3 Bold Looks That Show Why You're a Boss
You don't have to rock a power suit, to show your power.
There's more than one way to power dress these days. Like in a Shahida Parides piece, the luxury designer known for its bold handmade dresses featuring signature prints crafted to latest style forecast and fashion trends.
Launched in 2012, Shahida, the founder and designer of the eponymous fashion line, spent fifteen years successfully designing, manufacturing, and distributing private label dresses, before realizing her own dream. Shahida Parides was born, and is now in over 160 boutiques. A It’s a brand favored by by bold business women like Lisa Vanderpump, a fierce entrepreneur who always says exactly what's on her mind.
It's a fashion brand that understands that creativity and personality should be at the forefront of your business.
IF YOU’RE GOING FROM MORNING COFFEE TO BUSINESS BRUNCH
You can blend in with the crowd in a springtime pastel two-piece, or you can opt for a bold jumpsuit-- like a harem style with Swarovski crystals and metallic beads. Because bold and confident are Shahida attributes that you can bring to your meetings as well as your wardrobe choices.
SAY BYE TO BASICS, HELLO TO BOSS
There is a time and a place for minimalist dressing. Like meetings with your legal team, perhaps. But when you want to dress to impress, go for bright. In a red, floor-length kaftan that can be worn three ways. It says, you do you, all the time. And can easily go from work to drinks to closing deals.
FOR DRESSING WELL DURING YOUR BEACH GETAWAY
Thanks to tech, your office is mobile. And business deals don't have to take place in an office or over dinner. Make a deal from the sands in Tulum. (Because we all know the smartest vacations are working vacations.)
Take in the waves in a python printed of-the-season one-shoulder dress, (that can also be styled three ways) as you wave hello to potential partnerships and success.
Freedom, flow, and fire, that's the Shahida Parides way.
Let's Make Every Day #EqualPayDay
Because it’s hard enough to get your dream job, you shouldn’t have to dream about equal pay too.
First put into law in 1963, The Equal Pay Act was aimed at abolishing wage disparity based on gender. It’s a law that has not changed, despite the fact that women still make less than men.
"Because it's hard enough to get your dream job, you shouldn't have to dream about equal pay too."
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Today is #EqualPayDay. A symbolic day that marks how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned the previous year. We believe that women should earn equal wages for equal work, and that this is a battle all people should fight.
Feminism Keeps Losing Its Mind & Tops Over Boobs
12 questions we want answers to.
Two weeks ago Emily Ratajkowski and Kim Kardashian reminded the world of their totally bodacious bodies — lest anyone forget, by posting a topless selfie, middle-fingers to the world, up. It was a follow-up photo to a similar selfie Kim had posted a few weeks prior, which, after receiving negative backlash she posted the following on Twitter:
From being told to act like a mother, to stop pretending that these nude mirror moments are empowered acts of feminism, to message boards screaming, “What message are you sending to young women??” Kim has received as much negative attention for selfies like these as she has money for her app.
In the midst of the uproar Emily took to her Twitter, to say:
“I am not shamed or apologetic of what my body might represent to you.”
She continued,
"Aren't we passd this bs way of thinking? The whole goal here is to let wmn do what they want for their reasons. To have the power to choose."
To which she received equal measure backlash and support, speaking to the divide the feminist movement has long felt over the boob issue. The battleground of breasts as political movement continues to be one thick with controversy. Should we be prude or libertine? What's better for the cause?
While the argument can-- and has been-- made that these photos are intended for the male gaze and only contribute to a women’s position as object, for a movement that currently feels lost in the nebulous between “bad” and “good” feminism, women imprinting their views on other women is equally as dismissive and damaging.
So here are twelve questions I have. Feel free to chat with me in the comments below.
1. If we, as women, are fighting for agency of our bodies, why are we so up in arms when someone (most often a celeb) uses their million-follower platform to show agency over their own body? Filtered or not.
2. How can we as a society be closer than ever to accepting sex work, as real work, and yet, still treat this issue so preciously?
3. When can we stop discussing sex as a moral issue?
"When can we stop discussing sex as a moral issue?"
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4. When can we stop telling other women what it means to “be a mother?”
5. Why do we only feel like it’s progress when we see other women who are “like us,” posting nudes. That is, not "perfect,"-- a la Kim and Emily's tiny waists and huge boobs? When Refinery29 posted un-retouched photos of 25 women with real breasts the comments were encouraging. Readers said it was a beautiful series and asked for “more like this.” Facebook mom groups are always posting links to what “real” bodies look like after breastfeeding. These posts are celebrated. Confusing.
6. Is it less feminist when it’s a woman with a beautiful body? Is it the "perfection" that causes it to be less feminist?
7. Does baring nipples, with movements like #freethenipple, actually desexualize them? Maybe I don't think nipples are a big deal, but are we kidding ourselves pretending that they are not sexual?
8. In an industry where some of the most celebrated female characters have been written by old, white men, should we not celebrate when this isn't the case? Thinking about Lena Dunham's character on Girls, and her flashing vagina Basic Instinct style last week. Are women owed some kind of power play-- a middle-finger to the years spent under the male gaze?
9. If women want attention or validation, why are we so offended by this? Do we have to completely reject patriarchal beauty standards in order to be good feminists?
10. Why can’t we operate from within the structure that exists to take back our bodies? Can we be sexual creatures without operating under the regime of the male gaze?
11. Why is the feminist platform so divided over what it means to be liberated?
12. Can you use your body as a marketing tool and still have control over it?
The only answer I’ve come up with so far is this:
Flaunt your body if you love it. Don’t flaunt it if you love it. But just love it, OK? That’s the most liberated thing you can do.
"Flaunt your body if you love it. Don’t flaunt it if you love it. But just love it, OK? That’s the most liberated thing you can do."
Arianna Schioldager is Create & Cultivate's editorial director. You can find her on IG @ariannawrotethis and more about her on this site she never updates www.ariannawrotethis.com
Lulu & Georgia Founder Shares How to Style Your Desk For Max Output
Work hard, styled hard.
If you're a boss who knows that filing isn't just for your nails, you need a desk to match your hustle. Which means: organized, styled, and designed for max work output.
So we checked in with Sara Sugarman, Founder of Lulu & Georgia, the online home decor shop founded in 2012 of her five tips for keeping your workspace as boss as you are.
CLEAN UP
A clean and inspiring space makes for a more constructive (and positive) day. If you look around your desk, there are undoubtedly little odds and ends creating unnecessary clutter. I recently read, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and now ask myself: “Does this item bring me joy?” If it has no purpose and doesn’t bring me happiness, then it’s gone. The items that do stay on your desktop should be ones that you use on a daily basis.
BEAUTIFUL DESIGN
I’m most productive when I’m in a space that reflects my own style and personality. Whether it’s a statement rug, a colorful lamp, or a unique bookcase – it helps me think more creatively. I also love the idea of a pin board- not to place random samples or business cards- but as inspiration for where you want to be and what you want to do.
TASTEFUL ACCESSORIES
When I was younger, my mom would take me to Staples before school started, and I loved selecting all of the brand new supplies I would need for the year. I feel the same applies to workspace materials. Sure, we need staplers and tape dispensers, but why select the functional, yet boring ones when you could have gold and acrylic? It’s an opportunity to express your individuality, plus it adds to the overall aesthetic of the space.
GET COMFORTABLE
We all spend a lot of time at our desks, which is why it should be a space that is both livable and productive. Use a pouf as a footstool, keep a tumbler filled with water nearby, and invest in a chair that you don’t mind spending several hours in.
ORGANIZATION
There is a lot of time wasted looking for that piece of paper, pen or business card lost in the cluttered chaos on your desk. Create a functional, yet stylish system to help keep important dates and urgent tasks in sight. Incorporate a tray to store time-sensitive materials and file everything else away. Use a pencil holder to store pens and highlighters, so they are easily visible when you need them.
C&C Classifieds Nº5: Elevate Your Career With This Month's Listings
Elevate your career with this month's listings.
Spring cleaning season is here, and as the times of change have come around, you might feel inclined to make the next step in your career. If you’re looking to elevate your career, we’ve got covered with this month’s classifieds with some great opportunities at amazing companies across the US.
Check out the listings below, and make sure to apply right now.
Loverly - New York NY
Client Solutions and Sales Intern
Customer Service Representative (Concierge)
Minted - San Francisco, CA
Creative Director, General Retail
Director, Brand Communications - Stationery
Senior Director of Onsite Marketing
Facebook - Menlo Park, CA
Tumblr - New York City
Director of Community & Support
Head of Marketing Partnerships
Eventbrite - US & UK
Campaign Manager - Demand Generation
Internal Communications Manager
Pinterest - US & UK
Content and Community Manager, UK
Internal Communications Manager
Cheeky - Los Angeles, CA
#CreateCultivateDTLA: Gift Bag Sneak Peek
Just just like we like to have major keynotes, we also keep the same standard for our gift bags.
We are only a few weeks away from Create & Cultivate DTLA, and with keynotes like Chelsea Handler, Jessica Alba, and Rachel Zoe, it's safe to sat that this is our biggest conference to date yet. But just like we like to have major keynotes, we also keep the same standard for our gift bags.
This time, we have a fully loaded gift bag with tons of amazing product from our sponsors, that we just hope we can fit it all in one Parachute Market tote!
From amazing hair and beauty products, to even a month trial of our favorite at-home barre exercise company, we've got you covered DTLA. Here is a sneak peek at the companies you can expect to find:
Dove
Smashbox Cosmetics
Kevin Murphy
Yes To Carrots
Beyond Yoga
Fromm Beauty
Physicians Formula
Topshop
Lorac Cosmetics
Honest Beauty
First Aid Beauty
Blue Sky Planners
Paper Mart
beGlammed
Framebridge
Gorjana
BKR
Iconery
Tulip
Darling
French Connection
H2O Plus
Bai
Goldpress Paper
Shahida Parides
Barre 3
Zola
Privilege Clothing
SoulCycle
Thrive Market
Consort Design
Belong Mag
Murad
Sprinkles Cupcakes
Judy B Swim
Lulu & Georgia
Emu Australia
Foreo
Laurel & Wolf
Herbivore Botanicals
May Designs
Bobeau Collection
Amanda Marmer
Kestrel Bags
Olive & June
Psyche Jewelry
Cityseat NYC
Love Tatum
SoleSociety
Olio e Osso
Limonada
Be Good
Minted
Dagne Dover
Origins
Brunette the Label
Uptown Sweats
Get excited DTLA! Just a few more weeks til showtime!
7 Must-Know Biz Tips from Rachel Zoe
The inside scoop from our very own #CreateCultivateDTLA keynote speaker.
Digitally-forward, socially-savvy, the fashion empire of Rachel Zoe is decidedly a stylish one— but it’s also built on the know-how of the entrepreneur.
From an open-door office policy to taking the high road, Rachel is dishing seven of her best business tips.
ALWAYS WORK LIKE YOU HAVE FIVE DOLLARS IN THE BANK.
My first job was as a sales associate at the Nine West store in Short Hills Mall in New Jersey. My biggest piece of advice for anyone starting his or her first job would be to make sure to never act entitled. It’s important that no matter what your situation is, you work like you have only $5 in the bank.
"No matter what your situation is, you work like you have only $5 in the bank."
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TRUST THAT SOMEONE WILL TAKE A CHANCE ON YOU.
If you show up every day and give your job 110% at all times, eventually you will get noticed. It may not happen as quickly as you like, but at some point the stars will align and you will get your first big break. For me, that occurred when Tommy Hilfiger hired me to style his huge White House ad campaign. I was only about a month into my freelance career at the time, and I was terrified. The job came with a big budget and took two weeks to execute. We shot a cast of young Hollywood actors, models and singers both in Austin and Los Angeles. To this day, it is still one of the most incredible productions I have worked on. I am eternally grateful to Tommy for taking a chance on me, because it not only led me to book many more jobs, but it also gave me a huge boost of confidence and proved my competence!
REALIZE THAT YOUR PATH MIGHT BE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET.
You need to consider whether you're on the right career path. Who says you can't have an "I'm going to be a...just kidding!" moment like I did? Before I started my career in fashion, I was a student at George Washington University majoring in sociology and psychology. At the time, I thought I was going to be a psychiatrist! Looking back, making the jump to fashion was a natural choice for me. Bottom line: It's never too late to start over. We hear stories all the time of people later in life going back to school for something completely new and different. Those stories are inspiring. If you're lucky and you're honest with yourself, you might realize that you need to make a change.
"Bottom line: It's never too late to start over."
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FOCUS ON SOLUTIONS, NOT THE PROBLEM.
Everyone makes mistakes, but how you handle them can set you apart in the workplace. When something goes wrong, find a solution (or twenty) before you present the mistake to your boss or colleagues. Then, use the misstep as a chance to come out on top. As a designer, often times I will conceptualize and sketch a design for my collection only to have the prototype turn out differently than I expected. Rather than starting from scratch, I work with my team to find a middle ground that will work for the customer while not compromising my vision.
TAKE THE HIGH ROAD
When drama arises, it is tempting to want to set the record straight to everyone within the workplace. In my experience with the media reporting false stories about me or my company, I have learned that silence is almost always golden. If you try to deny or defend yourself, you are ultimately just fueling the fire. On the other hand, when you are quiet, the drama tends to fizzle much more quickly. Bottom line: take the high road and save the venting for when you are at home behind closed doors. Believe me, this is not easy.
KEEP YOUR OFFICE DOORS OPEN.
As a leader and CEO of a company that is constantly growing, it is important for me to have an open-door policy with my employees and always be honest with them. I do believe having transparency with my team shows that I trust them—I always want the lines of communicate to be open. In today’s corporate culture a lot of leaders choose to sit with their team, and not have separate offices, and I like that. The offices of my company headquarters have glass doors for a reason, to advocate transparency and openness.
DO WHAT YOU LOVE.
My number-one piece of advice? Do what you love. It is the only thing that will keep you going through long days, stressful situations and a low bank account balance. When I was a fashion assistant at YM magazine, I worked literally on my hands and knees all day long, doing everything from packing and unpacking boxes to running around New York City in blizzards on foot (in heels!) moving full wardrobe trunks solo. It was physically taxing on a person of my height and build, but I did it all with a smile on my face. I never once complained because I felt it was such a privilege to do what I love.
Is a Social Media Presence More Powerful Than a Degree?
Would you rather be 100k in debt or have 100k followers?
It started with an Instagram post. "I remember the old days when you needed a degree and a resume to get a job. Now you need 10k followers and a mediocre blog."
It's a little painful to read because there is some truth to it.
Let's look at the numbers first, because based on these alone, it appears much more lucrative to focus on growing a following. (Don't despair yet.)
The graduating class of 2015 was the most indebted in history. Prior to 2015, the graduating class of 2014 was the most indebted in history. Sense a pattern? As of March 2015, according to the Federal Reserve, the outstanding student loan debt in the U.S. stood at $1.27 trillion, and that number is only expected to grow.
That's right. Not millions. Not billions. This is literally a trillion dollar issue.
Complicating this problem is that according to government data published by Edvisors.com, the average graduate in 2015 had about $35,000 in student loan debt, double what it was in the late nineties. The number of students taking out student loans has also increased sizably. In the nineties less than half of college graduates had taken out student loans. Today, over 70% of students leave school in the hole.
Adding insult to costly injury, guess what the average starting salary was for the class of 2015? According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers the average starting salary for those with liberal arts degrees (think most creatives) is under $38k. See the prob?
If your loan is 35k and your starting salary is approximately the same, how long do you think it's going to take to pay off that debt? Outstanding debt of this magnitude prevents the new working class from saving for retirement. It delays marriage and first home purchases.
It also has many asking, WTF? Should I have grown a following instead? And:
Is a social media presence more powerful than a degree?
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While studies show that college graduates consistently earn more than students with only a high school degree, this matter is complicated by research that suggests that while the Millennial generation is the best-educated in history, they are not earning more than earlier generations of young adults. According to the Pew Research Center the overall median earnings of today's Millenials are not that much different than the earnings of the Early Boomers ($34,833), Gen Xers ($32,173) or the Silents ($30,982).
And while the numbers still suggest that overall, college is a smart investment, we can't deny that there is extreme economic disparity between what a degree will get you and what a huge following can offer. Or even what a medium-sized following can produce. An Instagram user with 100k followers and decent engagement can earn 5k for a post-- and that is on the low end of the scale. Some bloggers are making 100k a month.
Though most bloggers zealously guard their income, Reward Style, the affiliate marketing network that helps bloggers monetize their content, keeps data on their top performers. They report these bloggers can make $80k per month on affiliate sales alone. Add in paid IG posts, brand deals, and book deals that come from strategic content, and you're looking at a revenue stream previously reserved for top business-people-- those with college degrees or masters.
But while these blogs have turned musings into a business, it will always be the bloggers who understand the who, what, why, and how of their brand that will be the most successful. They are the ones that understand the numbers beyond the following.
It's yet to be seen how this will play out, but there is a system of checks and balances seemingly in place. Sure graduates with student debt are starting careers from a disadvantageous position-- saddled by debt that effects nearly everything. But what they should be banking on, and working toward, is career longevity. Their salary, while initially low, will grow.
A blogger's career -- or rather, an Instagrammer with a large following-- might be making big dollar deposits in their life bank now, but there are a few inherent sustainability issues. One-- technology is always changing, and the ability to retain followers across multiple platforms so that you're giving a brand proven ROI is growing increasingly difficult. It's why we often hear successful bloggers at Create & Cultivate tell the audience that a high follower count should not be your end goal. Two-- in a more standard job market, you cannot put a junior employee in a senior position. Same cannot be said for bloggers.
A lot of followers is not a business plan.
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A blogger's career is in many ways much more precarious, in the same way a models' has always been; there is always someone younger, more connected, more tapped in, and ready to pull that Boucherouite rug right out from under your #shoefie.
While majoring in #selfies might feel like the career move to make (at least if King Kylie has a say), the best idea is to get a degree, simultaneously grow your following, and then use those blog dollars to pay off your student debt.
Arianna Schioldager is Create & Cultivate's editorial director. You can find her on IG @ariannawrotethis and more about her at this site she never updates www.ariannawrotethis.com
How Design Star Emily Henderson Really Feels About Working for Free
And changing her mind about the color brown.
NAME: Emily Henderson
OCCUPATION: Designer, Stylist, Boss
ONE DEGREE OF C&C SEPARATION: She designed panelist Oh Joy’s studio!
HOURS SHE’S CLOCKING: Probably six during the day and three most nights, with shopping/writing on the weekends. So maybe 50? With kids taking priority of daytime hours.
SOCIAL PLATFORM OF CHOICE: Instagram for the business, but FB for myself because it’s the best way to keep up on good articles/current events.
PHOTOS SHE’S HEARTING ON IG: I heart what I try to create myself - anything that is both personal and beautiful. Ultimately - if it makes me smile, I double tap that shit.
"If it makes me smile, I double tap that shit."
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Emily Henderson, the HGTV host and designer, stylist, writer and editor of Style By Emily Henderson, thinks perfection is boring. In fact, it’s part of her design philosophy: "I believe that a perfect house is like a perfect person; no one really wants to be around them and everyone secretly hates them."
We tend to agree.
It's this kind of candor that has propelled Emily's career from dog walker to winner of HGTV's Design Star to Target Home spokesperson. Hers wasn't a straight shot to success (because it never is), but from clocking long days, spending time with her 5-month-old baby girl, and son, Charlie, while continually growing her taste and brand, it's success that is hard-won.
We checked in with the incredibly frank entrepreneur to get the scoop on creating a brand, changing her mind about the color brown, and the only time she'll work for free nowadays.
How do you create a brand that stands out? How do you come to understand what your “brand” is?
You need to have a product that is both unique and universal. There are too many people doing interesting things these days, you have to make a product that stands out, BUT at the same time it has to have enough universal appeal that you aren’t selling to 10 niche customers. I always think about Jennifer Lawson. Sure, she is a person, but she is someone that everyone likes and yet she is totally unique (which is why everyone likes her). This is extremely hard to do, but the people I know who are successful have done a pretty good job at it. Give your product a personality and ask yourself everyday, “Do I want to hang out with that person??” If the answer is no, then tweak it because if you are feeling that way, then everyone else is too.
"Give your product a personality and ask yourself everyday, 'Do I want to hang out with that person??'"
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How do you create a “voice”with an image?
It’s all storytelling. You need think about what overall story you are trying to tell every time you produce any content - it's basic marketing. But most of us (small brands) don't have a marketing person or team controlling all platforms. It’s our job to weave in elements of our story through all brands. I am by no means saying that I am queen at this and I think I could be doing a WAY better job. However, here is what I try to do: Show a happy, colorful image (whether it's an interior or my life) with copy that feels personal, informational OR inspirational. If I’m funny I get literally twice the likes, but I’m so busy that it's hard to produce good, funny, beautiful content all day. But that is the goal - pretty and entertaining.
You’ve called it the best marketing tool. But what else about the blog platform was attractive to you?
It’s all mine. Sure we have sponsors, but even they know it's all mine. And sure I have three people that work just on the blog, but there is still a sense of autonomy that we have with the blog that we don’t have with our design clients or my major partnership work. It has such a large audience now, so we really feel like our work is heard, and we have an influence. I know you can have an influence on many platforms, but with a blog you have more real estate to write and share than on social media so your audience is more engaged and reads and listens so much more.
Part of having a successful brand is fluidity. How do you go about introducing new styles to your audience when they’ve come to know and love your style?
It’s hard and people call me out all the time saying ‘but you said you don’t like brown!’ And sure, I didn’t like it, five years ago. But luckily most people are on the zeitgeist train with you and sense the trends and shifts too, and are happy to see someone they know embracing them and showing them how to use them. I started the blog when I was 29 and broke. I’m 36 now so my life has changed - I have two kids, and frankly I kinda want nicer things than I used to. That combo can be resisted by some people who want me to be thrifty and eclectic like I used to be. I’m still the same person, but I've grown up, which is now embraced by an entirely different community.
Have there been times when you’ve done something and thought, that was off-brand? But, you really liked it?
When your brand is yourself then in a way anything that you like is on brand. WAIT. YES. I recently did a sponsored post for a pre-owned luxury handbag website. My mantra has always been - don’t promote anything you wouldn’t buy yourself. I’m from a coastal town in Oregon. My parents are both teachers. In other words I’m not buying $3k handbags both on principal and the money. But before I said ‘no’ to it, I polled my staff and friends and sure enough a lot of people are into handbags - at least the idea of them. So I figured I’d style some outfits with some bags and if nothing else people could see what I’m into fashion-wise these days. I wrote about the brand/bags very honestly - saying it’s a luxury, it’s certainly not for everyone, while letting them know that this site exists if they happen to be handbag people. I really liked the post, the brand got a ton of traffic and purchases and ultimately the readers (even those who had sticker shock) liked the post. So yes, I guess I do things that are technically off brand but still work. It’s a risk though and you have to be very careful because trust is #1. Well, staying in business is #1, trust is #2.
"Trust is #1. Well, staying in business is #1, trust is #2."
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What would you say sets your work apart from others?
I know I’m not the best designer or writer, certainly, but I do think that I write about design and style in a digestible, approachable, and entertaining way. The site feels small even though it’s big, and people know that they are getting real opinions from a real person who is out in the field designing every day.
You’ve said “work for free” when you’re just starting. Do you still agree with that statement?
Hmm. Regarding working for free … I think i’d like to edit that and say ‘collaborate for free’. A large company should not be asking you ever to work for free - no matter how big or small you are. The only time I do work for free now is for magazines. Their model is simply to not pay you for makeover or design content because you will get notoriety and press out of it. But otherwise, I don’t “work” for free.
I also collaborate with other influencers and do their homes for press/portfolio and exposure to a new audience, but I definitely see it more as a collaboration and I make sure that everyone is clear on social media expectations. Most of the time I try to not go out of pocket and get all my assistants’ time paid for - so iIm just volunteering my time but they are covering all costs.
You have to weigh the amount of labor versus compensation and make sure you are being compensated somehow - whether it’s exposure, customers, high res photos of your work and press. IF someone has reached out to you and asked you for your work then they should offer to cover your out of pocket costs.
In short -If you are starting out, think about whether or not the exposure is worth it to you (ask for social stats and get all social requests on paper). If you are already established make sure they aren’t benefiting more from you than you are from the exposure.
Five years from now, where do you see your business?
Digital media is too fluid these days to know what is going to happen next, so we just try to work our asses off, be flexible, and keep our eyes open.
"We just try to work our asses off, be flexible, and keep our eyes open."
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We could go in the brick and mortar direction, we could go licensing lines all over the place direction, and when the kids are a little older I do want to go back into the TV (design show) world. Or maybe it's all of them. I know I want the blog to be both a personal documentation as well as a much larger resource for interior design.
Photos by Mike Garten for Good Housekeeping Magazine.
Arianna Schioldager is Create & Cultivate's editorial director. You can find her on IG @ariannawrotethis and more about her at www.ariannawrotethis.com
10 Cost-Saving Tips for Your Wedding
The women behind 100 Layer Cake dish the bridal goods.
On 100 Layer Cake, we share a variety of weddings from DIY to Glam, and Bohemian to Romantic Elegance. All of these weddings tend to have one thing in common... they're super creative! While each wedding has an unique and varied budget, we're always so inspired when we find out that the couple was able to create their dream wedding on a small budget. To help you in your wedding planning process, and maybe save some $$$ along the way, we've combed through our site to give you a few of our favorite cost-saving tips.
USE OUR VENDOR GUIDE!
Our vendor guide is a place to find fabulous vendors as well as place service request for your wedding day. Yep, that's right, you can post a particular request for your wedding (from photography to music to flowers) and vendors in our guide will bid on your event!!! Our vendors are looking for creative brides, so pop on over and give it a try. These two New York brides found their vendors on our site.
This bride found her planner and photographer in our vendor guide.
This bride hooked up with photog Lauren Rae Photography after making a proposal right here on 100LC for wedding photographers within their budget.
RECRUIT FAMILY & FRIENDS TO HELP WITH FLORALS
Not only is this a cost saving tip, it's fun, and a great way to bring people together.
Simple one stem florals placed into antique medicine bottles can make such an elegant statement on your table.
For the adventurous bride, try foraging for your bridal bouquet.
Store bought florals popped into whimsical vessels by family and friends. So cute!
ALTERNATIVE WEDDING DRESSES
Okay, here's the deal, you don't have to go to a huge, well know bridal store to find your dream wedding dress. We're not saying you shouldn't go and try a few on, but there are other options. These creative brides found the perfect dress for their big day and saved lots of $$$!
We love that this bride spotted her vintage wedding dress on Etsy for $400.
This DIY bride found her dream wedding dress from Free People.
If you fancy an unconventional wedding, maybe think about forgoing the typical white dress for something more stylish. This bride really knew how to make a statement with her bright Mara Hoffman wedding dress.
CREATIVE CATERING
If you’re having a casual wedding, think about a potluck! This is great for an early afternoon wedding. All you need to do is create a menu and pick a few reliable friends and family member to bring a super yummy dish. Voila!
FAVORS
Try giving something really thoughtful and cost effective with these DIY colorful potted succulents.
CREATIVE DECOR.
Think beyond florals for wedding decor. The cost of hiring a florist can really rack up the cost, so think beyond a typical floral centerpiece or bouquet.
In lieu of florals, collect potted cactus or your tablescape. Bonus, you can decorate with them in your house or send them with a guest as a parting gift.
Paper flowers can be a festive, fun activity for you and your maids to create for your wedding decor.
DIY CEREMONY BACKDROPS & ARBORS IDEAS
Go bright and whimsical with this paper decor backdrop.
This couple had their family create this meaningful arbor for their ceremony.
The groom is a woodworker so he created this greenhouse structure for his bride, who's a floral designer. How thoughtful!
ALTERNATIVE CAKE
Behold the donut cake! Don’t get us wrong, we love a big dramatic wedding cake, but this donut cake concept is just too cute and a fraction of the cost.
SAVE ON YOUR LIQUOR BILL
This couple is really into beer, so instead of a full bar, they opted to pour their favorite blend. Talk about HUGE savings! We love how they stayed true to their passion.
CONSIDER A FREE VENUE
Save on your venue cost by hosting an intimate backyard wedding.
These are just a few of our favorite cost-saving wedding ideas. Be sure to pop over for more wedding ideas for your big day!
The Blogging Business Key Nobody Is Talking About
And everybody should be thinking about.
Being a style publisher in 2016 is a multi-faceted job if there ever was one. Creating blog posts, photoshoots, running a website, liaising with brands, networking, researching, snapping, Instagramming, and more - all within a week’s work. If you categorize all these tasks, you’ll see they fall into three block pillars: Content, Business Management, and Tech.
This division is technically right, but it doesn’t identify the most crucial factor: that all three pillars overlap, and understanding the intrinsic relationship between them is the key towards the longevity of your blogging business.
So what is this mysterious intersection between the pillars of your business? And why is it important to understand and develop it?
WHAT IS THIS MYSTERIOUS INTERSECTION BETWEEN THE PILLARS OF YOUR BUSINESS?
Translating an overarching business vision through your digital presence is the one thing most publishers should consider when thinking of all the tasks their job entails. And it’s not even their fault. To put it simply, nobody in the industry is really acknowledging it. Well, almost nobody.
I launched my company, chloédigital, when it became clear to me that there was a gap between the fashion and tech worlds that was stopping great publishers from moving forward. Through our membership, my team and I now offer bloggers access to an all-rounded support system to strengthen their personal brands and power their online empires.
At chloédigital we look after some of the most successful blogs in the industry and the common factor that makes top-tier bloggers stand out from the competition is very clear: their business vision is holistic and cohesive.
Working closely with leading influencers around the world (a few of which will be panelists and mentors beside me at C+C DTLA!) has put me in a unique position to gain insights on the fashion industry whilst still having a foot in the tech world myself. I have seen first hand how working with a multidisciplinary tech and strategy team can be a pivotal point to grow a blogger’s online authority. But there is still much more to be done in terms of connecting all aspects of an influencer’s presence and decisions, on and offline. Working with a PR agency on one end and a tech team on the opposite end, with any content decisions torn in the middle, is just not an efficient way of approaching your business anymore.
The future of digital publishing lays within integrating every team and detail cohesively to reach new goals.
A very extended misconception about style publishers is that, as mainly creative professionals, content creation is the aspect of their business that drives most of their strategic decisions. But the reality in digital publishing is that, when there is a disconnect between the technical and creative side, it is actually the technical side that holds the veto power in key decisions. Let me give you a couple of examples of things that are commonly heard:
“I would love to add a new awesome functionality to my blog that I’m sure my community would love, but I’ve never seen anything like it so I doubt I can do that on my site,” or “I was very excited about the new style of blog post I published recently but it seems my readers didn’t respond very well to it; I’m not quite sure how to look deeper into these reasons, so I will just go back to standard content”.
Great ideas, content, and opportunities for innovation that get lost in translation as soon as a tech barrier is encountered. This is exactly why bridging the gap between fashion and technology is essential in order to keep digital publishing thriving. When there is seamless communication between content creators, agents, sponsors, designers, developers - that is when new things can be both conceptualized and well executed.
"Bridging the gap between fashion and tech is essential to keep digital publishing thriving."
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If you’re a style publisher truly looking to create a sustainable business, stop thinking of tech and fashion as opposites. Connect your teams, think always big, and start creating a multidisciplinary space within your working process that allows you to push boundaries.
10 of Our Favorite Chelsea Handler Quotes
Caustic and clever, two of our favorite qualities.
Chelsea Handler has a way with words. From reminding us that we're powerful to breaking down social situations with a bit of bite, the comedian always seems to know just the right "wrong" thing to say. And since she's our keynote for #CreateCultivateDTLA, we're sharing a few of our favorites.
The 10 Best Instagrammable Spots at The LINE Hotel
Not a bad angle to be found.
The LINE Hotel in Koreatown, Los Angeles is known for it's brutalist architecture, amazing food, and even better atmosphere. Just about every knook, cranny, and corner has a shot worth taking. Click through to peep our pick of the 10 Most Instagrammable spots at this hip hotel.
For more Instagrammable moments, check out our #CreateCultivateDTLA speaker dinner with our friends at Dove here.
Growth Hacking 101: Become A Hacker To Boost Your Business
Here's to hacking your way to a success business.
It’s very normal to apply money to your marketing efforts to ensure that your messaging is put out into the world. But what if we told you that its possible to grow your business with little to no money. All there is to do is becoming a hacker.
Now we don’t mean becoming a hacker where you hack into databases and leak information. And no, it doesn’t mean that you need to start taking IT classes. We’re talking about becoming a hacker in your own marketing techniques and taking smart and strategic shortcuts that will successfully bring the attention that you want to your brand and make it thrive. It’s taking marketing to the next level and thinking outside of the box when creating campaigns.
See how you can start implementing growth hacking into your marketing strategy with the tactics below.
Emotional Shock
There’s a saying that goes “bad press is good press.” When you apply emotional shock and a sort of a naughty factor to your marketing, you will get the eyes that you want. When you hit an emotional chord with your messaging, be it positive or negative, your audience will not only turn from passive to engaged, but they are more inclined to share your message with their peers, thus increasing your virality.
Does Sarah McLachlan’s ASPCA commercial ring a bell? If that commercial made you shed a tear, that’s emotional shock at its finest. Also, if you’ve seen digital brands drop f-bombs in the collateral, you can rest assured that they’re banking in on emotional-shock.
Stereotyping
Take a moment and think of your markets’ traits and habits. Think of where they shop, where they hang out, what they typically do on a Sunday morning.
While stereotyping is highly looked upon as a no-no, at the end of the day, that is essentially what marketing entails when you’re studying your market. You tally up all their similar traits and align your marketing strategy to their habits, likes, and dislikes. However, when you’re using stereotyping when you’re implementing growth hacking, you have to think even further outside of the box.
For example, as obvious as it is to sell gym clothes at a gym, you have to tap into to what other places your consumer goes to. Hit them from all the angles that they would typically go to as well, be it a juicery or a massage therapy clinic that specializes on athletes. Generalize your demographic and market to them where people will have an even stronger affinity with your brand.
Influencer Endorsements
While endorsements may seem as a tactic to show a product, they are more useful to represent an ideal and who people aspire to be. Take for example all the athletes Nike has been able to have as their spokespeople - it’s not necessarily to promote a certain sneaker or a kind of legging. It’s always to endorse an ideal lifestyle, to become the next Maria Sharapova or the next Serena Williams.
Influencer endorsements are what define what is cool. And if you get the right influencers to back your brand, more consumers will follow your message.
Enforcing Exclusivity
Exclusivity is key when growing your brand. The more accessible it is, the more people are less inclined to actually sign up for what you’re selling.
Take Facebook for example 10 years ago when it was only available to college students. You can bet that everyone who had a Facebook account felt as if they were a part of an exclusive cool kid’s club, and everyone else who didn’t have access wanted to be a cool kid. After a while, Facebook started allowing more and more people in on the secret, and eventually became the dominating social media network that it is today.
Long story short: make your business a cool club that everyone wants in on, but only a few can have it.
Build Your Business To Be Anti-Fragile
As business women, we have to take this saying to heart: a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.
We don’t live in a perfect world, and in business, things will always go wrong. As the world becomes more and more complex, businesses have to know how to navigate unsteady waters. To make your business survive these challenges, you have to make your business anti-fragile. This is where your business can thrive and benefit from changes, and work like a muscle getting stronger and stronger as it’s put through stress.
Mold your business plan to where it can live through changes and prepare for the worst if it were to happen. Then you’ll see that if worst comes to worst, your business will survive and can face the next oncoming challenges.
Do you have you own growth hacking tips that you’ve used in your own marketing strategies? Let us know your thoughts and sound off below!
Priscilla Castro is Create & Cultivate's Director of Social Media. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she got her degree in Journalism from Cal State Long Beach and pursued a career in marketing. She has worked with FILTER Magazine, LA Canvas, and was previously Editorial Director at BeautyCon. Follow her@kodeofkondukt.
U.S. Women's Soccer Team Files Historical Wage Complaint
Playing like a girl is badass according to Obama. Not getting paid an equal wage? The opposite.
UPDATE 5/26/16: The USWNT gained another ally in the fight for equal pay today, as the US Senate animously approved a non-binding resolution calling on the U.S. Soccer Federation to “immediately end gender pay inequity and to treat all athletes with the respect and dignity those athletes deserve.” (via Huffington Post)
This is a great first step in setting a precedent for equal pay across the United States, and goes to show that taking a stand and fighting for equal pay does pay off.
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Today, the New York Times published a piece outlining an official complaint filed by five players from the U.S. women's national soccer with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The complaint states that the U.S. Soccer Federation pays women-- current reigning World Cup champions far less than their male counterparts.
Five players-- Carli Lloyd, Becky Sauerbrunn, Hope Solo, Alex Morgan, and Megan Rapinoe-- signed the filing, arguing that every player on the women's nation team is paid thousand of dollars less than the men.
Although it was only these five high-profile members that signed the complaint, Sauerbrunn Tweeted, "Five players signed the complaint, but the decision to file was whole-heartedly supported by the entire team. #equalplayequalpay#thegals.”
According to the filing despite the fact that women generated 20 million dollars more in revenue than the men in 2015, they still earn four times less than the men. If they make the World Cup roster, female players make just 44% of what their male counterparts earn in bonus earnings: $30,000 to $68,750. Also included in the filing is the requirement for women's and men's teams to play a minimum of 20 "friendly" games per year. However, while the women get a bonus of $1,350 if they win a friendly match, the men are guaranteed $5,000 even if they lose, and can make up to $17,625 if they win, depending on their opponent's FIFA ranking.
It's a complicated issue, some citing that revenue disparity is not accurate. Others saying that if pay should be revenue based, then it's important to address the discrepancies that happen from the gate-- like field disparities between teams. "You must ask yourself why the potential for revenue generating is less?" wrote one commenter. "Why isn't the revenue pouring in when you have the highest viewed soccer game period? There is more going on here than people just like men's sports better."
During an interview on NBC's Today show, Lloyd, the 2015 FIFA women's player of the year said, "I think that we've proven our worth over the years. Just coming off of a World Cup win, the pay disparity between the men and women is just too large."
"I've been through numerous CBA negotiations, and honestly not much has changed,'' Solo told Matt Laeur. "We believe now the time is right because we believe it's a responsibility for women's sports, specifically women's soccer, to really do whatever it takes for equal pay and equal rights and to be treated with respect."
Laeur then raised an interesting question asking the four players who appeared on camera if they'd heard from any of the male players. It was met by uncomfortable laughter until Alex Morgan answered: "I'm sure they are in support of us. My husband plays professional soccer and he's very much in support of me." Lauer also asked the women if they were willing and prepared to boycott games or strike. The issue was skirted.
What unfolds will be interesting, potentially history-making, and serves as an important microcosm to address the pervasive sexism and wage gaps that affect all women.
Olive & June Founder Sarah Gibson Tuttle's Number One Concern
It's about more than changing polish, the swoon-worthy salons are changing the whole nail game.
Sarah Gibson Tuttle, founder of Vogue-and-celeb-approved nail salon Olive & June, worked in finance for a decade before quitting Wall Street and setting on her sights on something a bit more hands-on. A self-professed mani/pedi obsessee— she considers her initial career “bootcamp,” having come across mentors and bosses who taught her how to interact in business, and how to treat a client’s time and space.
“Everyone assumes that I’m a nitty gritty numbers person, I’m not,” she says laughing. “I just hired a CFO, but I grew up within finance, and I couldn’t be doing this without that training. No grad school could have done that.”
The first Olive & June opened in 2013, appealing to a predominantly female clientele looking for a warmer, more community-based nail salon. “One of our clients likes to say we’re the Cheers of manicures,” she says. “I wanted to get into a career that enhanced lives, and nails are one of the least expensive ways to change your look, especially in the beauty business.”
In the beginning, Sarah admits to being nervous about opening a brick-and-mortar. “They are the hardest to make profitable, but there will never be a machine that does your nails." She was terrified but also so confident in the idea, feeling, "so clearly that this was a hole in the market. I had that blind entrepreneurial spirit.”
"I had that blind entrepreneurial spirit."
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Founded on the idea that a manicure should be “downright lovely,” Olive & June was designed by the team behind at TenOverSix, and quickly attracted customers looking for something beyond the typical nail experience. Something a little brighter, boutique-ier, with non-toxic polishes and creams, the salons are both a getaway oasis and somewhere you can pop-in, get a quick mani and head to a meeting. The salons keep your preferences on file— round, square, favorite colors, and just how you like your cuticles.
There are currently three Olive & June locations, flagship Beverly Hills, Pasadena which opened almost two years after the first, and the latest of the bunch, Santa Monica, which opened about a month ago. The response has been overwhelming and tremendous. “I feel incredibly grateful,” she says, “that the Westside has embraced us so fully.”
Sarah is currently looking to open a fourth salon, scouting possible locations on a weekly basis. “I really want to have Olive & June in every neighborhood that it makes sense,” Sarah says, “but I am extremely cautious about fast and wide we extend our footprint.”
"I am extremely cautious about fast and wide we extend our footprint."
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Studio City, Manhattan Beach, and Orange County are on the radar, but she insists that Olive & June is a “slow and steady company.” Explaining that, “Every time we open a space we want the time to make it perfect. Because we are both a people business and we give service to people, it’s extremely important that every location can stand on its own.”
The next spot has to be the right spot.
There have been incredible opportunities to open in New York and Austin, but Sarah knew the team wasn’t there. “I was certain that as an organization we were not ready to support a New York location.” She admits the offer was “devastating” to turn down, but creating a strong foundation is more important to the business than expanding.
“I try and get into a least one salon every day,” she says. “It’s very important to me to communicate with the managers and the manicurists, and make sure that the people who work for Olive & June feel a part of the community as well.” That means connecting with the manicurists and management team, connecting with customers, sometimes going to two locations in a day. “It is extremely important to me that everyone that we hire is placed in a position of success.”
She calls this her “number one concern,” refusing to put anyone in a position where the client’s aren’t there. “Manicurist receive commission,” she says, “so I don’t want to open where they can’t be busy.” Currently there are approximately 80 people working for the company.
Beyond expanding locations and taking care of the team, Olive & June is looking toward the future on other fronts— product development and continuing to partner with brands that make sense.
Though her now-husband thought that she “might be a little crazy,” for following her instinct, Sarah knows that there are certain things the digital world will never take away: breaking bread, for one, and nails. “Hands-on is so important. We become these women’s therapists, their friends, the ones they turn to in the midst of a divorce.”
In short: A manicure has never been about the polish-- that's just the beautiful bonus, and something that Olive & June understands from top coat, down.
Be sure to check out Sarah speak on panel at Create & Cultivate DTLA this May 7th.
Images courtesy of Olive & June.
Arianna Schioldager is Create & Cultivate's editorial director. You can find her on IG @ariannawrotethis and more about her at www.ariannawrotethis.com
8 Snapchat Hacks You Need To Use With The New Update
Just in time for Snapchat's newest update, here's some hacks to make your snaps more fun.
Yesterday, Snapchat released a new update that further pushes itself to be the main communication app that you need. While the new update has tons of new features that make the app even more exciting to use, there are some hacks that you might not even be aware of that were available way before the update was introduced.
To give you a quick 101 on what are some other ways that you can make your snaps even better, check out the tips below.
1. Change the colors of your font + drawings.
You can customize the colors you’re using when typing or drawing with the rainbow palette. When drawing, touch and hold on the rainbow palette and move it across the screen to find other colors to use.
The same goes for text: just tap on the text you’ve written after you’ve made it bigger by touching the Text icon, and hold on the rainbow palette and move around the screen to find the color you want to use.
Rule of thumb: white is always at the top left corner, and black is at the bottom.
2. Video chat
Not only can you text your friends on Snapchat, but if you and your friend have the chat opened a blue pulsating icon will show up on the screen. If you hold it, your front facing camera will show up, and if your friend wants to video chat too, they will eventually show up on the screen as well.
3. Make your own color filter
Snapchat has a few color filters that make your photo look better, but if you’re looking to add a more vibrant or dreamy feel to your snap, tap the sticker icon at the top right, and choose from any emoji that is close to the color that you want your snap to have.
Choose which emoji you want and make the emoji as big as you can making sure you focus a corner on the frame and zoom in as much as you can. Zoom in all the way and place the translucent part on your snap and ta-da!
4. Have multiple filters on your snap
If you want to add more to your filters than just having a location filter, you can. First, swipe to filter that changes the color of your snap. Hold on it and swipe to show the time or temperature. If you want to show it, hold on to the time or temperature while swiping to the left to put a location filter. The only downside is that if you want to take off one filter, you’re going to have to start all over and take off all the filters.
5. Add multiple lines of text to your snap
On your notes app on your phone, have an empty note saved with a couple of empty lines that you can always copy and paste on to your snap. Copy about three lines onto your snap, and type away. You can always go more than three lines, but don’t put your followers through the pain of reading an essay in 10 seconds.
6. Zoom in on the details of your snap
If you have a knack for illustrating on your snaps and think of yourself as more as a Picasso type, using the zoom feature on your IOS phone is useful. Under Settings, go to General, and under Accessibility, turn on the Zoom feature under Vision. This will apply a magnifying class to your phone while you navigate it, but just turn it on for when you need to use it for Snapchat. This will help you with illustrating more detail to your snaps, making them a wonderful piece of art.
7. Make your own filter for your event
Holidays or big sponsored events aren't the only ones that can have a Snapchat filter. Make your event have its own Snapchat filter, starting at just $5. Just make your own filter design, submit it to Snapchat, add your own geofence, time that you want your filter live, and wait for Snapchat to give you the green light. To find out more information about creating your own Snapchat filter, click here.
8. Show the date on your snap and change from Fahrenheit to Celsius
You don’t have to be stuck on just showing the time on you snaps. If you tap the time when you’re choosing a filter, it will turn into a date, and if you tap the temperature filter, you can change it from Fahrenheit to Celsius.
Now if you’re still new to Snapchat’s newest updates from yesterday, you can now video call your friends (rather than waiting for them to show up on the same chat), send reaction GIFs of yourself, and use their new collection of stickers in their chat similar to Facebook Messenger. You can see the whole rundown here on Snapchat’s blog.
And if you haven't followed us on Snapchat, make sure you start following us now @CreateCultivate!
Priscilla Castro is Create & Cultivate's Director of Social Media and Community in Los Angeles. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she got her degree in Journalism from Cal State Long Beach, and pursued a career in marketing. She has worked with FILTER Magazine, LA Canvas, and was previously Editorial Director at BeautyCon. Follow her @kodeofkondukt.
Pushing Boundaries with Andy Torres of StyleScrapbook
Here's how going with your gut and moving to a whole new country can make you an international blog powerhouse.
For 7 years Andy Torres has been dominating the international blogosphere. And it’s not based on luck.
In 2008, Andy made the leap to move from Mexico, where she was born and raised, to Amsterdam to start an entire new life in the hopes of becoming a Fashion Editor. After many magazines denied her, she transformed rejection into fuel to start StyleScrapbook and the rest is history.
Andy’s story is one of going beyond one’s boundaries, making it work despite language barriers, and starting off from scratch. So to catch up with Andy before she takes the stage at Create & Cultivate DTLA this May, we picked her brain a little on how she was able to overcome her challenges in a whole new country and becoming an international blog powerhouse with StyleScrapbook.
Can you tell us about your background and what got you into blogging?
I was an Interior Design student in Mexico but I have always dreamt about studying Fashion and Music. On my 4th semester I decided to move to Amsterdam and pursue that. My best friend was living in Amsterdam which made everything so much easier as he was extremely supportive. After 2 years of living in Amsterdam, I took a couple of courses in Fashion Styling and my main goal was to become a fashion editor. I really wanted to go into styling and work for one of the Dutch fashion magazines, even if I had to start from the bottom.
I have always been very driven and hardworking, so I was ready to work hard to get my foot in the industry. I applied to every magazine I could think of and they all said no because I didn't speak Dutch. I was extremely disappointed but I had moved here all the way from Mexico. I wasn’t going to let that stop me, so I started StyleScrapbook. I started itnot because I thought people were going to follow it (I had no idea that was possible), but to use it as a platform to exercise my writing and hopefully one day use it as a CV to send to magazines.
When the blog started to get some traction and receive comments and followers, I had no idea where these people were finding me. It all grew so organically and fast, it’s almost like a blur now.
I feel so lucky to have started so long ago. I’ve always been fascinated that what started as a side project since I couldn't get a job in the industry, gained me an even bigger spot that I could have ever imagined . Always follow your gut feeling, that’s what I keep telling myself.
Following your gut to make the move from Mexico to Amsterdam proved to be very successful for your blogging career. What would you say to anyone who is not sure about moving? But thinks it might be lucrative for their career?
I moved to Amsterdam 2 years before I started my blog, so in reality, the connection between the blog and Amsterdam had very little to do with each other. I wanted to study Fashion Design and my plan all along was to study at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute. I think moving to a different country is a huge risk, but I always had a good gut feeling about it.
The key is to just listen to your gut and have a good plan set in place. I am not the type of girl that wakes up in the morning to do crazy spontaneous things, but I have always taken risks and try to stay very positive about the outcome. It's also comes down to having a good support system of friends and family around you to be there pushing you through and motivating you. The beauty of everything is that it doesn't have to work the first time and you can always try again.
The beauty of everything is that it doesn't have to work the first time and you can always try again.
How do you build relationships in a foreign country?
That is sometimes is the hardest part. You need to try to get out of your comfort zone and be social, meet up with people and network, but it sounds easier said than done. For me moving from a Latin country to a Nordic country was a huge culture shock, because cultures and personalities couldn't be any more different. It took me a while to get used to it but in the end. It’s been a huge learning experience for me as it has helped me improve some areas about my character that I always wanted to work on.
What was the biggest challenge you faced moving to Amsterdam? How did you learn to adapt?
I think the biggest challenge was getting used to the weather. It sounds simple but I come from Mexico, from a state where we pretty much get perfect weather all year round (Think of LA weather). Amsterdam has a very similar climate to London and it rains most of the time. It was extremely difficult to get used to grey days one after the other for months, and it took me quite a few years to get used to it. My escape route has always been that I get to travel so much, so I don't have to deal with it as much as I used to.
How has your style evolved over the years?
I have always been very true to my personal taste and I go for what I love to wear as opposed to just following trends. A few years ago I used to be a lot more feminine in my style, meaning you would probably catch me wearing skirts, dresses, florals and so on. The past few years have been a lot different, and recently I have been trying to explore mixing androgynous with a bit of a sexy touch. I believe in keeping it classy and I have never been the girl that dresses super sexy. That’s not my jam, however, I have been very drawn to lace and things that are a little more risky.
The blogosphere is highly competitive. What do you do to distinguish yourself from the rest and how to do stay ahead of the curb?
I was in very early in the game (almost 9 years ago), before this whole fashion blogging boom exploded, so I have learned to evolve with the industry but most importantly, keep true to myself. I think that has attracted my readers from the beginning because they know I am a true voice. They feel like they can trust what I say and I have always tried to keep a close relationship with them by answering messages, emails and what not. Also, I think that starting my blog in Amsterdam as a Mexican girl made me have a strong global reach from the beginning.
Keep a close relationship with your readers by answering messages, emails and always engaging.
In what ways would you like the blogging industry to evolve?
I'm very interested to see how much more traditional media (magazines, television etc) and bloggers can work closer together, and more specifically, how we can bridge the different industries in a way that neither side has to compromise their own ways of working, nor what makes them successful. There are huge opportunities that bloggers and magazines can collaborate on, and I know we will start to see some of the true potential and direction our industries will collaborate on over the coming years.
What’s your social platform of choice?
Ironically enough (and I say ironically because I was resisting it from the beginning), I love using Snapchat! Instagram has become so curated and I love seeing peoples real personalities shine through Snapchat. There you can really be yourself, so you get to connect with people in a more personal level. Still one of the platforms that I use the most as well is Facebook, as I get the most reach and where I have the most following (1.7 million), so Facebook has always been a very powerful tool for me.
How to Navigate the New Instagram
Just say no-tifications.
When Facebook behemoth acquired Instagram for a cool $300 mil, it was inevitable that sometime in the near future, the social media giants would swap the chronological feed for a business-savvy algorithm. That day has come.
It's tomorrow.*
It was first announced via blog post from IG founder Kevin Systrom. The majority of the web reacted just as expected. It was a lot of, Who Does IG Think They Are? Who Is Instagram To Say What's Important To Me? Give Me Chronological Or Give Me Death! What Do We Want? Chronology! When Do We Want It? Right Now! (get it?)
"What Do We Want? Chronology! When Do We Want It? Right Now! (get it?)"
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It's kind of funny, no? That given the rate at which technology changes and advances, we take serious offense to any change within the tech. However, now that we've had a week to calm down, un-bunch our initial hunch, we've assessed the Instagram fiasco of 2016 and have some pointers.
1. DON'T ENCOURAGE FOLLOWERS TO TURN ON PUSH NOTIFICATIONS
It's tempting, but disastrous. Imagine if you turned on Push Notifications for everyone you follow-- that would mean that anytime someone posted anything, you'd get a text. That's crazy. Before long those followers are going to unfollow you out of sheer annoyance. Instead a better approach...
"Everyone wants you to turn on push notifications. Don't panic. And don't do that."
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2. START COMMENTING AND LIKING
Instagram is supposed to be a community. One of the biggest voiced complaints about the new model is that IG is making a top-down decision about what your community will look like. What the switch requires is real engagement from brands and users to stay "Top 30." (You had to earn your top 5 spot on MySpace, didn't you?) Comment, like, engage, heart it out-- you have followers because they are interested in your unique perspective. So bring it to the rest of the IG community. If you're simply posting for likes but not sharing the love, think about it: Do you deserve to be in someone's top 30 percent?
THINK ABOUT IT: DO YOU DESERVE TO BE IN SOMEONE'S TOP 30 PERCENT?
3. UP YOUR CONTENT GAME
If what you want is to grow your followers, you need to be continuously evolving and getting better as a brand. You're supposed to grow within your work-- the same is now true to grow and retrain your followers.
Before you post, ask yourself: Do I love this? Would I heart this? Does this ADD to someone's day? Will it bring about new ideas? Spark imaginations? Are you making useful contributions? Sharing important information? Inspire? It's not just the photo either. Your caption is not an afterthought. Refine your words. Do better.
Or prepare to be IG vanquished forever.
*Instagram released a statement today via Twitter, "We're listening and we assure you, nothing is changing with your feed right now. We promise to let you know when the changes roll out broadly."
Arianna Schioldager is Create & Cultivate's editorial director. You can find her on IG @ariannawrotethis and more about her at www.ariannawrotethis.com
5 Steps To Creating Charitable Content For Your Brand
90% of Americans are more likely to trust brands that back social causes. What’s your social cause?
90% of Americans are more likely to trust brands that back social causes. What’s your social cause?
If you think that your brand is going to run on just the product or service that you’re selling, you need to expand beyond being one-dimensional and tap into a social cause that you can bring attention to.
Take it from our friends at EMU Australia. They specialize in premium footwear using the best natural materials and offer beautifully simple, innovative and luxurious products, however, they’ve made sure to also be the brand that has attached itself to a social cause.
They recently teamed up with WaterAid, a global non-profit, to support access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene in the world's poorest and most marginalized communities. To kick off their partnership and create buzz among the blogger community about their partnership, they focused on building #Blue4Water, a global campaign for World Water Day last week (March 22), one of the largest fundraising days of the year for WaterAid.
If your brand is looking to tap into a social cause to bring attention to a global social issue, take notes from EMU Australia on how to dip your toes into charity work and make the campaign work for your brand successfully.
1. Find a cause that aligns with your brand’s goals and visions.
When collaborating with other companies, make sure that your goals and visions align. WaterAid and EMU Australia were able to come together in helping 15 communities across Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste, two locations that are near and dear to EMU’s HQ in Australia. Not only that, EMU Australia and WaterAid were able to come together in a clear vision of what their campaign’s messaging and look needed to be, which helped make the campaign more impactful.
When collaborating with other companies, make sure that your goals and visions align.
2. Team up with social media influencers, and make it easy for them.
EMU Australia created a #Blue4Water blogger kit, which included DIY elements to allow bloggers to create customized, blue boots for World Water Day. These kits were sent to several influencers in the US, Canada and Europe and all posts went live the morning of March 22nd for a bigger impact. Also, they outlined everything down in a fact sheet that included key messages, social media handles and hashtags as well as some social copy for their Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts. This ensured a consistent message was delivered across the globe.
3. Keep it simple and consistent. use your resources.
EMU used the same DIY kit in each region and used the same hashtags so they didn’t their followers were not confused by the message. Regardless if your audience is in Australia or the U.S., your message will always stay consistent the minute you publish it, so make sure that stays consistent across the globe, especially if the message is a global effort.
4. Set your goals.
With every campaign, you should always set your goals and make sure that the campaign was effective for you and your collaborators. Set your web traffic goals, newsletter signups, sales and donation goals, and follower goals and regroup at the end of the campaign to see successes and losses, and see how you can make your next charitable campaign better than the last.
With every campaign, set your goals and make sure that the campaign was effective for you and your collaborators.
5. Have fun with it and engage inclusivity.
While charities are done in all seriousness, engage your audience and followers into participating by letting them get creative and having them show how they support the cause on their social channels. Although Emu had a campaign set with 10 bloggers to ensure they were getting enough traction on their campaign, they made sure that the followers felt included as well just like the 10 influencers.