This guest post is quite special to me. It's written by a friend of mine, Amanda, who writes the blog 'The Online Stylist'. We've met; we've done coffee and cakes and discovered that we had a-l-h-o-t in common. I asked Amanda to write a post which was full of honesty and she suggested writing about her life as a fashion blogger. And let me say that being a fashion blogger is indeed Amanda's life. She lives, breaths, positively oozes fashion. I can count on one hand the number of people I have met who show utter passion for what they do, and Amanda is one of them. What I admire most about her is her unfailingly witty, wry view of the world and how she puts herself 'out there' through her online presence. Oh, and I didn't mention that she is one of the only bloggers I know of who has created a viable and thriving business from what they do...
It’s lovely to be here on Lou’s beautiful blog. I was thrilled to be asked to guest post for her – she is one of those people that; when you meet them in real life, turn out to be even more wonderful than their blog manages to communicate.
I blog over at The Online Stylist – it’s the place where I indulge all my fashion and style musings with a healthy measure of shoe and bag obsessions thrown in. I choose to write an honesty post for Lou’s 'January Diaries' and in doing so, wondered if some of my feelings will be shared by lots of bloggers, fashion or otherwise.
Up until 2007 I had only worn and worshipped fashion from afar and never dreamt I could one day say I worked in the field. Via redundancy and a series of happy accidents, I ended up writing a blog that quickly turned to fashion as it’s main topic and began to be picked up on by others. And here I find myself, aged 42 & ¾’s and so some tell me, an established fashion blogger, who is now starting to earn a small income from what she does.
So what’s it like? It’s more amazing than I ever could have imagined is the first thing I would say. From blogging about the shoes of my dreams that I regularly gaze at on Net-A-Porter to be being invited to their press day…yep, that qualifies. From nervously attending my first show at London Fashion Week one season to finding myself stood within six feet of Anna Wintour the next…definitely up there with dream moments. It’s a continuing journey of unknown delights that never fail to knock me off the high heels that I now feel are necessary when attending events in London. Even though my feet might feel the need to disagree!
But you really do need those highs when you spend hour after hour in front of the computer, sometimes at the expense of your family because you’re addicted to this new found passion that’s crept into your life. You never know when the magical opportunities will present themselves and they often take on the persona of buses - nothing for eons and then two or three turn up together.
It’s the highs that keep you motivated when you try and juggle the childcare, home commitments, attention you know you should be paying your husband and daughter and the sleep you know you should be getting, in exchange for just one more hour to come up with another post. A post that sometimes you think nobody actually reads.
You have to focus on the highs when you realise that not everyone is happy about your small successes. But you learn to rise above it and push the initial hurt aside because you made up your mind to be the consummate professional since your blog became your business. One that you care very much about and where you chose to only share the positive stuff.
You focus on the positives as you tentatively dip your toe in the waters of personal style blogging. To the uninitiated, this is where you get to dress up in things from your wardrobe that don’t make you feel like you’re having a fat day and then get your husband to take pictures of you. In public places. Whilst passers by look on in bemusement and your daughter rapidly exceeds her time limit of five minutes before she gets bored and starts creating havoc!
And you all the while you tell yourself that it doesn’t matter that you’re not a size 8 and old enough to be the mother of some of your fashion blogging friends. You publish each of these style posts and hold your breath in case you fall foul of the trolls that lurk in blog-land but then breathe a huge sigh of relief when your readers react positively and leave you wonderful comments.
You continually think that you could do more and produce better content - your best is never good enough and you are your own worst critic. You alternate between wishing you lived in London so that you could attend all the events you had an invitation for and thinking that its possibly best that you have to undertake a 2 hour train ride to get there. Otherwise your obsession for this “I found my passion late in life” new career would mean you’d never see your family and without them, none of it would have quite the same meaning.
But if these are the petty niggles that are representative of a bad day at the office, all you have to do is remember how fortunate you are to be doing something you love heart and soul and wouldn’t change for the world. It doesn’t pay a fraction of the income that you spent half your working life building up but no matter. What matters is that you have the chance to try and build a career out of something that you truly love and you’re sure as hell going to give it your best shot.
Eye bags, nerves and insecurities aside, being a forty something fashion blogger rocks my world. And that’s something I never thought I’d hear myself say!
Happy Two-Year Blog-iversary Lou! I can’t believe that two years have passed since I first came across your blog with its sweet honesty and inspiring imagery. I’m glad to count you among my new found friends!
Lots of love, Amanda xxx
i am so inspired! such an amazing post xx
ReplyDeleteI have just abandoned the ironing, bed making, tidying, cleaning blah blah blah to switch on my computer to comment on this post because I am following this EXACT same route...redundancy, young children, the chance to do something I love, sometimes at the expense of my husband/children...it is uncanny, or not, but I think it is. I know its so worth it, it makes me a happier person, though all the things I want to do on my blog are on my mind too much of the time, and I need to allow some space for things that are most important. It makes you feel so happy and contented to read that someone else is doing and going through exactly the same.
ReplyDeleteSo thankyou, Amanda, for your unadulterated honesty, and thankyou, Lou Boos, for picking Amanda as your guest blogger. I truly am so glad I read this x
Such a wonderful post - you are truly an inspiration Amanda :)
ReplyDeleteAnd Lou - your blog is beautiful - I see you commenting over at The Online Stylist all the time but for some stupid reason have never clicked through!! You've been added to my daily reads :)
xx
Wow, honest,truthful but most importantly one of the most passionate and inspirational pieces of writing I have ever read. Mrs OS you are held in high regard and I may even say that this is on par with The Great Gatsby. You are a gifted individual. Thank you. X
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ReplyDeleteI absolutely love Amanda, she is amazing - and hopefully she knows that, because I am always telling her so and singing her praises LOL!!
ReplyDeleteLike you, I discovered Amanda's blog a couple of years ago and I've watched her progress and successes since then - and there have been many. It seems, from afar, that the only way has been up - I couldn't be more pleased for her, she so deserves every mention, credit and invitation.
I love her point about being "older" than many of the other fashion bloggers....maybe it's because I am no longer a 20-something myself, but I would much rather read a piece of writing by someone who has a more established view of fashion, who lives, breathes and appreciates it (like I know she does) and who really know what they are talking about. Fashion changes so quickly that it's incredibly hard to keep up with it but somehow Amanda always does - I have NO idea how!!
What I also really admire about Amanda is how she juggles it all with being a mother. I know how focused she is - and I also know that she gets up early and stays up late to work and meet deadlines.
She is absolute proof that if you have a dream and a passion - and the support of a good husband (!), you can make it.
She's also very supportive - she's helped me out numerous times both with my blog and with encouraging me to shop!! And for both of those things I thank her.
She's nominated for the Marie Claire Fashion Twitter Feed of the Year right now - and rightly so. She knows her stuff.
This is a great piece of writing Amanda, I saw yet another side to her actually, I love it.
Continued success to her.....here's to the next Hilary Alexander maybe!! XX
Amanda you were a great inspiration when I first started my blog and I can identify with so much that you write in this post. You have achieved such a lot and it is obvious that you are happy doing it.
ReplyDeleteAmanda, this is such a heartfelt, touching post. I know all those feelings only two well (minus the small child, but plus the demanding full time job), and let me tell you, I love you all the more for managing to juggle all these whilst you blog (and promise I read every post!).
ReplyDeleteAnd Lou, I've heard such wonderful things about you from Amanda, so going to add you to my 'frequent reads' list!
Briony xx
Amanda, this is such a wonderfully honest post and very brave of you to put it out there. You should never doubt yourself, you are doing such a great job with the blog and your happy looking SC and (as i may have mentioned to you before) are definitely an inspiration to me. Though I'm not a mum, I'm a full time nanny and know how children and fashion don't always mix! But I love that you make it work for you and your family and that, surely, is the most important thing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for introducing me to Lou's lovely blog too, another for my inspiration list :)
Emily x
Reading this was just what I needed. I'm a newcomer to the blogosphere and this post really struck a chord with me - I frequently pester my husband to take pictures whilst my young daughter gets increasingly bored! It's reassuring to know that everyone has their crises of confidence. I'm in my late thirties, I don't live in London and I'm a working mother, but I love blogging and reading other bloggers work. Thanks for an honest and inspiring article :)
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