Hello! It’s been a minute, but I’m back with a fun blog post. I’m answering some questions that you asked me over on Instagram stories in a full length Q&A! Be sure to follow along {@gabbywhiten} so that we can connect and you can ask me some more questions for next month. This month, y’all wanted me to chat about grad school, sponsored content, and current favorites. I loved how “old school” this blog post is and I can’t wait to do another one in a bit. Okay, let’s get into it!!
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links which means I’ll get a small commission if you shop through my links! Much love to ya.
Q: How is graduate school going?
A: Graduate school is going great. I mean let’s be real. I’m pursuing one of the hardest advanced degrees to obtain, so it’s not a walk in the park. But, I’m having a blast challenging myself on a professional and academic level. My PI and lab are great and I’m getting more and more invested in my project. I’m very excited because I’ll be headed to my first research conference as a graduate student [ I went to ABRCMS my senior year at UNC] next week in Washington, D.C.
It’s one thing that I didn’t really prioritize when I was choosing a lab to join. But, I can’t stress enough how important it is to choose a mentor who is aware and knowledgable of steps that you can take ~during~ your Ph.D. to make you a well-rounded scientist. We love professional development in this household. There are days that I work close to 14 hours and want to book a one-way flight to a tropical island and never return. But, there is so much value in the work that I do so it’s totally worth it. Or, that’s what I’ll tell myself until I graduate in 2024 lol.
Q: How do you stay motivated to keep creating when it felt like no one was listening?
A: The reality of the thing is… there is always someone listening. But, I think a much healthier and FUN approach is to create for yourself. I like photography because I like shooting and trying new angles and concepts. I wouldn’t say I’m the greatest photographer in the world. But, it’s a fun hobby that I have! When it comes to the blog, it’s a give and take on how much I feel heard. At this point, I blog half of the time as a cathartic release of how I’m feeling and half as a resource for others. My biggest tip for getting in the content creation sphere is to create for yourself with how your content can also benefit others in your periphery. People typically don’t care about things that they can’t relate to or learn from.
Q: How did you make such great blogger friends?
A: My favorite and ever increasingly important question for those of us who live on the internet. Blogger friends are actually the best resource when you’re a creator or a twenty-something who’s moving to a new city and have no friends who live there. My biggest and only tip is to connect and interact with people who you genuinely have common interests with. Online friendships will not form with people who you simply admire, people whose style you want to achieve, and/or people who you think are cool.
You have to have some common interests and something else to balance the friendship’s foundation on. If you both love museums or brunch or live sports events, you’ll have things to do and likely things to talk about. If you’re purely looking for someone to bounce blog ideas off of, find someone who has similar content as you or a similar aesthetic. For the love of God, don’t just message people with great photography so that they’ll take pictures for you. *insert major eye roll*
Q: What camera equipment/editing software do you use?
A: Before I get in the weeds, your camera equipment is not going to make or break you. My content is a mixture of iPhone, Point and Shoot, and DSLR photography. For Instagram and Instagram Stories, I use my iPhone XR [stories] and Canon G7X [in feed]. I’ve recently started using photos from my Canon G7X on my blog, but for product and lifestyle shots I really love my Nikon D5500 with a 35mm lens. My biggest tip is to learn how to use each product so that you get the most out of it. I’ve seen DSLR photos that look out of focus and overexposed. I wrote a whole blog post here all about my photography. I’m a Lightroom girl for photos and a VSCO girl for videos.
Q: I’m moving to NYC? Any tips for finding an apartment?
A: Not a single one. My apartment situation was set up by my school so I have very little experience with the nightmare that can be apartment hunting in NYC. However, there are so many wonderful NYC gals who have very cute and popping apartments and content on how to find one. Check out some good ones here and here. Okay, so that first sentence was a lie. My one tip, or rather a tidbit of insight, is that your neighborhood is going to play a much larger role in the happiness factor than your actual apartment.
I don’t live in my first nor fifth choice neighborhood. It’s residential, safe, and in Manhattan; but, it’s not close to most of my friends and the vibe just isn’t me. You’ll want to prioritize things like a cheap grocery store, a safe and reliable corner bodega, at least one craft coffee shop, a Duane Reade/CVS, and at least one cute and inexpensive brunch spot. My neighborhood conveniently has all these things, so technically it’s pretty practically great. But, I’d still like to feel like I fit as a neighbor in the ‘hood.
Q: Do you have any travel plans for the end of the year?
A: Yes, several! I’ll be headed to Washington D.C. next week for a research conference. Then, I’m headed back to VA for Thanksgiving and Christmas. AND, my family and I are headed on our first big family vacation in years. It’ll be my second international trip this year and I have no complaints. I’m frankly very excited to sip cocktails and do absolutely nothing for a week in Jamaica!!
Q: When did you decide to monetize your blog? Do you have any tips for working with bigger brands?
A: For me, there wasn’t a conscious decision to start monetizing the blog or Instagram. When I started blogging with Hannah on The Swirl Blog, it was just a fun hobby where I could write and share with people who were interested. Our first brand collaboration post was in exchange for product and frankly, I can’t remember what it was. But, it was maybe a year or so into our blogging journey. After we did one, we started getting more offers and a lot of them were not related at all to what we blogged about at the time. I think we even got a pitch to work with an alcoholic beverage brand and we were both underage.
When Instagram “ads” became more commonplace in 2016, we hadn’t prioritized our Instagram page. I used to regret this, but I like that I stayed focused on the blog. I made the unconscious decision to focus on building a portfolio of over 300 blog posts filled with useful information and great imagery. This now acts as a portfolio for future brand collaborations. It’s one of the biggest comments that brands mention when we work together. So, my biggest tip is to create content that is useful and high quality.
Most of the collaborations that I do now come from various networks like AspireIQ and InfluenceHer Collective. I also get some emails directly from brands that use in house PR teams. I haven’t pitched to any brands in a while, but my biggest tip of successful pitching is to create content that aligns with the brand so that you know that you can guarantee there will be some ROI on the brand’s part.
Q: How tall are you?
A: 5’ 3.5” !!
Q: What are your current favorite products? Beauty, fashion, tech?!
A: I’ve been loving the Laura Mercier Primer that was gifted to me during Fashion Week. It’s pricey, but I’ve noticed that my makeup transfer has been minimized which is exactly what I need. Also, it smells like a floral rose garden and I love it. My fashion favorites have been my American Eagle Curvy Jeans, Madewell Wide Leg Crop Jeans, and the Free People Dolman Quilted Knit Jacket that I got in my nuuly box. In case you were wondering, I am really liking Nuuly. I’m not sure if I’ll keep up with it every month, but I definitely love fall and winter fashion and can’t wait to try some statement pieces! Use my code for $10 off your first box!! I’ve also been obsessed with my Apple Watch since I got it for my birthday!
So fun! I loved answering your questions so thank you for asking them. What blog posts should I post next? I really want to get back to posting more consistently but I’ve had a hard time coming up with posts that aren’t just my rambles and are also useful for y’all! Maybe some fall outfits? Budgeting/finance? In the meantime, you can head over to my YouTube channel where I’ve done a much better job of posting content consistently.
