongside the bookish content. In other words: it’s become a lifestyle blog. And honestly? I feel freer this way, less boxed in by a single niche. I no longer think of myself as just a “book blogger,” but as a blogger who writes about many things.
I’ve wrestled with whether the name “Steph the Bookworm” pigeonholes me. I am and always have been a bookworm, so it isn’t inaccurate — but does it give off the impression that this blog is only about books? The design is also book-themed, and I’ve wondered whether it makes me look stuck in a niche I’ve outgrown. At the same time, I’ve been known as Steph the Bookworm for more than five years now, and it’s become my identity online. Not to mention, this blog design cost me a pretty penny! Rebranding feels overwhelming, and I don’t even know what I’d call my blog if I did change it.
For now, I think the path forward is to keep embracing the variety. I’ll still write reviews, but I’ll also keep writing about my life in all its messy, wonderful, changing seasons. This blog has grown with me, and I think that’s a good thing.
No comments