Blogging With Style Collective

photo credit: Sara Coffin

Happy Tuesday, loves!
This morning I was reflecting on my recent blogging revamp and decided that I needed to share an outlet that has been an integral part of getting my writing and photography juices flowing again recently. Style Collective has given me more inspiration in the past month than I have had in the past couple years trying to follow fellow bloggers that I adore. I felt like it has brought back a renewed passion to my blogging lifestyle and given me the confidence to say “this is what I want and this is how I’m going to do it”.

I am blown away by the camaraderie of bloggers I have discovered. It’s truly a group of gals who support one another, cheer eachother on, provide honest and constructive feedback and are the first to comment on your most recent blog post and share it all over social media. I have discovered endless amounts of  FAQs, podcasts, interviews, how-to’s, e-courses, worksheets, and guides that cover every single blogging step and answer every single question. Some things I struggle with are putting myself out there on social media and finding things that would actually be interesting for someone to read especially when it comes to my everyday life. I often find myself thinking “why would someone even want to read about what I wore to this wedding” or “does anyone even care that I took a solo trip to Europe”? And I have learned – YES. There is someone out there who may be struggling with the same things you are and have found some inspiration through your posts. Maybe they have writer’s block and stumbled upon a post of yours and they get an idea that leads to another idea that leads to a breakthrough for them. Or maybe they feel like they connect with you on a deeper level and you are, literally, a stranger to them. That is so powerful! Style Collective has encouraged me to find my own voice and write unapologetically and to breathe new life into my creative brain.

The thing that I have found the most helpful was a podcast episode with guest speaker Catherine Grace O’Connell and she spoke about sharing your story, how to connect, being an authentic and true ‘you’, and not giving away your power. She reminded me that each person has a unique voice, a unique purpose, and a unique path – those things cannot be faked like the amount of Instagram followers you have. There can be so many doors that open when you just speak freely, organically, and true to who you are at the core. When you forget about your follower count and actually engage with other people through conversation, you will be far more successful.

My favorite part?
The quarterly meet-ups, yearly conference, AND NYFW parties.