The Outfit:
*contains affiliate links*
Tee: My Kind of Lovely c/o, Denim: J Crew (hands down the best white jeans!), Sneakers: Converse (these run on the larger side, size down), Bag: Vera Bradley c/o, Earrings: Charming Charlie c/o, Tumbler: My Kind of Lovely c/o, Sunglasses: Asos (obsessed! under $20!)
Happy Humpday Ya’ll! So excited to be back at it and sharing some of the amazing content I captured in Chicago and talk about my best friends in the blogging community. Seriously… my new favorite city. I mean it. I texted Luke probably a 100 times while I was there saying “Oh my gosh, when can we move?”. I LOVE CHICAGO.
Why? First of all, it’s clean! Major thing for me. I love NYC, but goodness is it dirty! I can’t stand that. Another thing? The people in Chicago are legit the best! I loved that people were nice enough to help you out, but not all in your business either. I’m a total only child in that I NEED/MUST HAVE my space. Finally, traffic is so much better in Chicago than every other city I’ve visited. Honestly, Nashville traffic is 10x worse. I’m in love… and because of that I’m now trying to figure out how in the world I can move there. It’s my #1 goal now.
Why You Need Friends in The Blogging Community
Today I want to partly recap my trip/TBScon, but also to kind of let you in on my life and some behind the scenes in this crazy blogging community. Leaving TBScon (The Blog Societies Conference) I felt so crazy inspired and re-fueled in so many ways. Being around other girls who go through the same things you do is so crazy important. Imagine being in college, but having no college friends. Make sense? How awful would it be to have no one to bounce ideas off of, vent to, or collaborate with? Remember that friend who would take notes for you if you had to miss a class? That’s really how I think of my friends in the blogging community. They’re my lifeline in so many ways, but they can be hard to find.
How to Find Your Tribe in The Blogging Community:
Funny story. When I first started blogging there were legit NO bloggers near me. My first year I spent totally alone, had NO clue what I was doing, and had no one to bounce ideas off of. The only girls I knew weren’t really approachable and lived far away from me. One day, I stumbled open another East Tennessee blogger. Little did I know how many friends we had in common (turns out we had A LOT) and I was terrified to reach out to her.
I was still learning my way around things and thought she would think I was a total weirdo. She was part The Southern Blog Societies ( Now nationally known as The Blog Societies), and applied to join thinking that would be a great way to connect. When I found out I was accepted and realized they had a conference in Atlanta, I knew I had to go. Girl needed some like-minded ladies in her life. So then, I finally reached out. It felt like dating again. “Hi my name is ____, let’s be friends.” Awkward right? (Hey to my Katie @pearlsandtwirls, you’re the best!)
(Here’s a re-cap of that experience)
It turns out it was anything but awkward. That one step in reaching out in the blogging community made me my first blog friend. That blog friend turned into several… and now I have a TON of friends in this community. If I didn’t have them, I would have already quit. Seriously, I would have you guys. It’s lonely sometimes creating content on your own and sitting behind a screen. They are a necessity.
Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe:
TRUTH! Who you surround yourself with affects EVERYTHING! Being around negative bloggers who only gripe about their issues will make blogging a negative experience. (i.e. people who only sit around and gripe about instagram all day… whew don’t even get met started on that one!). I find that when I only keep the girls around me who are authentic, inspirational, and kind I always feel better and am more successful. I create more content, I feel better about what I’m putting out, and I always grow more during those times!
I can’t stress enough about keeping the right group of people in your circle and weeding out the rest. Most of all, like-minded people who really want you to do and be your best are always the best to have around. Keep that as your focus and you’re golden.
How My Blogger Friends Support me and Vice-Versa:
If I have a question about WordPress, an affiliate program, instagram… whatever, I can always count on my blogging friends. I also love to do the same for them. You have to bring something to the table too! Don’t mooch off your friends. They will support you, but no one likes a leech. Those people will literally wipe you out and leave you feeling like a wet dog left out in the rain. No bueno.
If you have an event, they will always show up… they will be active on your social channels. They want to help you, and don’t do it to gain anything for themselves.
Let it happen, It Will Happen:
You can often find friends without even trying. Find someone on instagram that you love? Comment on their posts and DM them. Just get to know them. Don’t hop right into pitching yourself. I found an amazing blogger friend this way and actually got to meet her at BlogHer! Lindsey is all the way from New Mexico and I had no idea she would be at the conference. When she geo-tagged something in Nashville I DM’d her saying I loved her feed and thinking she was from Tennessee. We connected at BlogHer when I saw her in one of the break-outs and put 2/2 together. She is the nicest person and we now talk regularly. Your tribe doesn’t have to be in your city and you don’t have to try too hard to make your friends. Things will fall into place if you just put yourself out there.
How Have you Made Your Friends?
I would absolutely love to hear your stories. Even if you aren’t a blogger, post-grad friendships are hard. We often lose touch with our closest group and end up feeling lost. I’ve been there, I get it! Tell me about it in the comments!!!
Thank you for hanging in there with me the last couple weeks. I’ve been having some health issues the last few months that have gotten progressively worse and due to that I’ve needed a LOT of rest. Before leaving for TBScon I had gotten so sick that I was legit throwing up all the time from tension headaches and in a lot of pain. I’m hoping to get some answers on what is going on soon, but I honestly haven’t had a lot in me and just needed to breathe for a bit. Taking breaks in blogging is hard. It definitely cuts into revenue, but you have to put health first… so that’s what I have been doing! I’m hoping to get back to a regular schedule next week! Keep up the messages, comments, and emails! They really help!
Major Shoutout to my Best Blogger Babes, I couldn’t do this without you!
Katie, Victoria, Lindsey, Annie, Tristan, Alicia, Greta, Stephanie, Molly, Erica + way too many to even list here! (I have a million more I could name!)
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