Hello beautiful people!
Today marks the 1 year anniversary of my blog and I can’t believe it! First of all, let me just say thank you for reading. It means so much to me that you take time out of your day to read a snippet of my words regarding life, fashion, cooking and beauty. I always try to be transparent with you. I thought it would be good to share some things I’ve learned, not just about blogging but about myself, in the past year since I started this.
The number one thing I’ve learned is that I don’t have to fit into anyones/any brands’ mold. While I’ve had several successful collaborations in the last year, I think sharing the lessons I’ve learned from the ones that didn’t work out would be the most helpful. As we learn most about ourselves from how we get back up after a fall or rejection. There are a few brands that I’ve tried and not succeeded (yet!) to get recognized by to work with. One brand in particular really shed a light for me. I tried so hard to fit into a popular LA brand’s mold. I spent so much money on their clothes trying to be noticed by them. I finally worked up the courage to email them and was shot down. At first, OUCH. After months of trying, I was told no. Which isn’t ever a fun thing to hear. However, after a couple of days being down on myself thinking things like, “Why don’t they want to work with me?” “Am I not pretty enough?” “Do I not work the camera well enough?” “Am I too smiley for them?” “Should I be more serious and model-like?”
I told myself ENOUGH. Enough with the negative thoughts. I was told no because I don’t fit their brand. And ya know what? After realizing this, I then realized that they don’t fit my brand. I am not the party girl. I am not the jet-setter. I am not an LA girl. I just happen to live here. I am a happily married woman from the midwest with kids in the near future and I often get told I’m the “milf version of Martha Stuart.” (Which is incredibly flattering, if you ask me!)
PHEW! Once I realized this, I was able to get back on track. In this first year, I learned several things.
- Always be yourself. In captions, in blog posts, write in your voice. Not everyone will like you and that is okay.
- Reach out to fellow influencers to collaborate! Some will say yes, some will say no. You’re not gonna work with everyone and that is also okay.
- Only reach out to brands if they fit your brand. Don’t try to fit theirs. It will come off fake because it is.
- Be consistent. Post on your Instagram every day. I once heard, “If you had an assistant, would you make them post for you everyday?” If the answer is yes, then you need to. You can do that with anything. “If I had an assistant, would I send out pitch emails everyday?” or “Would I be posting on Pinterest everyday?” etc. etc. If the answer is yes, you need to be doing it.
- Set weekly and daily goals for yourself. Since this is a work from home job and you can only hold yourself accountable for things to happen, you must set goals for yourself. Whether that be list making, sending pitches, following up on pitches, shooting content etc. Set your goals!
Those are the 5 biggest things I’ve learned this year. I hope this was helpful and/or insightful into your own journey. Even though this is more focused on blogging, it translates to everyday life, too. Just be you. Don’t conform. Be proud of who you are.
Xox
Tessa
