I just surpassed my 1 year anniversary by a margin at Zanita Studio, and though I’m not exactly your model blogger, I definitely do work in the business of blogging.
If you’ve been following me since I started blogging, thank you, and if you haven’t, welcome… It’s been a crazy fast ride. In the past year, I’ve been to Paris, attended my first fashion show, visited NYC many times, flew to LA for one night, attended the annual rewardStyle conference and two Bloglovin Award ceremonies. And to be honest, I’m surprised I lasted this long. I kinda doubted job stability in this industry, but I couldn’t refuse an opportunity of a lifetime and I’m so happy I didn’t… In celebration of lasting this long, I thought I’d share some key pointers and realizations from my perspective about the industry that might help some of you aspiring bloggers out there. Let’s get right into it.
On the business, your brand…
You need to become a good curator. Working for Zanita has taught me to become carefully edited and strictly filtered. It’s easy to get caught up in the latest trends and what everyone else is doing, but moving swiftly between different styles (whether its fashion, photography, etc) with no defined boundaries is not the smartest move. As consumers, being flooded with data every single day means your work as a creator can get lost in the pile of shit. Your single most important job is to be an expert editor – filter through the bullshit quick. I’m not saying you can’t wear or try new things, but pick carefully. There certainly are bloggers out there who constantly morph, but it’s extremely rare to make it as one of them. You’re better off being niche than viral. And as the wise Leandra Medine once said, “Don’t try to be something for everyone, just be everything for someone.”
Define your brand. Too many people get hung over numbers and popularity. While numbers eventually matter, you need to get one thing right first: Your brand, and then once you’ve excelled in that, your followers will come. Developing a good eye and becoming a master curator will help you do that. The great thing about blogging is there are no criterion or definitions. Everything is open to experimentation, so make mistakes fast and fail early on, that way when you get noticed, you’ll already be a masterpiece.
Consistency is almost everything. One thing that made me realize I probably wouldn’t be a successful blogger is that I loathe sharing all the time. Don’t mistake me – I love blogging, Instagram, Pinterest, and sharing but on my own terms. To look at social media and update it every single day takes serious dedication and discipline. Content comes and goes lighting fast… You won’t be missed if you can’t commit to posting regularly. It doesn’t have to be every day but from what I’ve seen, heard, and learned, posting 3x a week on your blog and at least once a day on Instagram is ideal.
On relationships…
Your brand is about as good as your network. So often you hear people in the fashion industry talking about your network, and there’s VERY good reason why. It’s incredible what one referral, brand mention – connection – can do for your business. If you’re serious about building your blog as a business, focus on constructing strong relationships with others in the industry.
Bloggers pitch themselves. To think creating great content means brands will come rushing in is pretty naive. No one’s going to know who you are unless you tell them who you are. Don’t be a post and pray type of blogger… There’s a way to self promote tastefully. Find your angle and tell people about it. Yes, once bloggers hit a certain reach, brands actively reach out to them, but the business of blogging isn’t a passive one. Just because you don’t see what goes on behind the scenes doesn’t mean they’re not outreaching to PR reps, publications, and brands – they are! They’re working just as hard behind the scenes as they are on screen.
On aesthetics & photography…
There are three essential pieces to successful fashion blogging outside of numbers: 1. Styling/makeup, 2. Photography, and 3. Writing/storytelling. Up until a few years ago, you could get away with falling short in one of those categories, but today, you’d better get everything right if you want to be next. The most important element of the three though are your visuals. Your photographs better be your best shot. Photography is an expensive, time consuming hobby if you want your images to be next-level good, but it’s worth while. The team at Zanita Studio as been working insanely hard on Azalle over the last several months, especially these last two weeks, and I can tell you it’s going to be an amazing resource for all you aspiring bloggers. (And I’m not just saying it because I worked on it, but because I’ve already seen what’s coming! Sooo good… Watch that space!)
Photography is where the magic happens. Not everyone is toothpick thin or unbelievably gorgeous in real life (some people are, but NOT everyone). Not to sound like a bitch, but it’s the truth. I know aspiring bloggers have an unhealthy habit of comparing themselves to the amazing girls they see on Instagram, and the only thing I have to say is stay in your lane. Photographers and retouchers are masters of illusion… What you see is not always what you get.
It’s all in the details. I had a bad habit of shooting one way for a while – wide open. Although I don’t get as much time as I’d like to working with and learning from Zanita, she’s definitely guided me in this arena. Here are a few pointers that changed the way I shoot:
- Don’t be afraid of smaller apertures – you want the names of brands to be in focus (re: flatlays) even though doing so doesn’t render the dreamy effect of wide apertures.
- I know some people don’t agree with photoshop, but I’m not one of them. I love color grading though I’ve always felt like my work was shit. Zanita’s trained me to look an image in shadows, mid-tones, and highlights. Break those ranges apart and then start the coloring process there. Though it’s been a long way, and I’m still not 100% satisfied with my images, I’m definitely happier than I was a year ago.
- Move & shoot a lot! Even bloggers who appear picture perfect all the time end up with a few lemons. The key is to keep snapping and moving around. You can’t be lazy because then you’ll keep ending up with lemons. I’ve seen Zanita take close to 2000 shots and using only a handful.
On myself…
I used to think I wanted to be a blogger. That was like 4 years ago, but the one most surprising thing Zanita Studio taught me is that although I love this industry so much and it’s so dear to me, I don’t want to be the face of a blog – in other words, I don’t really want to be a blogger. You might wonder, “So what the hell are you doing here then?” I’m just here to share random creations, connect with my Internet friends, shed some light on the industry, and talk about things like this… I don’t have a desire to become insta-famous. I’d much rather be behind-the-scenes, i.e. what I do now.
I really love fashion. My passion for fashion extends beyond designer frocks, the glitz and glam. There is power in the clothes that you wear – they’re crazy transformational and can literally make me want to jump out of bed to put something divine on. Working for Zanita and constantly being exposed to girls with impeccable style definitely taught me to refine my own. I’ve never been an ultra feminine person, but I’ve learned that sticking to a neutral palette and mixing masculine pieces with feminine details make me feel my best. Why does this matter? Because it goes back to being carefully edited. I’m very unlikely to gravitate towards anything that doesn’t align with me. I’m less compelled to buying a “good deal”. I’m buying less, but better and smarter.
If you have any other questions, feel free to leave them in the comments! I’m happy to clarify or expand on any of these topics!
