Congratulations on celebrating your one year blog anniversary with "Rock.Paper.Glam"!
"Thanks! Wow, A year ago I had recently moved to Santa Monica after floating around the west coast for a few months. I had just made the big leap of leaving New York City to live closer to family, and leaving the cold winter weather. I knew that the last thing I wanted to do was work at a conventional 9-5 job. I had enough of that in New York. The idea of writing and starting my own fashion blog kept bothering me until I finally surrendered and took another big plunge. I bought my own domain and hosting package and began with very little knowledge of bloggin. At the same time, I began freelance writing".
What obstacles did you face initially with Rock.Paper.Glam, and how were you able to deal with them?
"My main obstacle? Boy there have been a few, but each one pushed me to become a better blogger. The first was learning the ropes of what was legal and illegal when it came to posting photos. I remember sitting in the iFabbo conference in San Francisco when two lawyers approached the panel and hit me over the head with the truth. 'You know the copy and pasting from Pinterest most bloggers do? Yeah, incredibly illegal'.
Just this small factor of where I would obtain my photos (now either self-taken, rewardStyle, or from Polyvore) has shifted my focus on the blog. It pushed me to become more personal, to become more creative and innovative with my ideas, and forced me to be in the limelight.
The next obstacle was learning more about the blogging industry. It truly is an industry. I began joining blogging networks, attending conferences such as the iFabbo conference, and signing up for every webinar I possibly could. I ended up having so much fun! The information that I received on how to market and reach out to brands blew my mind. I learned more from some of these webinars than I did in my upper level college classes. The greatest part has been meeting some incredible bloggers along the way".
How has your life changed since starting your blog?
"I got to say there is nothing more fun than a really great blogging conference. You are guaranteed awesome gift bags, delicious food, amazing speakers, and passionate people. Blogging has added a new level of richness to my life; a sense of fun that I have been missing in my rigid demanding schedule.
It also gave me confidence to pursue bigger dreams. In less than a year, I have been invited to join one of the top notch affiliation programs (the one Courtney Kerr is a part of!!!). Brands have gifted me products in hopes for a product review. My twitter account has gone from 14 followers to right under 1000. People, I had NO social networking experiences prior to this and now I have huge companies following, retweeting and favoriting what I am saying! I have made profitable sales, asked to attend national conferences, formed friendships with complete strangers. Most importantly I built a site that I am proud of, from scratch. If I can do all of this in one year, who’s to say I can’t do more"?
What can we expect to see from you and Rock.Paper.Glam within the next year?
"Oh so many things! I am making each entry more personal and hopefully more relatable in order to inspire others. I want to promote healthy self-image, ways to cater to your body, while providing some fun shopping insights for the upcoming seasons. I am also taking my readers on my adventure of starting my own clothing line (the big Kahuna of dreams).
I am still a young blog looking forward to growing my readership, meeting even more individuals, and learning from my peers".
What advice can you give to those thinking about starting their own blogs and/or businesses?
"Don’t give up! Everyone who has been successful has faced the same fears and self-doubt. The only way past the fear is going through it no matter how loud it talks to you. Wasn't it Thomas Edison who responded, 'I have not failed, I just found 10,000 ways that won’t work'. 10,000; that’s a lot of attempts! Where would we all be if he simply decided he wasn't good enough to figure out this electricity thing?
Another huge shift I had to make, that has made a difference, is letting go of negative naysayers. I know, this isn't easy, but it’s something to consider. Instead, I began hanging out with those would truly believe in what I was building and doing. I rounded up a group of “winners”; those who I respected, admired, and had what I wanted. This has been vital because they inspire me, and I need my energy to keep pushing forward. The last thing I want is someone trying to pull me down.
And lastly, finding networks that will teach you how to become better in your field is not only a game changer, but super fun. Keep learning, keep growing, and try new experiences! That’s what life is about anyways, right"?
The moral of the story is...don't give up on your dreams!
For more information on Ellese's journey, check out her website: http://rockpaperglam.com/
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