By Rosa Fairfield
Photographs by Linda Smith
Things don't need to be perfect
I've had people come to me for advice about starting a blog. A lot of them have seemed reluctant to start because they want to make sure everything is the best quality. Sometimes though, I think you just have to put stuff out there. I'm constantly learning what works and what doesn't and adapting things to fit that. Nothing you create will ever be perfect anyway, because creation is subjective. Plus, don't discount the fact that things looking rough around the edges can sometimes be used to create a cool effect.
You don't need to be rich & famous
When I was younger, I loved the idea of making it to the big time. After about 3 years of blogging, I'm happy to be making money doing something I love. I think that's all I originally wanted, it just seemed like you had to be famous to have a career within the creative industries. You'd only seem to hear from famous creatives. Blogging has taught me that plenty of lesser known people are keeping the cogs going in the background.
Fashion Blogging is inspiration and not influence
I've really started to dislike the word influencer. It's used to describe anyone with an online presence and I think it does everyone involved a disservice. When I post pictures of my outfits online, I do it because I like being creative and because I want to offer inspiration. Things become a bit more blurred with sponsored content and collaborations. We all need and want to make an income and you want to do a good job for the brand employing you. But, I think there's a line, influence makes it sound like you're getting people to do something they wouldn't normally want to do. Being part of the industry, I don't think most influencers actually want that.
Plus, it also insults the viewer. I know I'm not going to buy something just because my favourite influencer is wearing it, but I will if I see them wearing something I absolutely love. There's always an element of choice involved. Advertising is just about giving something exposure, it's our choice to buy a product or not.
The price tag doesn't matter
When I was younger, I always aspired to have designer clothing. Blogging and working in an expensive shop got me closer to that. Honestly, I've realised that there isn't really that much difference between something £10 and £100. The more money you pay for something, doesn't mean it's going to last longer. I've seen expensive shoes break after one wear. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you shouldn't buy expensive clothing. I'm saying you should spend the money if you love that particular piece. (A.K.A, not just for the sake of it and don't instantly turn your nose up at less expensive pieces.)
Fashion means something different for different people
I've had a bunch of people comment on how they like my personal style, even though it's not fashionable. On a few of these occasions, I've been confused because I've been wearing one of the latest trends. Then I realised that fashion means something different to different people. To someone it might mean the latest trends seen on the catwalk, to someone else it might mean wearing what everyone else around you is wearing. To another person, it might mean dressing nicely. It's a lot more subjective than you might think.
The idea of the movie 'popular girl' doesn't translate into real life
When I was younger, I had a lot of people presume I was the stereotype of a movie mean girl based on the way I dressed. That didn't translate into reality, I was more like a socially awkward nerd on the inside. It's gone the other way too, I've met various fashion bloggers who I've presumed are popular girls, when they've told me they've experienced bullying and never felt like they've fitted in. (A.K.A we should stop prejudice.)
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