Link Up: What we're reading, watching & lovin' for Sept 18

Your weekend reading material right here: Lauren Conrad, total boss; the anti-it bag it-bag; an eight-year-old journalist, tech bubbles, an elegant way to schedule Instagram (finally!) and more.

Is this 8-year-old's newspaper better than yours?: Talk about a girlboss.

Is Silicon Valley in another tech bubble?: From unicorns to unicorpse...

Mansur Gavriel's first NYFW presentation rolls out more covetable goodies.

The world through rose colored filters: How Lauren Conrad went from MTV reality princess to social style queen.

Mindy Kaling has a perfectly reasonable request.

Ryan Adam's covers Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" with a full album of 1989 covers on the way.

Meet the Magic Castle's only female magician. Aka, your new favorite badass.

An elegant way to schedule Instagram. #GENIUS

An artist, some muppets, an astronaut and a foodie: Meet the newest Livestreaming stars every brand should know about.

And it even rained in LA.

Let's Talk Livestreaming: Periscope, Fashion & the Social Content Shift

Marc Jacobs on Periscope for Resort 2016 (Via Forbes.)

Spring of 2015 now goes down in tech history as the advent of “lifestreaming,” or livestreaming daily activity through mobile devices. Meerkat launched in February, and as the official app of SXSW Interactive, quickly became the new social magnet, attracting brands, digital strategists, and early adopters alike. A few weeks later, in March, new-to-market Periscope was dominating downloads. The one-year-old startup, which was purchased in January by Twitter in an effort to fight its decline in user acquisition, became the biggest competitor to Meerkat overnight.

Lifestreaming: engaging, honest, weird and the future of fashion.

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Since then, the two live streaming apps have been competing for a very similar user base. Product nuances aside, the rise of live streaming apps like Periscope and Meerkat present unique opportunities for brand integration, influencer access, and social media campaigns. Each platform allows users to create a profile and livestream whatever they want—whether it’s a monologue, a brainstorm, a band practice, or a cultural outing. Pardon the pun, but the possibilities are virtually endless. People watching the broadcast with the app are able to engage in real time: commenting on live broadcasts, asking questions, and liking the content itself. You can replay broadcasts for up to 24-hours and you can see how many people watched your “lifestream.” It’s engaging and honest and weird—all of the things you’d expect from an app that promotes such an intimate user experience.

With help from Twitter, it would appear Periscope is leading the app pack in both downloads and usage. According to Forbes, Periscope currently sees 40 years of content viewed on it everyday, with fashion reportedly one of the most popular subjects. While consumer fashion brands like Target have used Persicope to educate shoppers about its collaboration with Lilly Pulitzer, all eyes are currently on the access livestreaming provides to fashion’s most elite events. Enter NYFW.

As the fashion world and street style aficionados sprawled across the city this past week, the rest of world enjoyed unprecedented access to the bi-annual event that used to be exclusive to the fashion hierarchy. Editors and bloggers are streaming their experiences from various runway shows, while Twitter refers to the Periscope Fashion Week Phenomenon as #FashionUnfiltered. Marc Jacobs famously used the app to showcase his resort 2016 collection complete with a live Q+A post-show in June, and now, for the first time ever, the platform is partnering with Ralph Lauren to livestream the show to the platform’s 10 million users. This is a shameless (and unsolicited plug!) to tune in for the Ralph Lauren show on September 17th at 10am EDT. This is a fashion first, and will surely prompt more creative hacks for the fashion industry to provide consumer access.

Carly Rae Jepsen In Bed With Refinery 29

Livestreaming isn’t a new concept, but making it mobile-friendly provides an unprecedented and global accessibility to major events. NYFW is only one example of how livestreaming apps, and the “lifestreaming” social trend, will shape the future of social sharing and the definition of “behind the scenes.” Editorial platforms like Refinery29 have launched dedicated Periscope shows (“In Bed with R29!”), while prominent food bloggers like @MyHealthyDish_ are leading cooking tutorials. It’s the wild west of video, and anyone with a smartphone can saddle up.

Dana Kelly is a content strategist by trade and subscribes to the notion that life, lifestyle, and the left coast are what matter most. The California native spends most of her days at Mistress, and has a deep love for words, wine, and great in-flight entertainment.

Listen Up: 5 of Our Favorite Podcasts

The last few days here in Los Angeles have been super hot. The kind of hot that makes even the smallest task seem complicated, sweaty and entirely un-doable. We've been passing the time by cracking non-stop cans of Lacroix, sitting in front of a cranked-to-the-max AC and listening to podcasts. Here, five favorites that are helping us keep our cool.

99 Percent Invisible

Based out of Oakland, 99 Percent Invisible was created and is hosted by Roman Mars, a radio veteran with an impossibly cool name. Ostensibly, design is the thread that runs through each episode, but the topics are far-flung and anchored around interesting stories, complex personalities and objects you might be familiar with, but have never really thought about. 

Favorite episodes: The Mystery House, Palm Reading, PDX Carpet

Reply-All

A podcast about something near and dear to our hearts: the internet. Dun-dun-duh! But rather than only discussing trends and technological advances, Reply-All looks at how people use the internet and unearths often hilarious, often heartbreaking stories, about how the internet permeates our lives. 

Favorite episodes: Craigslist, Jennicam Revisited, The Man Who Refused to Email

Millennial

As the title suggests, this podcast is about being in your '20s and all the good—and bad—times that come with it. Host Megan Tan recants her millennial struggles in real time, and whether she's listening to Jay-Z to hype herself up while applying to jobs or laying bare the truth that going after your dreams isn't always sexy, the show is nonstop 'I've been there' moments.

Favorite Episodes: Brunchies, Nothing To Lose

Rerun

Though it's only three episodes old, Rerun has the potential to become one of our go-tos, as it's a cannonball into the nostalgia pool. In each episode, Buzzfeed Executive Editor Doree Shafrir taps a special guest to rehash and discuss a special episode of a classic (think classically trashy or classically nostalgic) television show. So far, they're batting 1000 with Freaks and Geeks (co-hosted by Tavi Gevinson, no less), Daria and America's Next Top Model. 

Call Your Girlfriend

Billed as "a podcast for long distances besties everywhere," Call Your Girlfriend is girl talk of the highest order. You want reviews about period underwear? They've got it! What if you don't care about underwear, but really want a review of the Taylor Swift tour? Well, they've got that too. Hosted by two of our favorite ladies on the internet, Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow, this is like chatting it up with your BFFs—who just happen to know everything.

Favorite episodes: Appropriate Emoji, Comfortably Chic,

Did we miss any that you love? We want to know! Let us know what you've been listening to in the comments below and we'll check 'em out. 

Do It For The Gram: Tips For The Best Instagram Feed

The Creative Class

For a lot of us, Instagram can be our weapon of choice when it comes to dominating the social media game. Unlike Twitter and Facebook, it is one of the social media channels where you can express yourself or your brand creatively and really put best foot forward when it comes to building a great aesthetic. 

To gather a bit of inspiration, we end up following some amazing Instagrammers in hopes of following their creative footsteps, but how do some brands and Instagrammers maintain some of the freshest looking feeds that you can scroll through forever? We've taken some notes from some of our favorite Instagrammers, and took note at what really makes a perfectly-produced Instagram.

Choose Your Floor

@jaclynrjohnson

@airbnb

@rosaalyn_

This is your foundation and your destination. Where do you want to be in your post? A minimalistic warehouse with concrete floors? A 5 star hotel bathroom with marble counters? A coffee shop with beautiful blue tile? Keep your eyes peeled on the floor because that can be one of the best assets to your photo when shooting from above.

Add Texture

@feralcreature

@bashpartygoods

Have a variety of textures and fabrics on hand to add dimension - be it fur (or faux-fur) , turkish towels, decorative pillows, lace...the list goes on. For food styling, feel free to scatter a few crumbs around the food to make it feel more natural, and adding some dish towels or utensils helps too! Don't be afraid to get messy!

Lighting Is Key

@takubeats

@jess_hannah

Lighting is by far the most important aspect of your photo. Always shoot your subject near a window, door, or even outside where there is an abundance of natural light. Sometimes, it helps to crawl to the corners of the house below the windows to get the best lit areas. And for the best lighting during the day? Make sure to take advantage of the golden hour before sunset for some of the dreamiest natural lighting. 

Give some props to your props

@daniirey

@bonnietsang

@orionvanessa

Throw in some plants, leaves, gems, magazines, candles, etc.. It always pays to stock up on trendy Instagrammable props to make your feed more beautifully composed. Plus, more props means more stuff to add to an amazing flatlay!

Use your iPhone's focus

By holding your finger down on the screen until a white box appears. Use this to center in on a focal point. Then slide your finger up and down to adjust the exposure (hint - it's easier to correct over exposed photos than underexposed).

Landscape vs. square photo

@jess_hannah

@monicamoraru

If you want your feed to be consistent, make sure to either stick to filling the entire square on your posts, or doing landscape with white borders on the top and bottom. Whatever you choose, make sure it looks thoughtfully planned out and composed, and not like you just threw up a photo on your feed because you had to. (Patterns are key!) However, with Instagram's amazing new update released this week: you can post landscape photos without it ruining your entire feed if you use the entire frame! Huzzah! 

Color Palette

@amy_stone

@vanessacesario_

Some of the best Instagram feeds done an impeccable job at using the same color palatte, and not having any off-theme colors throw off their feed. Sticking to two to three dominant colors on your feed will make your Instagram much more alluring, which will definitely rack in the likes and the follows from people who will be inspired by your feed.

5 Instagrams For Minimalist Inspiration

We may be the firsts to jump at bursts of color and a maximalist approach, but sometimes — especially in a tiny 1x1 Instagram — less can be way more. If you want to know the trick to having a beautifully curated Instagram feed, it's minimalism and a few basic principals of design. A focal point, negative space, and a splash of one or two colors (or no colors at all if that's more your style), with no more than two subjects in your photo, and you're well on your way to more double-taps. 

We've learned this from a few of our favorite 'grammers that display their creativity via carefully composed feeds. If you want to see who to take tips from when adding a little bit more of creative direction to your photos, take some cues from a few of these pros below. Get inspired, Incororating a few elements of design, then mix it in with your own personal style. —PC

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1. Kastor + Pollux

Bianca Venerayan and Dani Roche have made a name for themselves with their particular brand of minimalism, satire, and cheekiness. You may initially hit follow for their amazing design and creative direction, but you definitely stay for the LOLs. Safe to say this Toronto duo is killing it, so if you're not following them already, do yourself a favor. 

2. Tania Debono of The Writing

NYC-based typographer Tania Debono's minimal script is one of the most recognizable on Instagram. She makes you want to pick up that Krink marker and start practicing your own skills. Not only does her feed showcase her amazing lettering, but the entire black and white theme makes for a beautifully cohesive scroll.

3. Chloe Larkin

If you were to look over Chloe Larkin's Instagram feed, you'd might be surprised to learn that this New Zealand blogger is a only 16 years young. But like Aaliyah said: age ain't nothing but a number. Her maturity is reflected in her carefully curated and composed feed (read: perfect flat lays) that gives us inspiration for days.

4. Vanessa Cesario of The Brunette Salad

On the hunt for the perfect black and white minimalist feed? Vanessa Cesario has nailed it. It's hard to find anything that isn't black in white on this monochromatic Instagram, but we're not mad at it. It's like a visual palate cleanser. Check it out for yourself and get ready to fall in love. 

5. AesthetNIK

This is the perfect case study in "less is more." The more negative space in each photo, the more breathing room you create in your overall feed, resulting in a holistic view that looks beautifully composed. That is exactly what Nik has done with his Instagram, making it one of the most refreshing and soothing scrolls.

C+C Link Love Vol. 2

Since we've got approximately one zillion tabs open at any given moment, we thought we'd share a few of the links that are keeping the Create + Cultivate staff in-the-know.

From Rihanna to 10,000 plastic balls, these are the most worthwhile distractions we've been into this week. 

 

Jazzi, Editorial Director

READ Did you know Rihanna cast Sanam aka @trustmedaddy, her badass henchwoman from the BBHMM video, on Instagram!? Read what happens when @badgalriri slides into your DMs.  

WAIT Author Zadie Smith is teaming up with director Claire Denis for a “space adventure” Sci-Fi film and I can. not. wait. 

SIGN UP Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner are launching a newsletter about feminism, politics, friendship, and everything in between. And hell yeah, we signed up. 

Hope, Marketing + Events Coordinator 

LAUGH Watch Daniel Radcliffe fill in as the receptionist at Nylon magazine for an hour... I'm still laughing.

DRINK Any of the recipes over on Smoke & Honey. Rachel Mae Furman is our go-to cocktail guru (and a C+C columnist)! It is 5 o'clock right?

RELAX Install the Calm app and get yourself some zen in 2 minutes or 20! It's a lifesaver!

Linnea, Awesome Intern #1

FOLLOW @lucylaucht on Instagram. I cannot get enough of her feed! It's full of the most beautiful colors and places! Nothing less than you'd expect from the Senior Manager of Social Media at J. Crew.

WATCH Catastrophe, my new favorite TV show. The first season is free and already available for Amazon Prime members. Rob Delaney makes a seamless shift from his absurd Twitter antics to a show that will, no doubt, leave you wanting more.

ADORE Apatow and Dunham. Enough said.

Taryn, Awesome Intern #2

FOLLOW @corinanika. This graphic design wonder has the cutest blog where you can find charming desktop wallpapers that will surely liven up your laptop.

CHECK OUT Co-founders of Snarkitecture, Daniel Arsham and Alex Mustonan, transformed Washington D.C's National Building Museum into a beach with 10,000 plastic balls. So stinkin' cool. Super salty I'm 2,600 miles away.

LISTEN The Bird and the Bee's new album, Recreational Love. Super hipster. Super chill. Not to mention the album cover is totally adorbs.

Honorable Mention

Madewell is having a major sale—40% off sale prices. We indulged.

Making the Most Out of Pinterest

How to Hack Your Presence & Make the Most out of Pinterest 

by Dana Kelly

Just thinking of the word “Pinterest” elicits a mental moodboard of hosting hacks, dreamlike bridal showers, recipes for the perfect chocolate chip cookies, and DIY projects that elevate any standard living space to Apartment Therapy status. As we enter the age of the “buy it” button, these once distant, aspirational products and lifestyle brands have become that much closer (read: one click away).

My personal insufficiencies in the DIY and party planning departments aside, Pinterest is making huge strides. The social network is valued at $3.8 billion, and is becoming a smarter investment for brands, pending they commit to maximizing the platform’s functionality and strengths.

Below is a quick list of Pinterest hacks to help jumpstart new Pinterest community growth and lay the foundation for monetization.

Content Creation

Pinterest content plays by its own set of visual rules. Did you know that vertically oriented visuals go viral at a higher rate than horizontally oriented visuals? Or that showing a person’s entire face often restricts an image from going viral? Are you up to date on the functionality nuances of hashtags on Pinterest? While these details can seem arduous, creating and sticking to a design and copy style guide will help your pins work harder with Pinterest’s Smart Feed. Staying up to date on high performing pins and content best practices can lend itself to platform growth and increased content exposure by means of the visuals themselves.

Content Cadence

Pinterest demands more content than other platforms, and relies heavily on both original and crowd-sourced assets. Per Pinterest best practices, brands see the most success by pinning at least 5 times every day. The platform’s algorithm encourages daily brand publishing, and that’s a lot of content! If you’re pinning a range of visual content at least 5x a day, every day, that’s 1,825 pins minimum in one year. For many companies, this is not a feasible commitment to one small piece of the business. The short-term solution? Start slow, test, and scale up. Consider starting with 15 pins a week, and slowly build up your target audience. At 15 pins a week, that’s 780 pins for the year. When considering production, identify how many pieces of original content you can create in order to meet your goals. A good benchmark that is the oft thrown around ‘80/20 rule’ or, in other words, create conversation about your brand in 20% of your posts, and dedicate the other 80% to genuinely engaging content for your consumers.

"if you're pinning content 5x a day, every day, that’s 1,825 pins minimum in one year." 

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The Ecosystem

The majority of Pinterest content is pinned from across the World Wide Web. You know - blogs, editorial sites, shopping hubs, etc., rather than uploaded directly. This is an indicator that Pinterest should be represented across your brand’s digital footprint. Making your website’s content pinnable is a crucial first step, and verifying your Pinterest account with your website allows for much more detailed analytics and conversion analysis. Employing Rich Pins, which are pins that contain more detailed information than a standard pin, should absolutely be built into your ecosystem if your brand or blog falls into one of the following categories: app, movie, recipe, article, product, or place. You can learn more about implementing these free tools on Pinterest’s Business hub.

The Community 

This should not come as a shock, but interacting with the Pinterest community at large is the only way to truly understand your demographic and their content aesthetics. Like, comment, repin, and follow away! You’ll create a more meaningful user experience for yourself and your potential consumers.

Content Distribution

Content creation and engaging with your community are the fundamentals, but how do you get new eyeballs on your content? You’ve spent a lot of time and effort on these assets! You deserve some validation! Building distribution tactics into your overall Pinterest strategy will ensure that your content gets the visibility you’re looking for. Working with influencers to curate and host group boards around moments or occasions is an extremely effective way at achieving organic growth and impressions, as well as providing the added value of more original brand content. Pinterest also has a range of new promoted pin options and more traditional media buying capabilities if you are looking for more guaranteed results and hard data.

If e-commerce is an extension of your business, it’s time to consider Pinterest. It’s the digital DIY cult we all deserve, even if you've been hesitant to dive in.

Follow @createcultivate on Pinterest. We just got started, so we're taking Dana's advice to heart! 

Dana Kelly is a content strategist by trade and subscribes to the notion that life, lifestyle, and the left coast are what matter most. The California native spends most of her days at Mistress, and has a deep love for words, wine, and great in-flight entertainment.

Pro Tip: Jaclyn's Top Apps for the Modern #Girlboss

The millennial proverb “there’s an app for that” is both terrifying and amazing. We truly are living in an on-demand society—pretty much anything you want delivered to in an hour or less. While I don’t plan on exploring the larger implications of this phenomenon, I will say that as a busy entrepreneurial female, there are a few apps that have made my life easier. Way easier.  So get ready to boot up your iPhone and download these life savers.

SHYP

Hate the post office? Who doesn’t. Finding a box, locating packing tape, drive, wait in line, get into a casual altercation in the parking lot... No, thank you. Shyp takes all of that away. You just snap a photo of an item (any item!), and they will send you back shipping options, take your pick and someone will show up at your door to take your item, pack it, ship it, and sending you tracking information. Plus you can Shyp your first item free so #whynot. We use it for everything in our office. (Editor’s Note: Next week, read about a blogger/author who self-published and used Shyp to mail out all his book orders!)  

BLOOMTHAT

Flowers on-demand. No longer are you a slave to the antiquated 1-800-flowers nightmare of 6-day delivery for $100. In 45 minutes, your special someone (or clients!) can have a fresh, adorable bouquet in their hands.

STYLISTED

The magic that is a fresh blow-out and makeup on-demand is one that I cannot get enough of. Within in hours, you can have your own personal Glam Squad at your house, office, car (ok, not your car, but wouldn’t that be great?). Try it ASAP. It’s fun to play Kardashian for a day (or a special night out)! Stylisted will also be on-site all day at #createcultivateCHI doing braids & lips, so if you haven’t gotten your ticket: you’re doing it wrong.

VENMO

Splitting the bill at lunch has never been easier with venmo! All the girls in our office are constantly Venmo-ing each other for coffee-runs, after work drinks, etc. It’s easy and fun—plus if you have freelancers, it’s an easy way to pay them out vs having to write checks!

LUXE

Luxe promises to make you "fall in love with parking" which, I know, seems impossible. Have you ever arrived to a meeting 15 minutes early, only to find out there is absolutely no parking, only cash lots in sight, you’re fresh out of cash, and then suddenly—you’re 15 minutes late, sweating from the walk, and fumbling over your words to apologize. No? Just me? Well, consider Luxe your own personal valet.

5 Must-Follow Hilarious/Real Talk Instagrammers

We love Instagram (duh) and while we love love love the macaroon, peony, jet set explosion that often fills our feed, we also love the people who lay it out there real talk style. The people who aren't afraid to talk about their dog barfing in their car (Jayne Min) or admit that they have a mustache hair (Jen Gotch)--- we need them, the world needs them. We thought it was time to share what basically gets us through our day, which is often not filled with cute cups of coffee and European vacations, but is sometimes filled with, er, mustache hairs.

Kelly Oxford / @kellyoxford

The author, writer, show-seller, and cool mom is one of our favorite follows.  She posts the ins-and-outs of motherhood,  the hilarity surrounding her kids, her dogs, and general commentary on the craziness that is life. Our favorite is the picture of her mom where she says "Hi Mom. Sorry I don't call, I hate the phone. If it makes you feel any better, I call no one. You're cute for an old Baba." #truth

Jayne Min / @stopitrightnow

Don't be fooled by her couture looking imagery - Jayne Min isn't as serious as her posts may look. She is constantly killing it with self deprecating humor. For instance, her caption "Cowlick profile shot featuring ear cameo" (see image below at the upper left), plus her posts about her pups hit way too close to home -- we like it Jayne! 

OrlandoSoria/

@mrorlandosoria

OMG, WE LOVE ORLANDO! His effortless use of CAPS when instilling hilarious puns and wit into his often beautiful interior photos literally gets us through the day. For National Donut Day, his post declared "I hate donuts but LOVE RUGS." As do we, Orlando. 

Jen Gotch / @jengotch

Jen is everything. No really. She is a boss lady extraordinaire, she pulls off pink hair and mumus with ZERO effort and she is not just funny-- she is freaking hilarious.  She literally doesn't care what you think (in the best way possible) and her Instagram is a direct reflection of that. Do yourself a favor and watch the mustache video. 

Samantha Duenas / @sosupersam

Don't let her freakish good looks fool you, Sam is WAY more than a pretty face. When she isn't spinning the best parties, she is posting hilarious commentary on Instagram.  Her post featuring the guy juggling at the airport, simply captioned "go ahead daddy", literally made us pee (just a little bit.) 

Create + Cultivate's Go-To Apps of the Moment

We love to disconnect as much as the next creative, but in reality, our phones are our everything: from a personal assistant, entertainment center, meditation coach, our modern day Rolodex, and everything in between. Here are just a few of the many apps that are well worth the real estate on your homepage. Get the to the app store stat!

Calm

calm.com — When vacay is a little too far off the calendar, Calm is a great app for a quick escape via guided relaxation and meditation. Just a few minutes really does lead to increased focus and decreased stress, plus, it’s way cheaper than airfare.

Highball

Highball by Studio Neat— Happy Hour in your pocket. This is one of the best drink recipe apps we’ve found: you can upload, share, and search through tons of cocktails at the tap of a button. So whether you’re playing hostess or need a new after-work special, this one’s a must-have. Drink responsibly.

Niice

Niice.co — The design-focused, minimalist mood-boarding platform of our dreams. Their newly released iPhone app still has some room to grow, but on the web, it’s a perfect resource to get your creative juices flowing or even share a collaborative board. Export your moodboards as PDFs, Dropbox folders, or send a link directly to a client.

VSCO

VSCO — If this photo editor isn’t a mainstay on your home screen, it should be. VSCO Cam & Film (for Android/iPhone & Lightroom) are more than just great film-simulating filters (and they really are great!) — they’ve built a beautiful community of artists around the world. They’ve also got a suite of products (VSCO Grid, Journal, & Film) that are great places to get inspired and maybe even get discovered.

And an honorable mention goes to:

Felt

Felt Pro / This one’s pre-launch (May 2015) but we’re already sold. Write and send handwritten personalized stationery, all from your iPad. Personalized thank-you notes in the mail are always good form, and stand out even more in the digital age, so good on Felt for making the process easy and modern at $4 a card (including shipping)!

Are there any apps on your home screen that everyone should download? We're always up for an App Store shopping spree.

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