Don’t “Should” Yourself in the Foot

Hi friends! *Big inhale* What a time it is to be alive! Only 7 months into 2020, and what a crazy, chaotic, whirlwind it’s been!

As we head into our fourth month of self-quarantine, I can’t say that it has gotten any easier. Aside from the obvious restrictions, just like the rest of the world, I have struggled with what exactly my new “normal” is looking like, both mentally and emotionally.

Just one of the many consequences of this global pandemic is that we are now all being urged to hustle harder than ever. We are given examples of Frida Kahlo, Shakespeare, Isaac Newton (just to name a few) who all thrived while under lockdown. I’ve received newsletters and read countless articles from my fave magazine subscriptions urging me to use the presumed “downtime” I now have to learn a new skill, take on a high intensity workout routine, or “simply” declutter my life.

It’s as if, every second that I am not building towards these ”shoulds,” is a second wasted.

A should is an expectation IMPOSED by us or onto us. While they might seem like motivators, “shoulding” ourselves is actually a major energy drain as it forces us to split focus. We’re forcing our minds to be in two places at once and is often wrapped in guilt and even shame. The pressure of it all is convincing AF.

Put your finger down if you ever feel like vegging out on the couch, eat everything in sight, and just do a whole lot of nothing, but then that little voice in your head tells you, “you should be more productive while you’re at home, sis…never waste a day on the couch,” so now you feel guilty mid-laze and shame yourself for not being as disciplined as others and bam…it’s no longer a day of R&R but rather anxiety just waiting to creep in … (*slowly puts finger down*)

There’s this common misconception that if we lounge around the house, we must also simultaneously take on a new hobby, like reading, for instance.

This imposed guilt is toxic imo, so that’s why, a few weeks back, I made a commit to cleanse from this “should” with the help of @halotopcreamery and actually celebrate that feel-good feeling from setting goals and taking action on my own terms, OKURRR!

Side note: Halo Top is ya girl’s fave ice cream, so big s/o to them for working with my sweet-toothed self!

But for real, Halo Top’s formula in itself has helped chip away at this “shoulding” culture, because all of our lives, we are told that: “we shouldn’t eat the whole pint,” or that, “ice cream should be a special treat.” But hallelujah that Halo Top is known for their fewer cal/less sugar because, under the latter imposed notion, every night must be a special occasion in my house, because I go through several pints a week, and I’m not mad bout’ it, LOL!

Anyway, as the month has gone on, life has only become even more hectic with the recent global social justice movement, we’ve been experiencing.

Days seem to move a bit slower for me and now more than ever, it has been imperative that I take extra care of little ol’ me.

I realized that up until this point, I have only robbed myself of the satisfaction of real, uninterrupted, rest. Listening to all the “shoulds” of this new era, has only left me never truly in the moment, but rather caught up in a story of another choice that could have been made.

So in efforts of a healthier cycle of self-love and self-care, I have been eliminating the “shoulds” that imply obligation and expectation. On the days, I decide to veg out, I’m going to commit to just that, with an extra pint of Halo Top, while I’m at it!

After reflecting on the heaviness of the past couple weeks, I’ve realized that now is the time to take up space and be loud! We are all worthy of navigating on our own terms, especially as the world around us, is seemingly falling apart.

—

So to circle back to the daunting question many of us have been asked:

“Are you going to learn any new skills during the pandemic?

MY ANSWER:

…I already am. How to cope with the pandemic, how to get through the day knowing everyone I love is sad and scared, and how to read the news and still go on.

And all that is enough. I don’t have to come out of this with new skills, new projects, new expectations, or new accomplishments. What matters is that I come out of this”  –

So the next time I hear that little voice convincing me that, “I should never waste a day on the couch,” I will reply, “or maybe, there’s never been a better day than today, to be on that dang couch, mkay!!! (BIG CLAP)

Indulge or hustle at your own accord, sis! Because, hennieee, you deserve that right.

My Second NYFW As A Blogger

Y’all! So crazy that this month marks 8 months of working as a full-time content curator/blogger. What a beautiful/messy journey this has been! As always, just have to extend my gratitude to all of you BBs for showing love and bearing with me while I navigate my way through this new season of my life! Xo

On top of it all, we are picking up our lives here in LA and making the cross-country move to NYC! Speaking of NYC, we just returned from our second NYFW trip! Ahh, so surreal. Last fashion week back in September was nothing short of a dream! Met so many fellow creatives, fashion lovers, and had the chance to really envision our future selves living there!

This time around, we would not only be taking advantage of the fashion week fun but also, taking a peak at our soon-to-be-apartment, AHH!

Once we landed into JFK, my friends at Volkswagen picked us up and chauffeured us throughout our day, but first stop: straight to our hotel, Shelburne Hotel & Suites by AFFINIA .

We were literally in awe. And not only was it because we were a short drive away from the Empire State Building herself, BUT also because, our room, the Empire Suite, had direct views of her glistening lights! As a non east-coast native, views like this don’t always come often.

The room was not only spacious and modern AF, but also MIRROR Equipped. MIRROR is an interactive workout displayed on what looks like a true mirror when turned off. For us lifestyle and wellness junkies, this is so ideal during our travels. How many of us can say that we research a nearby gym, and actually go during our trips? IDK about you, but SHE KNOWS NO KIND OF WORKOUTS DURING TRAVELS AHAH…until now! I can’t even begin to tell you how not only convenient, fun, but most importantly, much needed this room was to start our chaotic full-days: Sipping some coffee on our gorg terrace overlooking the Empire State Building,  zenning out to some morning meditation and yoga, and truly having enough space for bae and I to get ready, without feeling like we were on top of each other, yasss! Although our days were long, they began how I can only wish my future self, started off every morning, LOL.

Throughout our first day, we were back-to-back in business meetings, events, and attended the Seven Crash show later that night.

We then headed back to the Shelburne to experience some R+R. I mean, come on…there ain’t nothing like falling asleep to the iconic Manhattan lights.

After some much needed down time, we headed off to meet our future landlord! Ah, insane! We explored our soon-to-be neighborhood and we are in love and so dang excited! One of the biggest blessings of this job is being able to work from wherever my heart takes me. I feel so very fortunate, that with this move, I will still have the ability to continue to do what I love: connecting with people from all around the globe and creating content that sparks joy, that inspires, and that is relatable AF to any other Millennial just figuring themselves out in the world.

The next day, we headed back to the below freezing temps (not even even dramatic) for another full day of festivities. So many meet-ups, events, pop-up shops, etc.

It felt so surreal to be navigating throughout our day in the city as if we already lived there. To think subways, walking multiple blocks in heels, hailing taxis, while bundled up in 4 + layers will be my new normal, both scares and excited me! But mostly, excites!

And of course, we took the opportunity to shoot in-between all the madness!

BUT LET ME TELL YOU: THERE WAS NO GREATER FEELING THAN KICKING OFF MY HEELS, BLASTING THE HEATER ON, AND SIMPLY UNWINDING WITH OUR TERRACE VIEWS!

The following morning, we decided to take it easy at the hotel to get some work done.

Just down the street, there is this delish deli where we ate at 4 mornings in a row, yikes! HAHA, but something bout’ that NYC breakfast sandwich just hits diff.

Speaking about repeating meals, we found our favorite Pho place, The Pho 5, just mins away from The Shelburne! We legit ate there almost every night of our trip!

On our last night, we indulged with our friends at Eataly Downtown. Our fav Italian food, ever!

 

On our last day, we just really soaked it all in. Back in October when I shared my last blog post regarding NYC, My First NYFW As A Blogger, I mentioned how this was the city we saw ourselves living in. Fast forward a few months, and here we are!

If you are wanting to attend NYFW next year : GO FOR IT, SIS! Last year, I was only invited to 3 shows and missed all of them (LOL, long story). This year, the invites multiplied. Manifest whatever you want for your future self. Speak it into existence and remember you can make things happen for yourself! Reach out to NYC based PR companies, NYC based brands (as they may be hosting events, pop-ups), and fellow creators as they may also need a + 1 buddy to join them for an exciting event or show. Also GPS Radar is a great tool to utilize for show invites!

I can’t wait to bring y’all along with me to the next NYFW as I will be an official NYC resident!

Thank you, Shelburne Hotel & Suites by AFFINIA, for making our stay so epic; already missing those views already! See you soon, NYC! ❤

For more details on MIRROR, you can visit their website  here!

19 Crimes: The New Way to UnWine

Hey, yall! So sorry I have been soooo MIA lately but it has been for a good reason. DRUMROLL PLEASE: WE ARE MOVING TO NYC! Ahhh, I can not wait to bring you guys along with us for the ride, but to say its been a crazy AF time, would be an understatement!

Between all the recent travels back and forth plus our weekend work trips, a bish was in need to UNWINE… (get it?) Long overdue, tbh! My fave lately has been this 19 Crimes Cabernet. I can’t even remember the last time I just simply sat and sipped on a glass of wine… sans emails, sans WORK. Thankfully 19 Crimes saved the day.

The traveling and the frenzy surrounding our move have really taken a toll on me and she knows no self care these days…le sigh.

I will say the few times we have planned for a good night in, Netflix and a wine sesh, we literally fall asleep on our couch within minutes… make-up on and all, yikes! So this time, we both said no more.  I grabbed my gratitude journal, actually sat down and simply chilled tf out.

For some time now, our friends have suggested some wines to try, but as ya’ll know, two sips of alcohol and I’m out! AHAHA, so it’s been harder to find a wine that I can enjoy and actualllly finish. And when I say enjoy, I mean, thoroughly enjoy every sip. Many wines (to me) taste very alcohol-y and aren’t that pleasant.

But after some digging, bae and I found a bunch of reviews online about an interactive wine to sit, listen (I did just say listen, I know, weird, right? Just read on…), and unwind with. At first, the name didn’t register all that well and it wasn’t until we actually brought some home when it all came together. 19 Crimes, sounds a bit more like a novel and less like a wine brand, but it’s actually a bit of both, in a sense.

Playing on the name, it really is criminal to taste that good, LOL… it definitely made me feel relaxed yet NOT sleepy.

Maybe it was deep red blend of strong fruit flavors or the sweet blackberry hint, but it def had a nice balance on the taste buds. Smooth AF!

Bae was also loving it, and especially with the AR app, it really made for a fun night.

Once you download The Living Wine Labels app, you get to scan the criminal on the front label and get to hear them tell their story about these 19 real world crimes that they partook in.

As the name suggests, 19 Crimes is really all about these short stories from prisoners who were sent to Australia. I don’t know about ya’ll, but I live for true crime, mysteries and cliffhangers, so as soon as bae and I heard the first story, we were so freaking hooked: such a fun spin on your classic glass of wine.

A message in a bottle so to speak…but these aren’t necessarily left in the past. Like I don’t geek out over many things, but this ingenious AR experience really makes that concept come to life. If you are having a bad day, escape reality for a bit, grab a 19 Crimes bottle, and hear stories that will make you want to pop open the next one.

I know, right now, I’m like the last person to be talking about taking the time to simply pause and unwind, but I cannot stress enough just how much joy this little game/wine sesh brought. It really is the simple things.

Sometimes traditional escapism doesn’t cut it and we have to try new things that can come in different mediums, or in this case, experiences. At the moment, the whole move to the Big Apple has brought on so many doubts and anxieties but I am so excited…well, exhausted…but excited.

With so dang much to prepare and with such little time, I need to remind myself to let my hair down, more than once in a while and UNWINE. But this time, with 19 Crimes. Here’s to getting through stressful times, in the best ways we know how ❤

Although this post is sponsored by 19 Crimes, all opinions are my own. @19Crimes #LiveInfamously #19Crimes

60 Days of Celery Juice: Here’s What Happened

Heller, BBs! In this post we are going to get REALLLL PERSONAL. So, if you are looking for in-depth rawness regarding the past 60 days, keep on reading!

For the past year and a half, I have been sharing my journey with IBS-C via IG: @_jasminvanessa and here on the blog. But for the first time in the past 8 years since diagnosed with IBS, I have FINALLY found what has actually worked… read on.

For reference, IBS, also known as: Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a chronic intestinal disorder that causes pain, bloat, gas, diarrhea, and or constipation. In my case, I have IBS-C, Irritable Bowel Syndrome with constipation but some people suffer from both. Flare-ups could be triggered by food, trapped toxins AKA constipation and/or life stressors/anxiety. About 6-7 days of the week, my stomach flared up, to what my mom even said, was larger than any of her full-term pregnancies. I would literally not be able to zip up the very pants I wore going into a dinner. One bite of a trigger food (onions, garlic, tomato, cabbage, etc) was enough to have a 10-12 hour flare-up, where gas and cramps were non-stop the entire time. There would be multiple days where I could not use the restroom, and even if I was hungry, I knew there was little room in there to consume any more space. Some weeks, I would try multiple laxatives, fiber powder, eat as many fruits and veggies as I could, and still have no success.

It is a silent disease with little research and understanding. It is also, rarely talked about as there is no definitive cure and lets be honest, a fairly uncomfortable topic as it deals with your stool. However, it can be manageable-ish***. In fact, there are so many IBS sufferers out there, “managing” their daily pains, who are not even aware that their conditions fall under IBS. For reference, I was diagnosed with IBS at 18 years old, however medications and commercials for gut health said to help manage the conditions, are all usually geared towards the elder audience. I am by far the youngest patient whenever I go into my GI appointments, go figure! So I am so pleased I was able to share my journey with so many of my fellow peers, because IBS is wayyyy more common than we think! And although we are young, we are certainly not suffering alone.

This illness, of course, affects your physical health but most importantly your mental health. You feel trapped in a body that does not bring you peace. Literally ingesting anything is a gamble! So many nights are sleepless due to the pain, and almost every meal no longer seems enjoyable. It is an incredibly frustrating disease because the human body: eats, sleeps, and poops, so when this disease or really any other GI condition basically robs you of all 3 basic functions, it can feel hopeless!

So, from deep deep experience, celery juice has been a legitimate healer in my life!

Read on to learn how:

FAQ: 

1. Q: What are the main benefits of juicing celery? 

                A.  HEALS AND ACTIVATES GUT:

1. • PC Answer: Celery Juice acts as a healer to the digestive system, activating and relining the gut.  It helps us metabolize quicker, and restores the acid, riding of the bad bacterias, and assisting the break downs more efficiently.

1. • Real AF Answer: IT WILL MAKE YOU SHIT A TON MORE. During my first 21 days, I would nearly have to run to the restroom, minutes after drinking. I became extremely regular, going 3-5 times a day! For an IBS-C sufferer, that is only a dream! Especially during travel, my ability to use the restroom successfully was almost a joke! Often times, not even the strongest of laxatives worked. So juicing, basically serves as a natural laxative, without the pill! FIBROUS AF!

                B.  REDUCED BLOAT/FLARE-UPS:

• • PC Answer:  Celery Juice is an anti-inflammatory: It’s properties are known to  ease nerves and reduce fluid retention. By producing better stomach acids, it    eases the uncomfortable symptoms like gas, pressure, and fullness. IBS-C flare- ups can be caused by the several reasons listed above, however, with finally being more regular, the “constipation bloat” essentially disappears.

• • Real AF Answer: Now, of course, food triggers are usually triggers for the long- haul but I did notice that foods that once upset my belly, had less potency after drinking celery juice on a daily basis. If I accidentally missed to pick out, lets say, an onion, out of my dish, prior to celery, I’d have to prepare for WWIII. I mean 8-12 hour flare ups, potent gas for hours, and cramps that felt like child birth. Where as now, if I swallowed a piece of onion on accident (true story) I’d maybe be bloated for 1-2 hours, and likely would be able to use the restroom and relieve the pain a bit! I mean, I went to bed looking well over 9 months preggo from 6-7 nights a week, to maybe 1-2 nights tops…SOLELY because of a food trigger bloat, and NOT due to constipation bloat. PRAIISE JESUS!

  C.  GREAT FOR YO’ SKIN:

• • PC Answer:  Since celery juice alkalizes, it not only cleanses your body of toxins, but also the blood stream…reflecting in your skin! With improved blood flow and circulation paired with celery’s antioxidant properties, you and your skin are receiving tons of electrolytes, balancing the pH levels, increasing it’s overall hydration.

• • Real AF Answer: Although, my skin has been great to me this year, I will say that since juicing celery, my skin feels more hydrated than it did before. If I didn’t lather my face in Vitamin E oil, my skin and it’s hydration wasn’t that forgiving, where as now,  I can commit skincare suicide and fall asleep on the couch, without doing my full nighttime skin routine, and still wake up feeling hydrated!

               D. INCREASED ENERGY 

• • PC Answer:  Since celery helps the break down of protein and fat, you’ll likely  also feel a boost of energy!

• • Real AF Answer: I feel way less sluggish! If you are used to having a morning coffee, I can guarantee you, that by swapping these two, you will see a difference in feeling a natural energy boost. Since I workout in the AM, right before drinking celery juice, the combo basically sets the tone for a productive morning! No more laying in bed, with a heating pad right on my belly, trying to rid the 12 hour flare-up that stole my entire night’s worth of sleep!

      2. Q: When should I drink it and how much? 

• • A: It is best to drink 10-16oz (2-5 hearts, depending on size) in the morning on  an empty stomach. Also, be sure to wait 30 mins before consuming breakfast or any other foods. 16oz is suggested but especially during the first 30 days, more than 10 oz at a time, would scream a run to the restroom, like IMMEDIATELY! Now, after 60 days, since my body has stabilized a bit, I am able to drink the full amount without the theatrics and simply remain regular throughout my days. But I say, if you are in REAL need of beginning this journey with juicing and are FOS (sorry, but like actually), give your body some time to adjust and detox, as it probs needs it desperately. It won’t always be a running to the restroom, type situation…your body will adjust! So you can def work your way up, with serving size!

3. Q: Should I add other veggies or fruits to the juice blend? 

• • A: No! Adding any other ingredients to the juice will dilute it’s medicinal properties as each vegetable and/or fruit serves different functions. When added to it, celery juice is essentially denatured. I used to make several juice combos, including celery into those blends, but I NEVER saw the benefits that I do now, with juicing celery on it’s own. Also be sure to stray away from adding water or ice! Plain celery juice is best!

4.  Q: What juicer do you recommend and how do I prep it?

• • A: I’ve been using my Breville JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus 850-Watt Extractor    (click to shop) for over a year now and love it! Affordable, easy set up, not too noisy, and quick break down! Plus, it does a good job of maintaining some pulp (many juicers tend to extract it all) which is where most of your fiber lies! Whether you are using a juicer or a regular blender, you want to ensure you wash the celery thoroughly! I can not even tell you how many bugs I’ve found between stalks! I like to chop off the base and the top of the stalks, feed the washed celery through the feeding tube, and drink immediately. If you are using a traditional blender, you would follow the same techniques, however, consider using a nut milk bag to strain/remove any large chunks from the juice.

5. Q: Can I prep the juice in advance for the week? 

• • A: You can but it is not ideal! It is best to drink the juice immediately to benefit from all it’s healing powers. However, if you have to, make sure it is kept closed tight in a mason jar in the fridge! When I worked full-time in the office, I did not have the time to juice daily, so this was the only way I could drink it! However, try not to prep more than 1-2 days in advance.

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Soooo that about covers all of your frequently asked questions regarding this healing phenomena! I went far too long, suffering DAILY, hearing about its’ benefits, and still choosing not to give into this “Instagram fad”. But I am here to tell you, celery juice has truly transformed my overall physical and mental health! I no longer cry myself to sleep, stuck in fetal position, feeling literally trapped in a unhealthy vicious cycle of constant pain that comes with my chronic illness. I no longer have to skip out on a meal at a friend’s outing because everything on the menu is a trigger. I no longer have to look down at the massive bloat belly, no longer fitting into the very clothes I was wearing that same morning! I no longer have to look at food as an enemy of sorts, because now I can actually enjoy my meals in peace. And I no longer feel hopeless in my journey to good health. IBS may not have a tangible cure yet, but drinking my juice daily, has been the closest I’ve ever been to a healed and healthy gut! If you feel like you have tried everything and nothing has stuck, I URGE you to give celery juice a shot…IT IS LIFE CHANGING, SIS! Let’s raise a glass (of celery) to good health. Xo

 

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Things I Would Tell My Younger Self

Hey, hunayys! So last week on IG, I asked y’all a question that really had me thinking: “If you could give your 13 year old self advice, what would it be?!” And your responses were literally giving me life because even though we’ve all come from different backgrounds, so many of us went through similar struggles.

Middle school, man… a crazy awkward time that I think most of us would rather forget, HA! T’was brutal AF but also def the experience that changed me forever. When I say brutal, I mean, there were days where I would think to myself, “how life would be easier if I just had a different name, different identity…”

Mother nature hit me in 5th grade, so by the time I entered middle school, ya girl had hips and breasts, thicc thighs, the whole nine. At first I was excited because I was becoming a woman!! But my eager ass was surely surprised when I arrived to school feeling like a freak, why was I the only who hit puberty?! This is when what felt like a living hell, ensued. Rumors spread quickly that I lost it, where at and with who. These stories were elaborate y’all. I was even “pregnant” a few times according to these people, at freaking age 11 because of my wider hips! LIKE WHAT?! At first, I just tried to keep my head down and try not to let it get to me. But over time, I was cornered at my locker, followed home, pranked called non-stop, and called out for my clothing choices on a daily basis! I remember one day specifically, I was wearing a skirt that my mom and I went shopping together for and as I sat down in the cafeteria, this girl stood up and yelled at me, “so you think you can just walk around here with those big ass hips, wearing that skirt? You must really think you’re hot shit. Come here and show us all how “hot” you really are!” And obviously humiliation ensued. I felt so damn small. Like these hips were out of my control, like I get it, they developed outta the woodworks HAHA but like leave Britney alone!! As shook as I was in that moment, I had to wonder? When will this hell end? I fucking hated it here. I hated my body for doing this to me! Why couldn’t it just stay the same as it was before. It was bringing so much unwanted attention, ugh! If I tried to dress modest, I got sh*t! If I dressed just like the other girls in my classes, I was then somehow promiscuous. Like I could never win!! There were so many days I would eat lunch in a teacher’s classroom, or the bathroom just to limit the amount of walking around campus. In desperation,

I finally decided to ask my parents, “why do I look so different than all of the other girls in school?” With much disappointment, they advised that I only had one option here: embrace my body, period. And I remember thinking, “but how can I, when literally it has been the cause of all this bullshit I’m going through?!” But before I could even verbalize that, they continued…

Because if I didn’t, I would spend my entire life, hating a body that did absolutely nothing wrong to me. And in fact, where I went wrong, was allowing all this time to go by without standing my ground. After a real “aha” moment with myself, I finally made the decision to take my power back. I WILL flaunt what I was given, like how dare I ever hide all that I was to make others comfortable? 

That conversation forever changed my life.

I realized that if I did not accept, own, and defend who I really was, then I’d be leaving room for other’s to make that decision for me.

I may have continued to be picked apart because of my appearance, my extra ass personality, and everything in between but what guess? I no longer shamed myself for any of it!  I would occasionally still eat lunch alone, but honestly, that didn’t bother me much; my lonely ass would happily eat my food in peace. But the thing I noticed about these people, is that they were bothered that I was no longer cracking.

And that was the sweetest victory. Self-love is taking your power back! For the years following, I always made sure to remind myself about that 7th grade conversation. From 8th grade on, I was untouchable! The human spirit in strong AF! I truly believe if you learn how to be secure in who you are, no rumor, no shitty person, no event will shake you!

I am so thankful for those people, b/c of them, I discovered the necessity of self-love and hellllurrr, they paved the way for a body posi queen! Now, as I’m inching closer to my 30’s, holy sh*t, I am so damn proud of the woman I have become. I love my “big ass hips,” I love my curves, and I love my cellulite, b/c you know what? That’s what makes Jasmin, Jasmin.

Looking back, I cry for my 11-13 year-old self. I cry for the girl who looked at her curves with tears in her eyes and desperately prayed for another body. The girl who felt like a freak.

If only I could tell her, that all this BS is temporary. You will freaking flourish to a woman so sure of herself that no one can break! Just hold on a little longer boo, because your time will come! Just note, these people will always find something to talk about, hate does not discriminate! So, have freaking grit, and always remember that beauty shines from within. If you learn to love yourself now, you will live a powerful f*cking life!

—

So much love to all my girls who went through some ish to get to where we are now! What I’ve learned is that these trolls, these mean girls, these bitter souls will always be around, for the rest of our lives… BUT if we remember who TF we are, we will always win! Xo

Q & A – Instagram Edition Pt. II

Hey boos! I see a lot of new faces on here + it has been a minute since I dedicated a post to my most asked questions so here we go 🙂

1. Any tips on creating content on a budget?
   • This is tricky! Curating a photo can be multi-layered. This can all depend on location, outfit, props, etc. If you are wanting to shoot at a botanical garden, state park, museum, etc these locations all cost money, not just for your own entrance fee but your photographers as well. So in terms of location, try to stick to public places like the beach, down town area, and even your home. For outfits, if you are not gifted certain pieces, thrifting will be your best bet. I have posted photos in entirely thrifted pieces from head to toe where I spent anywhere from $10-$40. Now if you use props in your shots, which I do almost 100% of the time, flowers are my go-to. Trader Joe’s, Ralph’s, and Whole Foods carry my fave kinds of flowers for a decent price (depending on the week). But many times you can find props laying around the house and just incorporate them into your shots as you see fit.
2. What is the biggest surprise in your transition into blogging full-time?
   • I would have to say, the struggle lies in the actual adjustment of schedules and time management. Before, when I was working full-time in the office, I knew I would only have the 6pm-12am time slot to work on my blog/IG. But now, as “more” time is available, I am finding myself still cramming everything into a small window of time as I am picking up more work on this end. Before there was some sort of structure there, though chaotic, it somehow worked. So, I am trying to fine tune a new schedule that works for me and that all begins with practicing good habits so that they eventually become routine.
3. What advice would you give to someone who is trying to gain a bigger but yet organic and authentic audience on IG?
   • Now, I think this can vary depending on who you are asking. And this is because there are several routes to take. And by no means am I throwing shade to those who do the following techniques, but I’m just stating what I’ve seen be done. So in order to build an organic following, you want to refrain from joining any “course” that promises quick growth. Although, you may gain authentic followers, the way in which they advise you to do so, most likely won’t be organic. Because in my eyes, organic growth happens over time and not overnight or in a matter of a few weeks. Also, from what I’m hearing, these techniques can be flagged by IG which can effect your overall reach. In terms of authentic followers, do not succumb to the pressures or even curiosity of buying fake followers. I know SOOO many people do it, but like…it is SOOO obvious. And I have IG friends who have confided in me that they do this only because “desperate times call for desperate measures” and I can totally understand the frustrations of not growing, but I personally could not go about my day knowing I am making moves that have challenged my integrity. I also think there is a different sense of pride knowing you built your community solely through your hard work vs. through sus means.  So, the simple answer here…is literally just do you. Speak on issues that matter to YOU, create content that excites YOU, and by being your true + raw authentic self, people will take notice. Utilize your stories to help your audience get a glimpse into your every day non-curated life. Relatability means a lot to people! I like to ask myself, “am I the same person online than I am in real life?” If I feel I posted something that does not match 100% to who I am, I delete it. This has been key for me in my growth. In addition to authenticity, I love to focus on community. I want to get to know my followers and the only way I can do that, is through engagement. Are you taking the time to make real connections with others? Also, I listen to what my audience likes, if they ask for more at home shoots, I try to throw a few in there to show their suggestions are being heard.
4. How do you stay inspired/creative?
   • I am naturally drawn to aesthetics. I love to look at content that makes me feeeel a type of way. And usually that is through pretty, thought out, photos. Yes, I love seeing bomb ass outfits, but what else can the photo give me? I want to leave looking at a photo feeling something stronger. So, that emotional aspect of it, is something I try to take with me in curating my own content. And this is not to say, I am successful each time. In fact, there are many photos of mine which will never see the light of day (or I wished never saw the light of day), because I didn’t/don’t feel any type of way while looking at it. It can be hard to conceptualize a shoot and go in thinking it’s going to be amazing, but during post-production, simply hating it. So I think what keeps me inspired, is creating and figuring ways that give me opportunity to feel less of those shitty days. I want every single photo of mine to spark something within me. So the more I am able to pull within myself and up my game more and more each and every time, the stronger collectively my work will be. I also like to analyze my feed as a means of surveying. What am I seeing too often? What am I not seeing enough? Which photos spark joy and which don’t? Whatever data I am able to pull from that, I can then go into Pinterest, IG, the outdoors etc., and try to locate those answers. Also, taking a break from posting, can also give me a fresh perspective on the direction I’d like to take for future shoots.
5. How do you balance being so active on your social media and being present in your real life?
   • THIS IS TOUGH! I feel like the two go hand and hand at this point but that is partially because I have always been this way! Ever since I can remember, my friends and family HATED that I had to take photos of everything! But, I’d always found joy in documenting my life. So now that social media is actually a thing, I don’t necessarily find it to be any different? I know this sounds bad but I don’t look at it as an inconvenience to whatever my day to day is. But I also think this is because of who I am. If I’m having a shitty day, I am able to talk about it and share what that looks like. No make up, greasy ass hair, etc. But I know of friends, who can’t do that! They feel they have to “show up” for Instagram, make up, cheerful attitude, the whole 9.  So it can be hard for me personally to draw that line, because I can easily watch a movie with bae, take a quick video while slumped on the couch, post it, and keep watching. But what I did in Europe to try to remain as present as possible was saving all my videos until later that day, so I wasn’t spending that time while out adventuring. But again, this is a work in progress for me!
6. How do you get such great engagement on your posts? 
   • Well, right now I am currently shadow banned so meh, it’s been hard out here for a sis!! HAHA. But overall, I have to owe it all to the community I have been blessed with! I think the amount of time I have put into getting to know my audience, and the friendships I have built has been reciprocated in so many ways, one being through engagement. For me, there is this sort of loyalty to each other so when we post, so we just naturally want to support and engage. And I truly think that has been the case for me.
7. I’m a smaller account and larger accounts have directly copied my content, any advice?
   • UGH, if I had a dollar for every time this has happened to me (massive ass eye roll). So I know there is this notion that ideas are not owned and we all pull inspo from each other at some point and I get that! However, it can feel like a robbery when all the time, effort, energy it takes to curate one post, can literally be “taken” for lack of better word and treated as though it were an original concept. Because as content curators our work is essentially public, we are not really protected against this. So the only thing I can suggest doing, is finding it within yourself to some how shake it off. It’ll suck, it’ll sting, it really makes you question the integrity of others, but unfortunately this is a risk all creators take by putting their work out for the world to see. It is almost inevitable. But what is most important to remember is that people can copy your recipe, but YOU ARE THE SECRET SAUCE 🙂
8. When it comes to blogging, what is your biggest fear and what’s your advice to fight it?
   • My biggest fear is that I am not touching on topics that resonate with people. If y’all notice, often times I don’t talk about very blogger-esque topics because simply other things interest me. I’ve found myself wondering if people even care what I’m writing about but then I have to remind myself that I am not creating content to conform, I am creating because I have a passion for whatever it is I’m putting out. So in my case, remembering that as long as I am loving what I’m doing, the rest will follow.
9. If you knew something when you started your IG journey that you know now, what would you do differently? 
   • I would have cut off toxic, half-assed support earlier on. When you start a small business, you have a lot of skepticism around it. And in the beginning, I went through several months where I struggled maintaining “friendships” that I knew were not supportive but I stuck around anyway because #loyalty. But I realized, life is too short to surround yourself that with type of energy. Life requires you to level up and if my circle is not vibrating to that same frequency, girl, bye! The time and guilt I spent/felt by ending those friendships were yes, worth it in the long run but in retrospect, it would have been healthier for me to just act on those red flags earlier on.
10. What does your BTS actually look like, if you could paint the picture for us. 
    • AH!! So usually the real BTS takes hours and this is because my posts are all for the most part… fully curated. We start off heading to the store to pick up our props, then we head to our location. Thing is, our location, is usually a longer road trip away, HA! So once we are there, I quickly change into my outfit, we have Troy (our dog) in his stroller chilling on the side of us, and we location scout. Once we have our exact location, I have bae stand in my desired spot, and then we add in the props. Usually the weather is against us, so many times we both are just standing idle until the wind passes. Usually I try 10-20 different poses. Often times after 20 minutes, Troy starts to bark and the embarrassment begins, LOL. Half of my shots are me telling or yelling at  Troy, “almost done, Bubba, just a few more!!” We normally take a break for me to review the photos and if none are to my liking, bae knows the pressure is on, because I can get impatient AF! Our roles are like reversed: he’s the one telling me we need to shoot more, and I’m the one who’s like, “K, lets go!” HAHA. Depending if the photo is due that day, we either edit straight after in the car for posting or we narrow down our selects so once we arrive back home, the post production part is not as long.

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Ah, soooo I know this is long (let’s be honest, when are my posts ever short?) but I tried to be thorough AF. Or if you’re just a metiche like me, hope you enjoyed the tea! XO 

 

How to Make the Leap and Transition Into Full-Time Blogging

I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE I AM WRITING THIS PIECE!! AHH, WHAT A DREAM COME TRUE!

So before I proceed, I just have to say, THANK YOU to every single one of you for making this new chapter in my life possible! As y’all have probably noticed, my blog posts have been brought to a minimum in the past couple of months but that is because I’ve been working my bootayyy off in other realms to ensure this plan of mine panned out. Eek, still feels surreal!

MY JOURNEY:

So, lets go back 4 years ago (senior yr of college). I remember seconds before walking the stage, I said to myself, “I have no idea what the hell the next 4 years hold, but let’s effing gooooo” and moments later walked that stage with so much faith and happiness. But once the euphoria settled, I found myself job searching and unemployed in a coffee shop one week later. For those 8 long hours, I remember casually scrolling through my social media and seeing what felt like 95% of all my peers post offer letters to their first big-girl job! I was #Jelly . WHAT THE HELL WAS I GOING TO DO?!

All throughout college, I held internships at some of my dream companies, but 0 full-time offers were made. I studied sociology and communication and had a focus in broadcast journalism. My passions lied specifically in sports broadcasting and entertainment reporting. And although I loved my university, I realized early on that my school did not provide the same resources or tools to those pursuing this specificity among the communication major than they did per say, those pursuing marketing or sales. So although discouraged, I had to remind myself that this was the not so traditional career path I decided to pursue.

One month later, I was working at my dream network! I was ecstatic! BUTTTT, as most of my friends were beginning their careers making 65K +, I was damn near surviving. I had to pick up two other jobs to live close to comfortably. WHAT HAVE I DONE?

But again, this was my passion. I was well aware it would take YEARS before I was making anything close to that and even longer before I was in placed in front of the camera…but it felt worth it to me! I wanted to give people an escape from all the ugliness going on in the world. I wanted to connect and engage with an audience, as I had in my college work. But as entry level as I was, those desires were obviously not being fulfilled. I felt so much fire and passion but had the inability to channel that energy.

SO I had an epiphany. Clearly, my energy was being misplaced. If the industry was not going to pave the way for me, I HAD to CREATE one for myself.

AND THIS IS WHERE THE JOURNEY TO THE UNTRADITIONAL ROUTE BEGAN.

After two years in the entertainment industry, I realized I could still work towards all those goals of connecting and “broadcasting” certain messages but through a different way. And in all honesty, a girl had to survive. I remember my mom telling me to think long term. She said, “although I know this is what you want to do, you are barely affording rent. Maybe you have to put your dream on hold and work in a higher paying industry for the time being.” And I remembered those words pained me. But through a shift of perspective, I realized I could still fulfill all those things but on a much micro level. I then had the idea of a podcast. I could still work a BS decent paying day job but have the ability to pour my passions into something I believed in after the 9-5. And that’s exactly what I did. Luckily at that time, my then bf had all the equipment to begin one. But life happened, shortly after, we broke-up and boom, here I was, sitting in an office cubicle, working in an industry that was so far removed from what I studied, left with with that same unfulfilled passion taunting me.

NOW WHAT? WHAT CAN I DO RIGHT NOW TO CHANNEL MY PASSIONS AND TRUTH?

In that exact time, my dad unexpectedly passed away and I was left with this massive hole. My education and career meant everything to my dad. But here I was chasing this dream that felt unattainable, but even worse, working in an environment I loathed. At this point, I felt like an absolute failure. Now, several years out of college, I was not happy, not fulfilled, unsure of my career path, all while seeing my college buddies living their best lives, most in managerial positions within their companies, and not to mention…making the type of bank I could only dream of! Where did I go wrong? Did my decision to follow my dreams actually screw me over in the long term? Should I have just succumbed to a field that I hated from the beginning to at least propel me in any sort of direction professionally? I KNEW I WAS DESTINED FOR MORE, UGH!

These are questions I also projected onto my family and friends. My best friend was the person who nudged me. She said “you continuously asking all these questions will not get you anywhere. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.”

That next week, alllthatjas.com (this blog) was born. The day I finally began drafting my very first blog post, this feeling of overwhelming peace flushed over me. It almost felt like this was God’s and the universe’s way of saying, “I GOT CHU.” And even though, I was writing to my 1k family and friends on social media, that ability to FINALLY speak and channel all those years of pent of energies, was the most liberating feeling I had felt to that date.

Ugh, I remember sharing my post to my co-worker in that office and she said, “whoa, I’m actually really excited for you and want to read more, do you have any more content?!” And in that moment, I realized that exchange alone was the type of connection, I’d been longing for.

For that next year, I continued to share myself with my 1k audience. It was my only form on expression in a very monotonous unfulfilling corporate world. There were countless amount of days where I would look around the office thinking, “so many of us are working tirelessly towards a goal that isn’t our own!” Yes, we were crunching numbers every day, doing what we were told to do, but were any of us even fulfilled or most importantly happy?!

And although we saw our parents work these jobs, following the American way, by which if you work hard, you will then in turn have equal opportunity to become successful, did that mean we too had to follow this?

My personal beliefs led me to believe that the answer was a huge, fat, NO! Just because we are raised in cultures that teach us we must conform to a certain way of living, does not mean we have to continue in live in such a damaging vortex.

And every morning, I would read the following quote by Steve Jobs and remind myself that this was only temporary. A more fulfilling life lied ahead…

“When you grow up you tend to get told the world is the way it is and your life is just to live your life inside the world.

Try not to bash into the walls too much. Try to have a nice family life, have fun, save a little money.

That’s a very limited life.

Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.

Shake off this erroneous notion that life is there and you’re just gonna live in it, versus embrace it, change it, improve it, make your mark upon it.

Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.” – Steve Jobs 

Every morning I felt inspired by his words to make something of myself, because that to me was the only way to get out of a world I hated so much.

Once bae and I began dating, I shared my dreams with him of one day, being able to work for myself and give 100% of me to issues and content that were actually fulfilling. (You can read how we began our journey in depth here: How to *Honestly* Balance the 9-5 With a Side Hustle ).

Ah, one year later, here we are. I’ve connected with so many souls and it all started here…sharing my unfiltered voice and experiences with the world.  This was what I was aiming to do… my entire life! This is where I am meant to be! I love it with my entire heart and soul!

THE DECISION

A few months ago, I realized I had come to the point where I just had to make that leap of faith and decide what I wanted for my life. I just felt like I was living a lie. I’m going into a space where even though I was physically present, my heart and soul were else where. I, day in and day out had this tugging on my heart which kept leading me back to this…my platform. HOLY CRAP, CAN I ACTUALLY DO THIS FULL-TIME? CAN I LET GO OF THE STABILITY OF THE FAMILIAR AND EMBRACE THE UNKNOWN?!

QUEUE THE ANXIETY, Y’ALL!

I had toyed around with this idea for years really, if you think about it, but naturally we are all wired to go with what feels safe. But remember y’all, “safe” can actually be detrimental. After all these struggling years, my mom understood my decision and that meant everything to me! And I’m sure if my dad were still here, he would too!

So I went in with the confidence in my abilities and self to be up front with my employer and ask for their support during this time. I honestly was a mess, as I thought they would laugh in my face and close the door on me. But, I feel they entirely blessed that they gave me the opportunity to transition out, so this is where we are at.

I seriously can’t believe I am manifesting all that I’ve ever dreamt about! I wanted that connection, that ability to channel my energies to what mattered to me, and no longer submit to a work culture that I felt was damaging on the human soul.

SO THE HOW:

*And this will look different for everyone*

1. DOES THIS WORK SET YOUR SOUL ON FIRE?!
   • Yes, it mostly stems as a hobby, but make sure this is what brings you joy and fulfillment. If you can picture doing this for many many many more years to come, that is telling the longevity of your passion.
2. TRUST IN YOUR ABILITIES TO SUCCEED:
   • Believe in thy self, sis! Have the understanding that you are a powerful force. You have the ability to manifest literally any single thing you envision for your life. Be your #1 fan! Know in your heart that you were created for something greater, now it is just your job to unfold what that looks like.
3. REVISIT YOUR RATES:
   • If you have not already, create a media kit! This is where you pitch your rates to brands. But if you are thinking of transitioning into full-time blogging, you most likely will have to adjust your rates to your needs.
   • Calculate how many collaborations you would need to match your current salary or at least what could get you by.
4. BE WILLING TO SACRIFICE: 
   • If your job does not support you in this decision, are you willing to leave the stability of your bi-weekly paycheck and pick up random gigs across the city?
   • Are you willing to be open to the uncertainties and judgements that come along with self-employment?
5. HAVE AN EMERGENCY FUND:
   • If shit hits the fan and blogging is slow for an entire month, would you be able to still pay the bills?!
   • I’ve read that having 3 months worth of funds is a good place to start thinking about this.
6. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE WHO WHOLEHEARTEDLY BELIEVE IN YOU. 
   • We only got time for those who see our greatest potential. Half ass energy and support is a definite NOOO at this stage. If this means to cut your circle in half, by all means!
7. HAVE DISCIPLINE!
   • This is no longer a hobby, boo! This is your livelihood! Nourish it, give it more life every single day, and in this way, I truly believe it’ll give you that and then some long term!
8. UNDERSTAND THAT IF NOT NOW, THEN WHEN?!
   • If you have a dream but you are allowing your fears, anxieties, family, friends, etc. etc. to hold you back, you will NEVER propel to where you were meant to be. There will be never be a “right” time. Ask yourself, “if I died tomorrow, could I look back and see that I was in pursuit of the life I had envisioned for myself?” JUST DO IT, BOO!

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AHH, so I know this was long AF so kuddos if you are still here! I just know there are so many of us out there waiting on some sort of sign. If you are reading this and need the nudge to take your life to the next level, LET THIS BE IT! Trust me y’all! This is scary as hell for me, but I am so damn proud and grateful that I am manifesting all that I have struggled for and dreamt of. All those years of unfulfilment, feelings of inadequacy, defeat, comparison, dun, dun, dun…..SHE HAS FINALLY ARRIVED! I think it’s sooooo important to realize this is YOUR LIFE! There is no right way of going about it! Your path may look different than every single one around you, but sis, (or bro- lol), live your best life, #noragrets!

I love you all and THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for letting me live out my wildest dreams!!!! XOXO, Jas ❤

 

How to *Honestly* Balance the 9-5 With a Side Hustle

As y’all know, ya girl is tired! HA. Working that 9-5, weekends, nights, and every hour in between ain’t easy!

…And whoever told ya it was, they’re lying! HA. In fact, I like to call it, one big, fat, messy, juggling act.

Like many of us, I initially created this space as an expressive outlet, a passion project, per se, to wind down after the 9-5. I knew “the dream” of building an online community and meaningful presence one day would require tons of sacrifice…  but dang, I really had no idea what that would eventually look like! And I think so many of us go into this blindly because we don’t actually have a frame of reference. We see these “glamorous” lifestyles of those in the influencer world while scrolling at our cubicles and wonder if we are destined for something greater. Blogging and IG gave me the freedom to explore those big questions and I am so entirely grateful. TIRED. BUT GRATEFUL. BUT I REPEAT, TIRED! HA..

At the end of the day, I DID ASK FOR THIS, we all did by signing up for it BUT since all I’ve ever heard were blanket statements as to how people really do make it work, I thought I would share the truth that I wish I heard, starting out.

The statements I always hear is that “time management” & “hard work” will be the trick! And althoughhh, there is truth to this, it is not always so black and white.

IT WILL VARY… IT WILL LOOK DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE! From the start of my social media journey through hitting 10K, I was working full time in an environment that was extremely low maintenance and flexible. I had the time to work on my passions while in the office without disrupting my role within the company. In addition to the time, I also had the energy and mental capacity to continue working once I returned home. And ultimately, I was able to attain that work-life balance everyone aims for. This was not to say, that is was EASY managing both my full-time job and side hustle, BUT it wouldn’t have been fair to share with the world that “time management” was my secret sauce in balancing the two, when in reality, it was my particular circumstances that allowed me to do so.

Now a days, that is soooo not the case! My current role is completely hands on and 10000x more demanding. I do not have the time to check my phone or work on my side projects while in the office. I work M-F, and weekends, 12 hour days, long commutes, and thats just my full-time position! Blogging and IG legitimately take up every single hour in between, excluding 1am to 5am. TEAM NO SLEEP!

HOW I DO IT: HUSTLE YOUR TIRED LITTLE HEART OUT

I’ve juggled, up to 4 jobs at once in my time but never have I been more exhausted YET fulfilled in my entire life. It is such a time consuming grind but this passion of mine is legit what sets my soul on fire! When you are creating with PURPOSE, all of your energies are put forth; physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional. So slap on an extra 50-60 hour work week, it is likely you got one tired being! But what has kept my spirit ALIVE is the love I have for my craft. The itch I have to create and connect with others, keeps me afloat. But I know this is not for everyone. The amount of sacrifice and dedication this juggling act takes, is insane. Free time, who?!?! HAHA.

But I know it will all be worth while! There won’t just be some late nights and early mornings, but prepare to have ALL of your nights be late, and ALL of your mornings be early. Ya girl is tired AFFFF but also sooo freaking happy that I found the path that God has chosen for me! In the beginning, I honestly had no effing idea just how much work goes into this! I mean, posting photos of yourself? How hard can that actually be? LMAO! ….HARD. When your intent is to build an authentic community on here, you have to be willing to open your entire heart and soul to the world. Not only are you aiming to create beautiful content, but you are exploring what exactly your purpose is, and what about yourself makes you stand out from the rest. Its an emotional rollercoaster at times, because these are pressing questions that may take a lifetime for some to discover. But if you know in your heart, this is the path that makes you happy, liberated, excited, challenged, etc etc, you must go after it! And with force, tenacity, faith, and purpose! YOU WILL BE TIRED, IT WILL NOT BE EASY, BUT IF YOU WANT IT BAD ENOUGH, YOU WILL WORK TOWARDS THE BIGGER PICTURE.

WHAT IS THE BIGGER PICTURE?

Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted a platform that served. I wanted to share my voice with the world. In those days, when I say voice, I actually mean, my vocal talents. My dad was a musician and his love for music had evidently passed onto me. As a baby, I would rehearse songs, before I could even make out full sentences. Up until college, this is what I knew for sure. I wanted to spread joy through my soulful sounds. But as college gave me other avenues to explore, my passion shifted into Sports and Entertainment Broadcasting. I fell in love with the idea of spreading relief from all of the ugliness in the world. But as I was finding my way in that industry, my morale suffered. That industry was a beast in itself. It wasn’t really what you knew, but who you knew.  Although, I was working for a large network, the ability to move up the ranks seemed utterly impossible. What was the use of having so much passion for a field, and the desire to share my knowledge with others, when the accessibility to do so was so slim. Rejection offer after rejection offer, it came to a point where I said, “if I can’t find my way in, I will make a way of my own.” And THIS is where my life AND perspective shifted. I already had a following on social media, how about, I create a sports/entertainment podcast from my home studio? I had the necessary equipment but, as I was drafting ideas, my life was shook TF up by a dramatic break up. So, once the dust settled, I began a new chapter of my life, singlehood! Fast forward a couple of months later and then my dad passes away. It was a crazy ass time. As a way of coping, I began journaling my experiences. After some push from my best friend, I finally channeled those thoughts onto WordPress AKA this blog! At the time, I had no idea if anyone would even care what I had to say. Ah, two years later, here we are! I’ve connected with so many souls and it all started here. ..sharing my unfiltered voice and experiences with the world.  This was what I was aiming to do… my entire life! This is where I am meant to be! I love it with my entire heart and soul! So long story long, my big picture, is to be able to do this full-time and inspire/connect with as many souls as possible! Until then…

CORPORATE WORLD-BY DAY

When I say, I have the best tribe out there, I truly mean it! I hear my phone buzz every few minutes and there is like this innate urge to want to respond and connect with every single message in that exact moment. But in my current workspace, 9/10 times that’s just not possible, UGH! This legit eats at me throughout the day. Ever since I was young, I’ve been notorious for “socializing” too much and like, not responding to my peeps in those moments, makes me feel just gross, HA!

During the few free moments I have while in the office, AKA water breaks, restroom breaks, etc. I’m like a ninja. It’s almost a game of mine, at this point. How many messages can I get to in the 1 minute walk to the restroom? How many comments can I respond to while sitting down on the toilet? How many emails can I sort through while buying food for lunch?

Once the work day is over, and after the almost 2 hour commute home, the real work begins.

From 6:30pm-1am is work mode.

BLOGGER-BY NIGHT

There are so many nights, where the work day has physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually depleted my energies. Some nights, all I want to do is Netflix & Chill with my little family or legit just knock out. But I understand, that is no longer an option. If I want to live out this dream as much as I say I do, I need to put in the work. But again, this is not to say, “time management will be key” but more like, “be prepared to spend every waking hour, grinding towards your dream!”

Once I walk through that door, I change hats and begin the blog grind. Dinner is usually eaten with both my laptop and phone in hand. Many times, if bae and I know we are crunched for time and especially if a post is due at a certain time that evening, dinner is often pushed to the side lines.

I usually schedule out my posts for the week, but this can vary depending on the commute home, brand approvals, etc.

Lets say a post of mine is scheduled for tonight at 8pm. All day, bae and I are sending edits of the photo back and forth. Once, I am home at 6:30, I finally get the chance to truly connect with y’all! In the midst of this, we are sometimes, frantically getting the post ready.

Once the post goes live, I reply to DMs & comments/working on a blog post until usually midnight. From midnight until 1am, I am responding to emails and/or bae and I are planning our next shoot.

In an industry where, lighting and looking glam is everything (well not everything but uber important) shooting after work, post sunset and/or when you look entirely wrecked after a long day, is not really an ideal situation. And this is not to say, many of us don’t find ways to shoot M-F buttttt again, it’s not ideal.

SOME WAYS THAT WE HAVE SHOT DURING THE WEEK:

+ Take note of when your office will be having early closures. Mine usually has one 1x a month so its not common but when they do, I try to schedule one massive shoot before sundown.

+Transition into shooting indoors. Again, the lighting or lack thereof, can be an issue here but I would suggest either purchasing professional lighting equipment for your house or shoot first thing in the AM.  For our recent Valentine’s Day Shoot, we did just this. Since bae and I both work long days, we were  not able to style this shoot until 9PM. We finished setting up at 1AM. 4 hours of ballon blowing, measurements of the roses, taping, light testing, etc. Since it was getting late, we decided to leave everything on the bed, sleep on the couch and shoot before we left for work in the morning. Needless to say, we only slept a few hours in order to get the shot in time! LOL, the full time struggs!

So again, it is doable but if you are a full-timer, weekends will mean everything!

WEEKENDS

I usually work every Saturday so yet again, my weekends are limited… but I try to schedule my shoots for the weekend on Friday evening. Depending on how many collabs I have to shoot, I either split my outfits between the two days or solely shoot them all on one. I try my best to give myself one full day of “rest” but working Saturdays, kind of eliminates that option. Sundays are usually the day, we wake up early, location scout, shoot, edit, and post in the evening. And the process begins again for the week.

LEARNING WHEN TO SAY NO AND REST

UGH! So although, the hustle is real! So is fatigue and burnout! I’m really the last person who should be giving advice about this but I am here to tell y’all that I’ve FELTTTT the repercussions of not properly doing this. It can actually be really scary, how quickly your body and mental health can deteriorate. I see it like this; if you are constantly “producing” and “creating” you are pouring a bit of yourself each and every time. But if you are not watering the pot, nourishing it with Vitamin Sleep, soon enough, it’ll leave you dry. Dry of creativity, motivation, etc etc. We are NOT machines that just “do,” we are physical beings that require regeneration. And I, along with many others, associate rest with unproductiveness, especially when we have a lot on our plate, but this is the biggest fallacy. When I actually force myself to stay home and rest, (yes I say force) I legit feel lighter. I feel refreshed. And just inspired AF. So rest thy body, sis!

__

So, do I have this bullet point list on what you can do to juggle both? NOPE. Because it will vary on a case by case basis. And I’m still trying to figure it out. SOME WILL HAVE IT EASIER THAN OTHERS! SO DON’T GET WRAPPED UP IN THE COMPARISON GAME. Your productivity does not determine your worth! And for a long time, this “balance” may not be ideal, hell, there might not even be real balance at all…but I’d like to think, this is a work in progress. What I can say is that, though, this will take so much sacrifice, if you give this every single thing you have, it WILL all be worth it! I just know it! So, whatever it is that you’re in pursuit of, manifest that sh*t every single day and watch it unfold! OKURRR.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Baring my Soul on Social Media Encouraged me to Seek Help

As we all know, social media has the ability to highlight only the good in life. Often times we look up to our fave influencers and fellow bloggers and ask, “how is their life so seemingly perfect?” Well, obviously, the answer is: it’s not; just people are selective with what they share. Even before taking social media seriously, I’ve always tended to be an oversharer with the friends who followed me; the good, the bad, and the ugly.

But this year, as I noticed my following beginning to grow, I made that same vow with my new followers. And as I remained transparent, I think I was able to build trust within the community I was striving to grow. As time went on, I noticed an increasing amount of messages re life struggles: anything from work, to relationships, social media, confidence, mental health etc. I’m talking anywhere from 15 messages to 125 a day! With every response, I try to use my own experiences as reference. But as the inquiries rolled in, the more they made me evaluate my own life.

The past two months, have felt really heavy for me. Nothing in my life was really making sense. So many random injuries, health issues, career concerns, and just what seemed like an endless laundry list of unfortunate events came at me all at once. I felt completely lost and as though everything was spiring out of my control. I did not feel optimal anymore. I was down and out, y’all! So, with everything going on, I was presented the opportunity of mindfulness classes aka a form of therapy. I was told that with the heavy demands of the 9-5, my social media, my family, and just the usual adulting responsibilities, I had not made myself a priority anymore.

And let me tell y’all, I was conflicted. One side of me, thought, “Ugh, I don’t have the energy to set aside for this.” And the other side, had a self-realization. In order for me to be truly authentic to myself and thus my followers, I had to hit the pause button and really dive deep into the chaos. I had to love myself enough by taking that time to explore all of these new emotions and most importantly, care after my mental health. For so long, I was doing and not sitting still to simply be. I felt like a machine conditioned to just produce, yet I did not take the time to check in with myself, especially among the uncertainty.

These classes have been SUCH a blessing. I was able to really tap into myself: my thoughts, my feelings, my actions, and learn little by little how to live in my breath, live in the moment, vs tackling of all the issues presented at once. I went in as a ball of anxiety, but I truly feel things have come full circle for me and I’ve found clarity in a sense. I also learned how to successfully meditate and relax my body, which is HUGE for me! And the most rewarding thing of it all is that these classes gave me courage to speak up on my truth and encourage others to get the extra TLC they need!

So in short, through connecting with so many of y’all and giving daily advice, I realized I was not practicing what I was preaching. Homegirl, was given a reality check! I was sharing my struggles, but not doing much about them! So, in order for me to be this “authentic” voice on social media, I had to be honest with myself in that ya girl, needed some extra loving! And remember, in order for you to be a voice for others, you must be that voice for yourself! There ain’t nothing wrong in asking for help or dedicating more time for yourself, okurrrt!

I leave y’all with these two quotes:

“I am allowed to be BOTH a work in progress AND help others grow at the same time”

& my fave….

“If you have time to feel like sh*t, complain and check social media, then you have time to meditate, write in your journal, create a list of goals, make a list of things you are grateful for and better yourself” !!! AMEN, hallelujerrr.  XO

Q & A – Instagram Edition

Hi guys! Long time no talk, ha! So, I’ve compiled a list of my most asked questions as of recently from my IG and thought I’d answer em’ in an easy read blog post!

1. Q: How do you plan a curated feed?
   • A: I use the app called, “UNUM” It gives you a look of what your feed currently looks like plus a preview of what it would all look like with whatever photo you’re looking to upload next. Plus, I edit all of my photos with the same style of editing on Adobe Lightroom.
2. Q: What are you hoping to achieve with your personal brand?
   • A: For right now, I hope to create beautiful photos that tell a story. I hope to continue to inspire women to be their bad ass, fierce, confident selves, but also to come together to create the better good in society. Whether that be, helping a stranger in need, speaking up on issues that are important, and/or not being afraid to put you and your mental health first! As I grow with my audience, I hope to create presets and possibly workshops/meet-ups for aspiring bloggers.
3. Q: Do you ever get body shamed? If so, what do you do to forget the haters?
   • A: Not really in my adult life, but growing up, I would get dumped on for how my body looked! I was called, “cottage cheese legs”, “wide-load”, “corn-bred fed” throughout my time in school. It happened so frequently that I had a talk with my parents. They advised me that in this life, we are giving one body and we have the choice of loving or hating it. Through my practice with self-love, I realized these people were the problem and not my body! I felt empowered knowing this and am very comfortable in my own skin, today! However, just recently I received a comment on IG from another blogger that read, “You are the most beautiful big-skinny girl, I’ve ever seen!!” Now, part of me, was like, whoa! Although, maybe a compliment?? – it came off as icky. But at the end of the day, no matter what people intentionally or unintentionally say, you are the only person living in your body so might as well love it!
4. Q: Do you connect IRL with many creatives? If so, how do you find them?
   • A: Yes, I actually have! In fact, I’ve made really strong friendships with a number of them! About 6 months ago, I mustered up the courage to host a meet up with some babes I know solely through IG. It went so well that now we talk everyday and are meeting up again this weekend, actually! Since then, I’ve met up AND collaborated with so many others and I think the most useful tool in doing this is your DMs! I heard a podcast that said, “Your DM portal is your magic potion!” You can literally create such strong connections  every single day with complete strangers by simply reaching out and complimenting someone’s feed, recent post, outfit, whatever it may be!
5. Q: What inspires you to create?
   • A: For me, I get inspired by so so much! I’ve always been more of a visual learner and in my adult life, aesthetics really draw me in. I feel a mood whenever I see something that captures my attention. And this tingly- weird awe-inspired feeling is something I try to bring to my own content. I want to tell a story of some sorts: I want to make the seemingly ordinary look extraordinary, lighting up whatever random corner I’m shooting at. Most importantly, I don’t just want people to look at my content, I want them to FEEL something after looking away.
6.  Q: Tips on posing and shooting locations?!
   • A: I try my best to scout locations ahead of time. Whether that means: I take a mental note of a cute area I see on my way home from work, or visiting a popular tourist site, or even hashtagging my city and going through recent posts of other IG users to get location inspo. However, there are other times that we just wing it, pick a random neighborhood, and drive around and around until somewhere speaks out to us. As for posing, I try to stand tall and confident in whatever movement I make. I like to go for more action motions such as: walking, arms swaying, dress in the wind, that sort of stuff. But do whatever feels most comfortable for you! If you are a hand on the hip, head tilted a bit, cheesy smile gal- you do the damn thang, boo!
7. Q: Do you plan your outfits for the location?
   • A: Typically, yes! Like I said, I like to set a mood. So if I am doing a shoot with plants, I will go for animal print or something that is in the same palette. Also, I think you should go based off of your feed! If your tones are more warm like mine, I like to stick to neutral colored items but if its more cooler, than maybe whites, tans, black. Or I’ve seen some really colorful feeds, so likely brighter pieces will fit better. But the great thing about creating is that you can take a completely diff spin on what you’re comfortable wearing and switch it up every now and again!
8. Q: How do you stay consistent with posting content?
   • A: This is actually a very complex question for me. I used to post on IG, 4 times a week, no matter what! I was on turbo mode and made sure shooting was of top priority. It wasn’t until I sprained my ankle when the universe sent me the unfriendly reminder that it will not always work alongside your preferred schedule. I legit could not walk for almost 2.5 weeks. I was miserable! I felt as though someone was suffocating my creativity and just sitting at home made me feel as though I was not bringing value to the world. I even tried to force myself to shoot, crying in pain on the way to our location, yet smizing for the shot, but what that actually did was exacerbate the injury and leave me with a photo where I looked pained. But as time passed, I accepted what was. But I was nervous, tbh! On this platform, you’re expected to create to remain “relevant” as sad as that sounds but more so, there are so many people looking forward to your content. I decided to be transparent with my followers and made it known the content would be slowed down for a while. Personally, I know of a lot of people who share “filler photos” or throwbacks consistently but I wanted to be true to my situation and honestly listen to my faith and the universe that maybe…just maybe I needed to slow down. Now that I’m finally healed (from my ankle, HA) life has given me a bit of a window to create more content again, so I do what I can for now. I try to make shooting a priority but I realize life will get in the way sometimes and we have to take care of our health first and everything else second.

 

So if you’re still reading this, you da real MVP! I’m such a chismosa and LOVE reading Q&A’s so hopefully this brought some insight into who I am and most importantly, has been helpful in any way to other aspiring bloggers or influencers. XOxo

Personal Growth > Social Media Growth

The number one question I receive on social media is : “How do you suggest I best grow my following?” And there is not one simple answer to this. For me, It’s actually taken a lot of PERSONAL growth to even see a dent in my social media growth.

As many of y’all know, blogging and maintaining a social media presence…is basically a full-time job. We are expected to create quality content time and time again, which I LOVE! BUT! We all know the occasional struggle of when we pour our heart into a post, yet it does not do as well as we thought it would! It can be really, really, really discouraging at times. But then theres the other side of that too! When my content compels people to reach out to me, it is in those moments where I feel the most fulfilled. It’s like “whoa, I’m actually making some sort of impact here!” So all this to say, this industry can be an emotional rollercoaster!

And of course, as an individual trying to navigate my way through this space, my own  psyche is affected by it all. I’ve had to learn or am still learning how to be inspired by others’ content rather than intimated. I’ve had to learn how to be vulnerable with all of my followers, rather than just showing the surface level of who I am. I’ve had to shake off and/or learn from any negative comments or criticism I get on posts. And most importantly, I’ve had to gain the patience and understanding that this journey of becoming an “influencer” TAKES TIME! And the most important part of the journey (at least for me) is learning how to accept and grow as a person from all of the ebbs and flows that come our way. Back in February, right before I started to take this platform seriously, I was still very weary and unsure of my content. The numbers meant everything to me and I was heartbroken when they were not up to par. I would compare my humble ass beginnings to one of an influencer with millions of followers! But thank God as time has past, I’ve grown so much as a person and hence, that wisdom and maturity has poured over into my creative realm.

I think the most common sentiment I receive from people asking this question, is discouragement. “Why is my account not growing?! UGHH!” That question alone has the ability to make you second guess yourself and even your potential of making it on this platform. But what has helped me is shifting that question of “how do I grow my followers?” to “what do I need to do to grow as a person so that my content reflects that?”

As an example, I share with y’all these two photos.

The bottom was a girl who was shy and thus a bit uncomfortable with her photographer. I was self-conscious of what the people around me were thinking and you can see that in my pose!

Over time, I worked through those personal flaws. You now see (in the featured photo) a confident, DFAG gal, living her best posing life. Of course there was a line of people staring at me, but oh well! In addition, you also see the strong connection and trust, I’ve built with my photographer. My personal growth blossomed and in turn, so did my creative juices.

Sooooo, if we only shift our thinking and look inwards for growth, that growth can be multiplied in our content and reach so many more people than even imagined!

I found this quote online and thought it was pretty magical:

“Dream big, develop yourself, unleash your potential, play well with others, play to your strengths, enjoy the process, share your unique gifts with the world, and grow your greatness by testing yourself, expanding yourself, learning and improving.” – Unknown

Owning Who You Are

So, aside from this topic being close to my heart, I’ve also gotten several requests to expand on this on the blog! So, yay!

If you know me well, you’d know that I’m really unapologetically me. And although this has gotten me in soo much trouble in my life (LOL ugh), I feel blessed to have accepted and loved myself from a really young age. I mean, after alllll, we spend more time with ourselves than we ever will spend with anyone else in life.

Owning who you are is a complex matter. There is our inner and outer self. Do our inner and outer selves align? This is a huge question. Your inner self pertains to your values, personality, thoughts, etc. Where as your outer self is what we present to the world; this can include our physical appearance as well.

To me, having a strong inner self is reflected through self-awareness, knowing what you want in this life, being mindful of your feelings, and having clarity in handling them. I think a strong sense of outer self is having the ability to act in ways that avoid putting up a facade for others- aka behaving in ways that differ from what you ultimately feel on the inside. *Aligning both inner and outer self is important because I think this is where our personal happiness meets. *

Okay, so now I’d like to dive a bit deeper. Let’s backtrack to 5th grade. This year was possibly one of the biggest turning points in my life. On this particular day, my parents gave me the two options that forever changed me. Okay, so earlier that day during “weigh-ins,” my P.E. teacher was going around the circle giving everyone their weight for reference. When he got to me, he whispered my weight into my ear, and I instantly became the laughing stock of the class. But in that moment, I wasn’t nearly as embarrassed as you would think. I was actually annoyed at my teacher for attempting to exclude me from the general group practice rather than the kids making fun of me. I mean, I knew I had newly developed hips, but I wasn’t an at-risk overweight youth. So anywayyy. When I got home I remember asking my parents, “why do I look so different than all of the other girls in school?” And my parents then presented me with two options. “Well, Jasmin, you could either embrace your body and all that you are or embrace your body and all that you are. Which one will it be?” And I’m pretty sure that conversation molded my confidence and self acceptance going forward.

As the years past, I kept that conversation close to my heart. And from that young age, I did an inventory check of myself. Who was I? At the time, I gathered that I was stubborn, loud, fiercely passionate, sassy (aka extra), independent kid. And honestly not much has changed. Anyway, I attended three different middle schools. Now I would hate to use the word “bullied” (as I always stood up for myself) but lets just say, some days were torture!! I was picked apart because of my appearance, my extra ass personality, and everything in between. There were even days that I would eat lunch alone-but honestly, that didn’t bother me much; my lonely ass would happily eat my food in peace. But the thing I noticed about these people, is that they were bothered that I wasn’t cracking. Of course there were one or two times that I felt overwhelmed, but I had to remind myself about that 5th grade conversation. If I did not accept, own, and defend who I really was, then I’d be leaving room for other’s to make that decision for me. I truly believe if you are secure in who you are, no rumor, no shitty person, no event will shake you!

And I know some people may say that being secure in your own skin is much easier said than done, but I say that is the only choice you have. You can either own who you are or own who you are! There is no other option!

Believe me when I say, I’ve gotten into a lot of sh*t because of who I am (eeek) but at the end of the day, I know that my inner and outer self (for the most part) align…and hell, I know I’m a bad ass. Don’t allow comparison, shitty people, or doubt hinder your ability to own and love who you are!

If you are struggling with self acceptance, I’d advise to re-frame the ways in which you speak to yourself. Possibly list down the pros and cons of who you are, ask yourself if your actions and presentation to others mirrors what you really feel on the inside, and remember that you have to live with yourself for the rest of your life, so might as well love (clap) thy (clap) self (clap) !! Xo

How to Stay Positive During an Injury

As many of y’all know, I sprained my ankle this week 😦 The sprain is considered a grade III sprain, so ya girl has not been able to walk in like a week! The injury stemmed from bad form at the gym and it has been such a struggleee! Watching your time and weekly goals slip through your fingers can cause even the most resilient of us to spiral into frustration.

Today is day 6 in bed but its felt like an ETERNITY, FAM!! The first word that came to mind, (aside from all the curse words) was, “inconvenience.” Not only am I sidelined from the gym and my 9-5, but most importantly I am disabled from going out and shooting some new content!

On the onset of the injury, I still forced myself to go out and shoot, but joke was on me, because I woke up the next day extremely swollen and in agonizing pain! Panic & anger overcame me! As a creative, not being able to do what you identify the most with is always frustrating! As much as the physical pain hurts, the inability to create, feels even that much more painful! I had so many scheduled shoots, location ideas and collabs that needed to be executed. UGHH!

And even though, I am not even half way healed, heck, I still can’t even walk on the damn foot, I’ve come to finally accept what cards I’ve been dealt.

So as everything does happen for a reason, what is the light of the end of this tunnel?

This is the question, I had been asking myself for the past couple of days.

So here are my 5 reasons, an injury can actually be beneficial to your life and well-being.

1. Grow a new appreciation for your body 
   • I mean why did I ever complain before? Haha! In all seriousness, the human body is so magical and now more than ever, I see how ungrateful I was for all that I could do with it.  I miss my normally functioning legs, y’all!! These crutches have not been kind to me 😦
2. Mastering your perspective on shitty situations 
   • As much as I’d like to sulk around all day, I’ve tried my best to shake off all of the negative energies and focus on the progress I’ve been making!
     • Day 6 and I am now able to wiggle my toes!! YAS!
   • Instead of wondering, “what if I get worse?” I am saying positive affirmations aloud! E.g: “I will get better everyday!”
3. Plot your comeback
   • THIS! THIS! THIS! As bummed out as I was, I have planned out the exact content I will be creating! Scratch what I had in mind before, I will be pushing the boundaries on my new stuff & let me tell you, it’ll be f*cking dope!
   • Part of me sees this as a blessing because before, yes, I had a vision in mind but now I’m yearning for something even greater.
4. Trust the process
   • UGH, this can be so hard! I am one of the most impatient people I know! I hate when things don’t go as planned so trusting in the chaos is for sure easier said than done! And to be honest, all I want to do to get back out there and shoot if even for 20 mins a day! But as I learned, that’ll only bite me in the ass!
   • So in order for me to embrace what is happening, I have to trust in the unknown. Of course it’s scary, but hey, the unknown has it’s own way of working, and most of the time, for the best!
   • I know this may sound crazy, but I try to think what could have happened to me, if this injury did not occur. How about if I was shooting on a street, and a car missed the stopped sign and hit me? Or how about if I was biting off more than I could chew and had a breakdown? I know these are extreme, but maybe just maybe this injury prevented those situations from occurring!!

 

*I hope this read is helpful for anyone who is in the same predicament! My biggest take from all of this is to be kind to yourself, hard I know, but we will get through this! Xo 

 

For Those Of Us Missing A Dad On Father’s Day

Hey, guys! With Father’s Day approaching, I thought it was fitting to share this piece. I know, just as you do, that there are no words that can truly fill this void. Maybe like me, you’ve lost your dad to death, or maybe you have never known your father to begin with, or just maybe you have a severed relationship with him. Whatever the reason this holiday affects you – I’m right there with ya. And believe it or not, so are many others! Although this day is just like any other day that will come and go, that doesn’t mean that it won’t sting any less.

There has not been one day in the past year and a half where I am not reminded of my dad. But this particular holiday (at least for me) has the ability to creep up on you. Last year, I woke up treating the day as I would any other Sunday… I felt fine, just scrolling along, laughing at memes, watching my shows, double tapping on friends photos with their Dads. As I had already told myself not to put too much value on this holiday because after all, when the day ends, I’d still feel the void. So, all was well….until it wasn’t.

Between the calendar notifications, Groupon emails, TV ads, Facebook reminders, and of course Instagram showing you your inability to take a new photo (or Boomerang) with him…it all can leave you with overwhelming sadness. By the end of the evening, I just broke down. And you begin to think, “how lucky are these people out and about celebrating with their Dad’s?” Ugh, well, almost one year later and it all still stings the same. When it comes to accepting such a massive loss in your life, it is hard to say that time heals all.

But as for this weekend, I am going to (try to) surround myself with all that I do have in my life. As a way of avoiding all of the social media posts, I have decided to refrain from using social media to the extent that I usually do and instead celebrate the happy memories.

But this day will suck, there is really no way of sugar coating that.

But I feel your pain, y’alll!!! I really, really do!

And if you’re fortunate enough to hug your dad this Father’s Day, cherish those moments…

Because life is short and one day something as simple as a “Celebrate with Dad this weekend,” TV ad, might have the ability to hit you in the feels.

Happy Father’s Day, Daddy! Missing you forever & always ❤ 

 

How to Feel Inspired When You’ve Lost Motivation

Heller, friends, Happy Thursday! I find it well suited to touch on this topic as it is one that has been so powerful in my life. Ever since I launched this blog, I’ve felt my creative juices flowing more than ever! There are days where I’ve had so many ideas for shoots and/or blog posts that I’m just like, “whoa, this is pretty bad ass”. But on the contrary, I’ve met days where literally nothing comes to mind and all inspo is lost. This feeling of being stuck is entirely frustrating because I know what I’ve been capable of creating. But its almost as if my own psyche gets in the way. This being said, I wanted to share my tips in how to feel inspired, when all motivation is lost.

1. Channel your energy within
   • For me at least, my mind is always in a million places at once! During breakfast, I’m already thinking about what to make for dinner. If I am stressed at work, I’m thinking ahead to all that still needs to be done before the end of the week. If yet another stupid decision is made by our government, I’m already thinking of its’ repercussions. All this to say, my mind can be so hyperactive sometimes, which leaves my energies are all over the place. And when you try adding content curation to the mix, it’s obvious that the creative energies are either shot or not of quality.
   • It is in these moments where I have to acknowledge both the chaos internally and externally and simply focus within; freeing my mind of worries and opening space for the creative juices to flow in and out. You know, be in the moment!
2. Take a Break
   • Due to the heavy demands of our day to day, by the time we sit down with the intent to create, often times we are just too exhausted to do so; creative block.  As much as I love to be productive, there are some days when, it just won’t happen. I’ve had weeks where I’ve tried to jam pack my day and almost force some sort of content to come out, but all I was doing was leaving myself discouraged. Once I accepted that I needed to just rest and pick it up another day, I then allowed myself the time to gain inspiration.
3. Venture to a New Location
   • My room is usually my work space. A place where I am relaxed and clear minded. However, there are days where I don’t exactly feel inspired in such a familiar/quiet space. The best way to break this, is to step outside of your comfort zone and head to a new location. Whether that be a local coffee shop, nearby park, beach, museum, etc. You will be introduced to new stimuli and hopefully new inspo.
4. Keep Your Head Up
   • Its easy to feel discouraged when you dedicate so much time into your content and it does not get the feedback you were expecting. I am so guilty of this. There was one time in particular where my stats were so low that I thought, “ugh maybe people are getting tired of my content” and I literally laid there, felt defeated, and could not sleep. Instead of allowing this to propel me to work harder for the next one, I allowed those numbers to crush my spirit. For following day, I had 0 motivation to work. By the end of the day, I just had to remind myself that not all content will be received in the same way. This being said, I had to shake it off and keep on going! I legit had to inspire AKA talk some sense into myself, through positive affirmations…
   • For example: “Gurrrrl, look at all of the content you have put out lately, you’re a bad ass B- Keep it up!”
5. Turn to Creative Outlets
   • Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, and Moodboards- are all great outlets for inspo. If I have an idea of a location, but am not sure what props, outfits, aesthetic I’m trying to achieve, I will look up related posts, narrow down my options, and of course put my own spin on it.
   • But this can be dangerous at times. I think at some point or another, we have alllll compared our work to those we find already published. If we think too much about it, we can start to doubt our own work. So in short, focus on finding the inspiration you were looking for vs comparing their content/success to your current state of work. I have to remind myself, that there is room for everyone as we each bring something different to the creative table.

 

In short (not really, lol) I hope that these tips are helpful in times of need! Xoxo