I am literally still in shock as I'm writing this post but holy moly I am so grateful! When you reach 10,000 Instagram followers you are able to utilize the 'Swipe Up' feature. This sounds trivial but this convenience for your followers speaks volumes to brands. So not only are you able to provide a better service to your followers but brands also pay attention to this feature. It's a huge landmark for bloggers and it still doesn't feel real that I have achieved something I've worked every day for almost 3 years for.
I often get asked about how I started this blog and it's crazy to think how the universe works. In college, I studied marketing (geaux tigers), and randomly one day in one of my electives someone came to class to speak about her experience in marketing. She was funny and sarcastic and real and one of my friends told me that I should work for because we had the same personality. I marched up to her and expressed my interest and from there a lifelong friend and mentor formed. I worked under Blair with Jay Ducote and the whole team. I was eventually entrusted with writing new posts and began loving the world of blogging.
After my internship and college wrapped up, I moved back to the Chicagoland area and took a new job. My first job out of college was in a windowless office with tall cubicles and no one liked working there. It was the first time in my life I felt like I didn't have a creative outlet. I followed a few huge bloggers who I looked up to but I mean I could never do that. I could never be a blogger. My dad believed otherwise. He told me to start a food blog since I had experience with it but food didn't really drive me to create a whole brand. I laughed when he said it honestly. I could never be a blogger. I repeatedly said this to myself because I was sure that this dream of mine could never come to light.
Eventually, I became so unhappy that I thought, "you know what? Why not.". Worst-case scenario, I tried it out and it was too hard or too much or too fake and I stopped. I had nothing to lose. I looked to people in my life that I respected and loved. And to be honest, that wasn't very fruitful. My boyfriend at the time brushed it aside. Other people in my life didn't understand the goal or thought it was self-centered or told me that I couldn't just start a blog. It was a self-centered industry and it was oversaturated.
But, I figured if I could help one person somewhere with something then I would have done the job I set out to do by starting my blog. So I played around with names, did a lot of research about websites, and then Mimosas & Lipstick was born. It started small, with family and friends following my account. I had my cousin help me with photos and I stressed about captions and outfits and timing of photos and building a community. At times, it consumed my life and it seemed as though I was overreacting about Instagram. People closest to me thought I was investing too much time into something that seemed so trivial. However, I loved it. Even when my photo got 50 likes or 10 people unfollowed me or I tried to talk on stories and totally messed up. All my failures made me work harder.
Eventually, I landed a new job that liked that I had experience as a blogger. I made friends and then formed a friend group with fellow bloggers. I moved to the city and continued to develop and grow my brand. It took time, a lot of time, but it kept evolving and growing.
This blog, this community, this platform has seen boyfriends come and go, jobs come and go, it helped me learn how to grieve the loss of my father, it helped me learn more about other viewpoints on numerous topics, and its made me better. I in turn have helped people with anxiety, women who are plus size, individuals starting their own blogging journey, women who have been ghosted, and women who do not feel supported.
This hobby, side job, career, has changed my life in more ways than I can express. The most important aspect of being my confidence. I never would have tried the things I have without this platform. I wouldn't have gotten to know new people who come from different walks of life. I would not be living my life to the fullest.
All of this to say: if I can do it, so can you. Your "it" can be whatever you want to be. Do not be scared to try new things and try to succeed at the goals you set. I have been working towards this goal for almost three years and there were so many times I wanted to throw in the towel, give up and forget because my goals were not instant and it took growth, endurance, and drive to get to it. But even as I type this I am in shock and I can assure you that your dreams are important, they're attainable, and you need to try.
