Hello darlings!  I am very excited to be starting a brand new series here on Pretty Little Details.  Starting this week, every Friday I’ll be sharing all my secrets about blogging, photography and building an online business!  I’ll be covering everything from a step by step guide to starting your own blog all the way to tips to improve your photography and grow your Instagram.  Every Friday, I’ll be sharing a new article so make sure to check back next week! (Hint: you won’t want to miss the article I have scheduled for next Friday!)

Today, I’m kicking off this series by my sharing my personal journey into blogging.

WHAT MADE YOU START BLOGGING?

I started Pretty Little Details back in 2013, when fashion blogging definitely wasn’t considered a legitimate career choice.  I have always loved fashion and was constantly looking through magazines for ideas about the latest trends and styles.  When Pinterest launched, I was one of the first users and I absolutely loved finding inspiration for things to wear from real women who were sharing their outfits online.

I have always had my own opinion on style and after pinning so many outfits from other bloggers, I decided to start sharing my outfits online too.  I thought that maybe my outfits might be inspiring to someone else, just like I was inspired by other bloggers online.

It might sound cliche, but at the time I didn’t see anyone who looked like me in magazines or mainstream media.  Between the slim figures that the media portrays as beautiful and the “real women have curves” movement I felt like I didn’t belong.  At 5’1 with an average build and very little curves to speak of, I decided I wanted to create a fashion blog to represent the average girl.  I wanted to inspire other women to be creative with their style and feel confident in their own body.

HOW DID YOU START BLOGGING PROFESSIONALLY?

The first time I received something for free in exchange for a blog feature was close to 9 months after I started blogging.  It was only a necklace, but to me it was validation that the content I was creating was valuable and that I was headed in the right direction.

My second big break was landing a large paid campaign with a well known national brand.  Part of the requirements for the campaign was that I needed to fly to Toronto, Canada to meet with the brand executives and PR company.  My parents were convinced that this campaign was a total scam and a ploy to lure hopeful young women into a human trafficking scheme.  But after much convincing and looking into the PR company who reached out, I was able to convince my parents that the opportunity was legitimate.

That campaign provided the first significant pay check I earned from blogging, and from there I was hooked.  Once I realized I could get paid to create stories that inspired others I knew this was the perfect career for me.  Two years later, I ended up making more money from my blog than I did from my career as a real estate agent.  That was when I decided to officially quit my job and take Pretty Little Details full-time.

HOW HAS BLOGGING CHANGED YOU AS A PERSON?

Someone once said to me, it must be easy for you to be a blogger, your life is already so beautiful!  But truth be told, creating a blog and photographing everyday moments in my life has been what has inspired me to see the beauty around me, and create beautiful moments everyday.

Suddenly I found myself cleaning up my desk so I could post an office photo, or making a delicious smoothie bowl for an Instagram worthy breakfast instead of eating fast food as I was running out the door.  In a strange way, being a blogger has made me more mindful and aware of the beauty around me.  I found myself creating photograph worthy moments out of my everyday life.

My journey as a blogger has been a slow climb.  I don’t feel like Pretty Little Details was a sudden overnight success by any means.  It has taken years of experimenting to figure out how to take great photos, find my niche and grow my audience.  But truthfully, I love blogging and this little blog of mine is my passion as much as it is my career.

Stay tuned!

As you can probably tell, I’m super excited to be sharing all my behind-the-scenes secrets!  Are you interested in starting your own blog?  Make sure to stop by next Friday when I’ll be sharing the exact steps on how you can create your own very own successful blog!

Here are a few of the amazing guides coming in the next few weeks:

January 19th – How to start a blog from scratch
January 26th – The best cameras for bloggers
February 2nd – How to choose a camera lens
February 9th – Making your Instagram irresistible
February 16th – How to style and photograph flatlays
… and so much more!