Is There Anybody Out There Part 3

I want to start this post with some exciting news, but I think it's important to back track first.

November 5, 2013

Picture girl, exhausted, sitting in bed ready to collapse into the covers.  Just before she does she confesses her inner most thoughts to boy.

"I don't know why I'm blogging.  This is so much work.  Maybe I should just give up".

To put it frankly, I was feeling what I'm now referring to as the 3 month blogger blues.  As much as I'd like to pretend that it's not, blogging is a lot of work, especially for someone who's been claiming it's just a "hobby".  I'm sorry, but nobody in their right mind spends this much time on a "hobby".  Between the networking, the gathering of images, the editing, and the e-mailing, blogging can be a full time job, and it is for some. 

Oh how I wish I had pursued blogging while I was unemployed and moving around the country, but you know what they say about hindsight :)  

Anyways, I was feeling discouraged and the self doubt was kicking in.  The voices in my head were taunting me, "You're not special.  You don't have anything to give anyone.  You'll never make it as a blogger.  Just quite now."  Being mean and lying to yourself is not cool at all.

Once I finally admitted that I was in it to win it, the stakes were suddenly raised.  It's a whole new ballgame.  Since coming clean I've been thinking a lot about what being a successful blogger means to me.  What do I want to accomplish.  What are my goals.  Right here, right now, in this moment being a successful blogger means:

Building a community of peers to learn from and grow with.

Finding a loyal group of readers/friends.

Being offered opportunities I wouldn't otherwise have because of my blog.  

Getting free stuff (if we're being honest, which we will always be here) and of course making a little extra spending money.  

These things are hard to come by though, especially as a newbie.  The number one thing I've learned on this journey so far is that building takes time.  You've got to knock and knock and then knock some more and eventually, maybe, someone might open a door for you. 

November 6, 2013

Picture girl making her way through a typical Wednesday in cube land.  Just before lunch she sneaks out her iphone to check her e-mail.  Scanning, scanning all the way to the bottom and low and behold, girls first door opens.

Invitation: Private launch party for Kendra Scott's new LUXE collection

I'm beyond happy to announce that I've been invited to attend the private launch of Kendra Scott's newest line LUXE.  As if that wasn't enough, I'll be meeting and interviewing the beautiful, talented, and self made Kendra for this little ole blog of mine.  If you've followed me for any amount of time you've probably noticed me wearing or featuring Kendra's pieces (here, here, here, here).   My darling sister in law purchased these and this for me two year's ago and I've been hooked ever since.  I seriously feel like I've just hit the blogging lottery you guys! 

Now, if I were you I'd probably be wondering how a girl like me got a gig like this.  I've seen bloggers all around me get amazing opportunities and I've wondered the same.  Let me start by saying that these things don't just happen to us little guys.  So here you have it, full disclosure.  I took the time to reach out.  Every time I featured a Kendra Scott piece on Brass Honey, I'd e-mail Kendra's social media division (every single time).  Eventually I guess they got tired of hearing from me and decided to throw me a bone :)  I'm not sure outside of that how I made the cut, but whatever it was has me over the moon.    

So what else is new this month?  Good god it's been a roller coaster ride.  How about I fully submerge myself into the blogging world and leave you with a brain dump.  You know just a few random thoughts I've had running through my mind this last month:

First and foremost, a huge thank you to my 61 readers!!!  You guys mean everything to me and I truly couldn't imaging going on without you :)

Commenting on other blogs is crucial to getting the word out about your blog.  Just be mindful of how you're spending your time.  As much as I LOVE checking in on Rachael at Pink Peonies, Jacey at Damsel and Dior and Wendy at Wendy's Lookbook, their readers are not my readers.  I'm not a fashionista posting amazing new looks everyday.  In fact, this blog is lucky if it sees one or two outfit posts a month.

Lovely blogger friends, if I e-mail you and you take a week to respond, that's ok.  You have a life, we all do.  I appreciate your time, whenever you can give it.  There's no need to apologize :)

After a boat load of research I've worked through the process and am proud to say that I will soon being using  Nordstrom (a natural fit since I do most of my shopping there) affiliate links.  I want to start small with one retailer and see how it goes, but I sure am happy I took the first step in monetizing Brass Honey.

I keep hearing about this amazing blogger community, but to be honest, until this last month I haven't been feeling the love.  I'm not sure what's changed, but lately I've received a few super sweet and helpful e-mails from fellow bloggers and I have to say it's been absolutely great.  A huge thank you to Rebecca at Caravan Sonnet for letting me know my profile was set to no-reply.  If you don't know what it means to be a no-reply blogger (I didn't) be sure you read this and if you use a Google+ profile like I do, you'll want to read this.  I feel so lucky to have a few good people looking out for me :).  I hope to grow and foster these relationships.

Despite my best efforts to keep a blogging schedule, time seems to get away from me.  I have a Decorating For Fall post sitting in my drafts that will have to make it's debut in 2014.

Still dying to know about sponsoring other blogs and whether or not the investment is worth it.

Also can somebody please help me figure out how to get involved in a group giveaway, please :)  I ain't too proud to beg.  Participating in a giveaway is my goal for this month!

I really do love blogging. 

 Thanks for reading.  If your a newbie like me and you want to read more check out Part 1 and 2.