{"id":7062750,"date":"2026-09-21T05:27:51","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T05:27:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/happy-ninth-birthday-twirling-pages\/"},"modified":"2026-09-21T05:27:51","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T05:27:51","slug":"happy-ninth-birthday-twirling-pages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7062750","title":{"rendered":"happy ninth birthday, twirling pages!"},"content":{"rendered":"


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although i don\u2019t blog at the same capacity as i used to (aka .. i have not blogged since literally this time last year<\/a>), you can always count on me to write a little letter on Twirling Pages\u2019 birthday. today marks nine years (!!!) since i created my Instagram and blog.<\/p>\n

i think about the friends i made when i first started blogging, and many of them are no longer bloggers or internet creatives. while i miss them, i understand that it takes active effort to continue the pursuit of *content creation.* and recently, i thought about why i\u2019m still here and what i wish i knew when i started<\/strong>. so here goes.<\/p>\n

01. your love for it will change<\/h2>\n

from tumblr edits to photography to written work to video editing, the form will change. when i started, i did not think my main platform would be long-form video and youtube. while i enjoyed watching youtubers and dreamed of starting my own channel<\/a> one day, i really did not think that would be my form of choice. but here we are! your interests change. although i will say: i still do enjoy blogging and it truly holds a special place in my heart. <\/p>\n

02. just as the algorithms and applications will change<\/h2>\n

i believe these are two independent trajectories. when i began my online journey, tumblr was at its peak and blogging was the It thing. it just so happens that my interests aligned with social media trends. but now, tiktok is the star of the show. while i do have a tiktok<\/a> and love making videos, i almost felt forced by the world of social media to adopt short-form videos. i eventually grew to enjoy it, tolerate it<\/a>, but it\u2019s not the same as my relationship with youtube, instagram, or blogging.<\/p>\n

03. you will try, fail, and try again<\/h2>\n

speaking of, failure is inevitable! what do i mean by this? i mean i will try a number of side projects within the confines of twirling pages and they will inevitably end or \u201cfail.\u201d (challenges, series, etc) i don\u2019t think an ending is a failure or not meeting your goals is necessarily a failure, but that\u2019s the surface-level thought of it. so yeah, i will fail. i will learn from my mistakes and i will grow and it will shape the kind of person and creator i am. so, i see it as a success.<\/p>\n

04. you\u2019ll feel like you \u201cfailed\u201d your goals, but learn to create healthier goals<\/h2>\n

(okay yes this is different than what i meant earlier.) i used to believe i had<\/em> to post a blog post at least 1-2x\/week and an Instagram post every day or else it was over for me. surprise! it\u2019s not the end of the world. sometimes i still feel bad about myself for not doing every single thing i want to do. in an ideal world, i would be able to easily balance creating for instagram, youtube, and blogging (and now tiktok and who knows what else) while simultaneously juggling my other hobbies and hats. but alas, the truth is that i can\u2019t. I\u2019VE FAILED.<\/s> and that is okay.<\/p>\n

even now, as i\u2019m blogging, i\u2019m thinking to myself, \u201cwow, i really enjoy this i want to bring it back and do this every week.\u201d but i am no longer making empty promises. i may be back and i may not. <\/p>\n

05. your interests will change<\/h2>\n

this feels like a no-brainer for any kind of growth because DUH within a span of 9 years your interests will change BUT!! when i was 16, it really felt like books and reading were my end all be all! i was training to do ballet professionally and i never would have thought i\u2019d be where i am now (back in school. for FILM.). but yes, i do not read as much as i used to (but i still read). i like fashion and wellness and crafting more than i thought i would. it\u2019s all part of growing up.<\/p>\n

06. you will my life-long friendships<\/h2>\n

i don\u2019t think i ever anticipated that most of my friends would be derived from the internet. the internet was a scary place back then! but now i know that can be true and untrue. <\/p>\n

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07. you will work with and befriend some of your favorite brands, authors, and internet humans<\/h2>\n

i think one of the pinnacle moments of my internet career was working with disneybooks for Alexandra Bracken\u2019s then-newest novel<\/a> and then becoming friends with her<\/em>. or maybe not friends friends but like, she knows i exist. which is wild.<\/em> (if you remember, the darkest minds was my favorite.)<\/p>\n

and now, i get to work with brands i admired growing up? they know i exist??? brb crying. <\/p>\n

08. this hobby of yours will no longer be seen as odd or unconventional by others<\/h2>\n

when i first started, my family and friends hardly understood what i was doing. i don\u2019t blame them. people did not use instagram and social media the way i did. i guess for me it was more of a place to express myself and be creative; but for most, it was a place of status updates and food pictures. which is fine and great, but i also felt self-conscious telling anyone in real life about @twirlingpages. it was a weird secret until it was normal and people aspired to be influencers. <\/p>\n

09. \u2026 in fact, it\u2019ll be something that is a possible job or full-time pursuit<\/h2>\n

the idea that you could be a full-time creator was absurd to my past self. like i mentioned, there weren\u2019t many of us in the early days. but now i meet so many people who create content for a living. it\u2019s wild! i barely understand and process it myself after all this time. <\/p>\n

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\nSIDE NOTE \/ DISCLAIMER (click me!)<\/summary>\n

while i say these are things i \u201cwish i knew,\u201d i don\u2019t think i really wish i knew. i say this because i believe lessons like this can only be learned and experienced as opposed to spoken to. like, if you told me all these things as a literal child when i started, i would not have fully processed any of the things you said. but metaphorically looking back, yes i wish i knew these things.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n

i know i\u2019m being sappy and melodramatic, but\u2026 it\u2019s my birthday and i\u2019ll cry if i want to! as much as i want to say i\u2019d still be doing this regardless if 1 person or 1M people follow me, i know i\u2019d be lying. i (probably) would not feel this encouraged or motivated to continue for 9 years if not for your continued support throughout the years. so from the bottom of my heart, thank you! <\/p>\n

with love,<\/h3>\n

alexandra<\/h3>\n

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