How to Make It as a Fashion Blogger: Wall Street Journal Spreecast

I need to start this post by saying boy, am I ever GLAD that I was home today! The gods seriously have blessed me by not having any classes on Thursdays and I woke up thinking I was just lucky I didn't have to brave the subzero weather outside (-27 here in Ottawa..brrrr!) and got to stay home in my sweats. Little did I know, things would turn fashionable, and fast!

There I was, just lazing around on my laptop getting my daily dose of Twitter as per norm, when I noticed some tweets from Bryan Boy and The Wall Street Journal about an upcoming discussion via Spreecast entitled "How to Make It as a Fashion Blogger" Alrighty then, don't mind if I do!

I tuned in, and was lucky enough to even go on video and ask a question to the talented team of Bryan Boy, Bag Snob and Tom+Lorenzo. I immediately regretted my choice of sweats and wearing my glasses, but hey, an opportunity like this cannot be missed! I got to ask them my question and had an extremely blonde moment of trying to record the discussion on my cell phone (knowing that I would NOT want to forget this or miss a second of their advice), having my phone die, scrambling to plug it back in and charge a little to get at least SOMETHING; basically just looking like an overall basketcase..only to find out that, of course, the Spreecast was posted afterwards and you could replay it.  Can you say fail?! Goodness..definitely not my finest nor smoothest moment, but nonetheless, I received some sound advice and am here to share it all with you!

Here are what I found to be some of the best take away points from the discussion:

1) Have your own voice 
In this industry it is all about being unique and having something different to offer. No one wants to hear someone who is monotone, unimaginative and just plain out boring. I KNOW you have a personality, let it shine through. It is very scary to put yourself out there so much, and invite critique and judgement, but all of the judging panel agreed that this is a crucial part of making it in this market. There are always going to be haters, so you might as well own who you are!

2) Not in New York? No problem!
Surprisingly, none of them starting blogging in New York or some other metropolitan city. Bryan Boy actually started in Manilla, Philippines, while Bag Snob started in Texas! They all also agreed that it is almost preferable to start away from the Big Apple. A smaller market leaves you more space to voice your opinion and allows access to easier exposure. Don't use a rural location as an excuse, all you need to get started is an internet connection and your own imagination.

3) Don't be a Yes man 
Remember that kid in school that would always agree to anything just so people would like them? Don't be that guy. Having a successful blog isn't about giving raving reviews of every single thing you buy, its about having an honest opinion. No one wants to be friends with the brown nosing suck up, and no one will want to read your blog either. Voice your own opinions, whether they are good or bad. Honesty is always the best policy and your readers will notice and appreciate that, and you will gain their trust.

4) Don't sweat the small stuff
Like grammar mistakes. Yes, of course you should strive to make your English profs proud, but at the same time don't sweat a typo or two. A blog is seen as a diary and you wouldn't spellcheck your diary (unless you have OCD), would you? Try your best to make it grammatically correct, but make sure you don't take away its personality. It needs to sound like you.

Like I previously mentioned, the whole thing was recorded so if you would like to watch my slip-ups for your own amusement, or you know, listen to the rest of the discussion, here it is!

How To Make It as a Fashion Blogger