I was lucky enough to interview rising star photographer and blogger Stephi LaReine. Stephi LaReine aims to provide not only an insiders view from the fashion industry from backstage at Fashion Week and style diary but daily views surrounding her global travels, encounters with tastes, textures, sounds and scents.
Tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m Stephi LaReine, a lifestyle blogger from Liverpool UK, I’ve got rainbow hair and have a love for music festivals. I’m currently finishing my degree for Photography & Graphic Design and was previously a fine artist and fashion photographer before blogging.
Why did you initially decide to start a blog?
I initially started a blog in the same way a Pinterest board functions, as a source of inspiration about art, graphics design, photography and fashion. After a few months I decided to launch it into the stratosphere as a full time directory when I noticed people clocking my informative posts and liked the idea that I can control my content and use it for good to help others.
What do you blog about and why?
I use the term ‘lifestyle’ as the umbrella term as I hate being tied down to one category I love life and all the joy and knowledge it has to offer! So you’ll find a lot of fashion, beauty, travel, food, tech and advice. Personally I use it as a form of outlet as an previous artist as it evokes emotion and informs people of wonderful things, the aim of the blog is to change little aspects of peoples lives for the better.
Any advice to anyone that wants to start a blog?
Start writing because you’re passionate, and not for the perks. Work out what really gets you going and pump out a few posts to find what you like and don’t like writing about. It’s all trial and error over time so another bit of advice is not compare yourself to anyone.
What are the best aspects of running your own blog? What are the hardest aspects?
I love that I am my own boss. I’m a creative free thinking mind, quite hippy like in my ways, and like to be expressive and decisive of my own artistic direction, so working independently is my favourite aspect, which also enables me to get coffee, set up shoots, meet amazing people and organise my own life by myself.
But it’s also the the hardest at the same time, as 24 hours is never enough time to do everything I want to do! It’s an amazing and satisfying feeling know I’ve achieved all these remarkable things solely as one person but do wish I had an assistant to help with the admin and invoices.
Which social media tools do you use the most?
I adore Instagram, I never used to love it so much as Twitter was my platform of choice, I loved that you have to craft up a witty tweet in a mere 140 characters, which teaches you to be short and snappy. With Instagram it’s highlighting the best parts of someones life and encourages everyone to channel their inner photographer.
What do you enjoy about blogging the most?
I love that it’s opened up my life to some astounding possibilities, not only content wise, but taken me to incredible locations, and met some of the best in the industry. There’s also the other side to all this which is receiving some heartwarming emails from my readers about the fantastic opportunities they’ve taken up from reading an inspiring post by me, or telling me how a certain device or product has changed their life. Which keeps you going even on the days when inspiration isn’t quite there, it’s an instant rainy day mood booster!
Where do you see yourself and your blog in five years time?
I want to be tackling bigger and better projects on the blog, and maybe delving into travelling the world and getting the chance to meet some readers on the other side of the world, who knows!