My Blog Journey
Welcome to my blog! I am so glad that you are here! This blog has been a long time coming, I feel like I can call myself a real blogger now that I actually have a website. :) Over the past four years I have only been using Instagram and Facebook as platforms to express myself creatively, now I have a whole website to write about whatever topics I choose. Right now I am focused on fashion, petite resources, my travel experiences, home decor journey, and beauty inspiration. As my blog grows I hope to expand into more areas, I want to delve into deeper topics too, how to succeed in the influencer industry, what it’s like to be a Black blogger, how to juggle a full-time job and blogging as a side hustle and more! This gold sequins dress is sold out, but here is a very similar one from the same brand!
How did I get started?
I posted my first ‘influencer’ type post in 2016 I had got a jacket from ASOS and I asked a friend to snap some shots. We were outside all of ten minutes in the cold, and I excitedly posted them right after. Got a few likes and I was hooked. At that point in time I didn’t know much about the industry, I knew that I loved following the fashionistas on Instagram and reading their blog posts. Their perfectly curated pages with their enviable closets and homes, they were just posting pics on Instagram right? How hard could it be? I could do that! Little did I know how much work, dedication and time goes into blogging, planning posts and curating the picture perfect feed.
I’ve always had an interest in fashion and art for as long as I can remember and I’ve always loved clothes. In college I took retail merchandising classes to have proximity to the fashion school. I participated in fashion shows, did a photoshoot or two and worked in retail. I discussed starting a blog, but it wasn’t until a year out of school that I started pursuing it seriously and I am so glad I did. I do work full-time in marketing in a corporate environment but blogging is my side hustle/passion!
My first ‘blogger’ post in 2016 with the ASOS jacket!
As I started posting more my account grew and I started getting more followers. I did all the right things, looked up relevant hashtags, engaged with other accounts, geo-tagged and tried to post consistently. Around 18 months after I started doing this, a few brands started reaching out to send me product and I started getting invited to events. I invested in professional photography and shoot regularly with Julie Kennedy (shout out to Julie for taking tons of my photos!) and other photographers and fellow bloggers. I remember in 2018 (yes, two years after I started blogging) I got my first paid collaboration with a local retail store though a PR company. I remember looking in amazement at the $200 check, I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to get paid to do something I loved so much! Nowadays I work with a variety of PR companies, brands, retailers and local businesses. Best of all, I’ve made some amazing friends with fellow bloggers.
Of course I am still a micro-influencer but I hope to continue to grow, more importantly I want to connect with my audience and establish a real discourse with followers and others. The best part of all this is being able to share, be inspired and hear from everyone’s experiences.
Creating this blog
I debated on whether I wanted to have a real website-I was conflicted between feeling like a needed a website to be a real blogger and also thinking that websites were becoming outdated and the industry was moving more towards Instagram and other social media platforms. In the end I chose to have a blog as it has allowed me to spread my wings into different topics and have more of an in-depth voice than a limited Insta caption. I think it’s important to have increased visibility in the blogging industry and to have something that I OWNED. Remember you don’t own social media platforms!
I found Brand Her Style by chance, another Chicago blogger had used them to create content for her website and I reached out immediately. It took several months to get my blog up and going (mostly due to my stopping and starting-ugh consistency is hard!) I worked with three really kind, professional and patient BHS designers/project managers who were able to customize my site just the way I wanted it. From fonts, to color schemes, layouts, pages and more-it was great to get a truly personalized blog building experience.
It was a fun process and I know I will continue to improve my blog in the future. I want to hear from you! I am so open to any comments, suggestions, edits, complaints, compliments or just hellos from you! Please comment below-I will do my best to respond to all comments!