Can I Be An Instagrammer AND A Blogger?

There seems to be an opinion that's circulating the blogging world lately that someone who mainly posts to Instagram isn't really a blogger. I mean, someone has to have a blog to actually be a blogger right?

For the longest time, my blog has been my life. I have loved posting to this little corner of the internet for over three years now, updating you all on my life, posting outfit photos and food photos. But lately, I've felt like my love has transitioned from my main blog to my Instagram account.

For years Instagram felt like merely an extension of my blog, where I would just post the odd photos that didn't end up making it into the main blog post, or iPhone flatlays of food, or mirror selfies in new clothes. But it seems within the past year or so whenever I get a new outfit or travel to a new place, my main focus seems to be on just getting that one amazing Instagram photo rather than getting a whole load of blog photos. For the first time in years, blog photos are at the back of my mind.

And I think that's what I love most about Instagram. I can focus on getting that one amazing shot, the one that makes people go "wow!", rather than worrying about whether or not I have enough for a whole blog post.

But the problem here is, am I even a blogger then? If I just totally stopped posting on this website and focused my attention entirely on Instagram (which isn't happening any time soon, don't worry!), would I still be part of the community?

The thing I love about Instagram is that I can write what I class as "mini blog posts". If you follow me over there, you may notice that I take a little bit of time with my captions. I try to turn them into little stories, the tiny snippets of my everyday life that aren't just a casual statement about the photo, but a real insight into what's happening behind the lens.

To me, this is still blogging! Whether people like it or not, Instagram has now become as much of a blogging platform as Blogger or Wordpress. And what makes me love it even more is when people take the time to turn their feed into a real mini blog; a story with each chapter told with a photo.

Don't get me wrong, one thing I don't class as 'blogging' is just posting random (and often low quality) photos with a one word caption. To me, blogging is a combination of both engaging writing and gorgeous photography; they go hand in hand and compliment each other. That's what makes a good blog and a good Instagram for me. So to some extent, I think there's definitely a line. But I also think that disregarding Instagram as a blog platform at all is just ridiculous.

So maybe, I'm not as much of a blogger as I used to be (after all I did get shortlisted for Best Instagrammer this year *hint hint you can vote here if you wanna*), but if Instagram is the platform that I am more passionate about then that is what I'm going to pursue.

I'd love to know your thoughts on this. And if you don't follow me on Instagram already I'd love if you did by clicking here! x