As it grows closer to the 2nd birthday of IYAAJAY, I thought Id finally share what actually made me want to start a blog and why Ive kept it going.
So if you've been here since the incredibly small beginning of my blog, I decided to start my blog in February 2013 after I finally stopped thinking 'Whats actually holding me back?'. I had my small camera, my Macbook, and a ton of ideas and the time to put it to use and set about creating my blog. The reason why it took me so long is because I always felt insecure about my fashion choices and also what people would say about it, but I thought to myself 'So what! If I like it, thats all that matters'. Ive always felt a bit insecure about my looks etc as well due to being bullied at school and never really felt comfortable but now that Ive grown up, Ive finally realised that everyone is different and instead of pointing out flaws, just embrace them instead. Also after leaving college, I sort of drifted away from people as everyone went off to uni and I ended up going into the working world but felt a little disconnected and lonely as I didn't really have people to talk to or share my interests with, so that also spurred me on to actually turn my love for fashion into something people could see and share.
Now your probably wondering where the name come from?
Well lets cast our minds back where Tumblr was the BEST thing on the internet, and social media was still small, and one of my friends used to always instead of saying 'Hi' they used to say 'IYAA' which always kind of stuck, so I started my Tumblr with that name and the rest of the social media followed too.
I always set out to do reviews and styling on this blog as its two things I look for the most online, whether its making a decision of a product, or how to style the newest items but never really found one that gave an in-depth review or the styling I was looking for. Now, I not only review and style, but also do handy tips posts, hairstyle ideas, and even joint posts with some incredible male bloggers too!
I never ever thought I would hit over 10,000 views, or work with some incredible brands, or even win competitions for my writing and blog, but this journey so far has genuinely been the most amazing thing I've ever decided to do as Ive met some great people too and actually now feel really included into the male blogging reality.
Keep an eye out for a segment Im going to introduce in a couple of weeks which involves you guys!
Until next time guys,
Jay
