So, this post is a little belated, because my blogiversary was actually last Sunday on the 9th, but I was a tad busy this last weekend so thus this belated post! It is so crazy to think that I’ve been blogging for four whole years. It seems like just yesterday and so long ago that I started out. I will never forget my first post, it literally consisted of mirror selfies of my outfit in Urban Outfitters because I had no idea how else to get photos of my outfit taken…you can check that post out here if you want to see me at my most rookie of stages…I guess you have to start somewhere, right?! I just wanted to take this blogiversary post to share a little about my journey as a blogger up until this point, the good and the bad. This is going to be a bit more personal than some of my usual posts, and I hope you don’t mind because this blog has been such a passion project of mine!

The First Year

My first year of blogging was…weird. I think that’s the only way I can describe it. I’d been living in LA for about five years already, since I moved here at age 19 to pursue acting. After five years of kind of trying to be an actor and go on auditions and all the other things the entertainment industry entails, I felt a little lost. I was 25, working in a restaurant, and feeling like I had no direction. I had an inkling that I didn’t want to act anymore, but I wasn’t yet ready to admit that to myself I don’t think. I had always loved fashion. I got this love from my nana, who is no longer with us, but she was such a huge influence on my life and created this fascination with clothing and putting together outfits. On top of that love, I had a couple of people in my life telling me that I needed to start a fashion blog. Back then, what it meant to have a fashion blog wasn’t nearly

I had always loved fashion. I got this love from my Nana, who is no longer with us, but she was such a huge influence on my life and created this fascination with clothing and putting together outfits. On top of that love, I had a couple of people in my life telling me that I needed to start a fashion blog, because I’ve never been afraid to do something a little daring with my style. Back then, what it meant to have a fashion blog wasn’t nearly as as common or clear as it is today. It seemed weird to me to put my outfits up on the internet, so I didn’t listen to those people for a couple of years when maybe I should have.

When I finally started my blog July 9th of 2013, I had no clue what I was doing. I was also gearing up to start back to college that fall after a long hiatus of being out of school since moving to LA from my hometown of Franklin, Tennessee. Just as soon as I started to get into blogging, I was then thrown into having to get back into the groove of studying, homework, essays, and exams. It was hard to truly devote the time needed, so blogging was just a thing I sort of did when I had time.

The Second Year

My second year of blogging, I started to get more and more in the groove. I started a new instagram completely devoted to my page so that I wouldn’t annoy all my friends with the hashtags I put on every post, and I really started trying to get more consistent. I have to say, in these first couple years I am so indebted to my closest girlfriends for helping me. You know who you are. These are girls that I worked with in the restaurant where I work who were willing to meet up with me thirty minutes before a shift to take pictures of my outfit before we started work. They believed in what I was doing and really helped me, some even researching different SEO strategies or making my first media kit. All you ladies who helped me then and continue to support me now, just know I’m so so grateful for you!

The second year was also a little strange in some ways. I still really didn’t have any clue what I was doing at this point, to be honest. It took me a full year to become confident in the fact that I was “blogging,” so I really started to put myself out there in the second year and share my posts even with people on my personal Facebook page. It doesn’t seem like much, but for some reason that was super hard for me and I still battle a feeling of insecurity when I share my blog posts to my actual friends and family on my personal pages. Some of my friends weren’t as supportive and understanding during this time, and that was tough. It is in the past, but it still hindered me and made me feel this insecurity with what I was doing. One thing I have to say is when you are doing something that you love, do it loud and proud! Don’t listen to what other people have to say about you. I know this is a tough thing to actually practice, but at the end of the day, you have to do you and get over what the naysayers have to say!

The Third Year

By my third year of blogging, I was truly starting to put in the time. I was still in school and really trying to keep my GPA as high as possible because I wanted so badly to transfer to UCLA. In spite of my increased courseload and focus, I started seeing that consistency was key. It was also in my third year that I started investing into my baby business. I started working with some small companies for trade and got a true taste of what could lie ahead. I revamped my website, bought my domain, and invested in a couple different courses to try to learn how to better grow my blog. This investment, though it hurt at the time, truly helped me grow and get to the place I am now. I started seeing there were other things I could expand to and write about, such as food or travel. It was in my third year I went to Europe for the first time and landed my first paid campaigns. The takeaway from that year is again, you have to spend money to make money. If you are truly serious about doing something, there’s no way to get around not investing into yourself and your business.

And here we are, my fourth year of blogging! I’m not going to lie, I’m not where I’d like to be, but I’m also proud of how far I’ve come. I still work at the restaurant and haven’t yet been able to go “full-time” like some other girls I know have been able to do. My parents still don’t quite understand what I’m doing. I still suffer from insecurity on whether or not anyone really gives a crap about what I have to say or what I’m wearing.

At the end of the day, I have learned to set these things aside and realize that I love doing this. Even if only one person gets inspiration from what I write or my style, that’s good enough for me. Blogging has challenged me in so many ways that I never could have anticipated. My sense of style has grown and evolved, I’ve learned how to take and edit photos and video. I’ve learned so much about social media, so much so that I now freelance on the side helping others with their accounts. I’ve met so many new friends through blogging. There really is such a cool sense of community among the bloggers I’ve gotten to know, both here in LA and across the country and the globe. Its so awesome to know that in almost any city I travel to, there’s someone there I could meet up with and share so much in common with.

I’m so excited for all the things my fourth year as a blogger brings. It is my goal to go full-time by the time fall rolls around so that I don’t have to juggle my last year of school with a part-time job and my blog. I’m also planning on attending my first New York Fashion Week in September, which I literally can’t even believe I’m saying but I’m in the process of making it happen. I’ve also got a wedding to plan, which is a huge endeavor in and of itself, and I’m excited to take you all along on my journey. I’ve got a couple other exciting things in the works as well which I will share more about at a later date, but I am so excited to see what this next year brings! Thank you all so so so so much for supporting my blog, commenting, and reading along. It means so much to me that you are here and I honestly would be nowhere without you guys. It sounds cliché, but its so true and I’m so incredibly grateful for each and every one of you!

Dress: Shein/ Shoes: Shop Ippo/ Necklace + Bracelets: c/o Nissa Jewelry/ Sunnies: c/o Diff Eyewear, use code MISSMOORE for 25% off your first order!

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