ModlyChic Turns 6!
Not sure why, but this year I am more nostalgic for the birthday of this blog. Today, ModlyChic turns SIX! Hard to believe that this little hobby of mine has been up and running for more than 2,000 days. It’s almost unbelievable.
Over the years, ModlyChic has taken many twists and turns – similar to my own life.
It started in St. Louis when I was looking for a creative outlet to combat the boredom of business writing. At the time I had no idea what I was doing and figured this whole blogging thing would be simple and straightforward – like writing an email. My first posts were pathetic, at best, and yet it was something that I quickly learned to love.
Then ModlyChic moved with me to Boston where the entire blog began to take on a life of its own. By living in a city that hosted so many bloggers I was able to network and talk shop in a way that I had been unable to previously. That turned into really giving time and effort to ModlyChic, as well as dedicating some serious thought-time into what I wanted it to be. By the time I left, ModlyChic was much more than a random hobby I did as a creative outlet. It was something I loved.
One four-day road trip to Milwaukee and suddenly I found myself back in a small city with limited number of bloggers. Still, ModlyChic kept publishing. I kept meeting new people, collaborating seriously with different companies and really making a go of the blog. I even gave it a full-time try for 6 months before realizing I didn’t have the resources nor the desire to really take it to that level at that point.
So, back to hobby blogging I went when I took a full-time, non-freelance job in Chicago and moved, yet again. With this new teaching job consuming so much of my time and mental space, I worried ModlyChic would slowly fizzle out and die off. But I keep it as a hobby, as something that I love and I feel lucky have. At the same time, I don’t allow myself to get stressed out if it goes several days or even a couple weeks between posts – it’s not worth the stress. Plus it just means I need to get better at scheduling posts and working ahead.
Yes, in 6 years ModlyChic has been published from 4 different cities. It’s taken on multiple lives over those years as well. It’s gone through a couple big changes – blogger to self-hosted WordPress. And it’s gone through smaller changes – header tweaks. It’s been a little out of focus and it has found it focus – fashion, food and fitness. It’s been the host of Fashion Beauty Friend Friday, a blogger community that is still years later, near and dear to my heart. It’s been the object of ridicule and praise. It’s been something I am proud of and something I’m occasionally embarrassed to talk about. It’s been the vehicle that has driven me toward some of the most important friends I have in the blogging world. It’s allowed me to work with some stellar brands – DSW, Kohls, Monroe & Main, Athleta, eShakti, Adora Bags, Verizon, etc… It helped me land a number of freelance jobs, and certainly helps to pay the bills. It helped me realize I love event planning and allowed me to plan a number of events for bloggers in Boston, New York, Chicago and Milwaukee.
And, it’s offered me the chance to speak to a variety of groups on various occasions. I’ve given talks to high school and middle school students, I’ve given presentations to teachers on how to bring social media into their classrooms, I was a panelist at the first Blog Better Boston conference, and tomorrow I’ll be speaking at the Fashion Intelligence Symposium at FIT in New York City!
Overall, I can truly say that this blog, this little side hobby I picked up without a single clue as to what I was doing, has been one of the best things I’ve done so far. Cheers to 6 years of blogging and here’s to many more along the way!
ModlyChic Turns 6! is a post from: ModlyChic
