Just a few weeks ago, Ansley McGuire (’20) made the decision to start a blog. Her blog, entitled “ansley elisabeth,” serves as an outlet for her to share her thoughts that she does not share anywhere else.

McGuire enjoys writing about anything and everything that she thinks or feels, so her blog covers a wide variety of topics. She shares personal stories and life advice for all people, with the intention to make her material as personal as possible.

While she always had the idea of starting a blog, McGuire felt that she did not ever have a reason to start it.

“It took me a while to collect my thoughts on what I actually wanted to write about,” McGuire said.

Finally, McGuire made the blog as a way to reflect on her thoughts.

“Obviously I made it for people to read, but my writing made me have stronger beliefs about the things I chose to write,” McGuire said.

McGuire’s favorite blog that she has posted at this point is titled “the power of should.” She started this piece by throwing thoughts around, but it resonated with her after she wrote it.

“We live in a place and a generation where there are so many expectations for everything and I just kept thinking about the word ‘should,’” McGuire said. “There are so many things we think we ‘should’ be doing all the time, and I think that is pretty prominent in my life and a lot of other people’s lives.”

McGuire does not have a specific goal that she looks to achieve through her blog. For her, it is simply a method of reflection that she enjoys doing.

To read McGuire’s blog posts, go to ansleyelisabeth.wordpress.com.

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Looking for an outlet to share her interests and passions, Claire Ashby (’19) created her blog, “Everything Claireified.” She started it in the summer of 2017, and her writing mainly covers the topics of fashion, music and people.

Although the blog’s title may just seem like a play on words with Ashby’s name, there was plenty of thought behind it. She spent over a year before deciding on “Everything Claireified.”

“It was difficult to come up with something youthful, yet mature and something that suited me,” Ashby said.

Ashby often feels overwhelmed with her passionate thoughts and felt this blog would serve as a positive method of sharing her love for so many things. While fashion, music and people are her focus, she is open to writing about anything.

Ashby is most fond of her piece, “Individuality in Fashion,” as it captures increasing creativity and acceptance in the fashion industry. The industry is thriving right now in her opinion, making this a relevant topic.

Ashby finds inspiration from the blog “Always Judging,” which covers topics similar to her blog. While she enjoys this source, she tries her best not to look for too much inspiration.

“Coming up with my own content is much more fun and fulfilling,” Ashby said.

While “Everything Claireified” is an impressive blog, Ashby does not have hopes of success or fame from it.

“I just want to be happy with what I’m writing and coming up with, as cliché as that may sound,” Ashby said.

To read Ashby’s blog posts, go to everythingclaireified.com.