This is not a side hustle

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This is not a side hustle

Side Hustle. It’s become a ubiquitous term. Part of the lexicon of our times. Used to cover everything from second, third and fourth jobs to leveraging the sharing economy to an Etsy store to freelancing to blogging.

This thing that sits on the side of your “regular” hustle and delivers extra income. Something that consumes you and drives you and gives purpose. A million buzzfeed articles are written on this hustle and Facebook ads tell you can make a million dollars from it.

I have two problems with the term – “side” and “hustle”. It’s become a cute term that either misleads, diminishes or skates over bigger issues. Read more…

Bloggers, Brands, Buyers and the Truth

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truth about sponsored

There has been a lot of talk lately about disclosure, transparency and some bloggers/influencers doing the wrong thing. Those comments are fair enough. If you are being sold something as a reader or follower, you have a right to know it.

But I’m also in enough Facebook groups to know that there are quite a few misunderstandings on the brand and reader side as well.

So I’m hoping to clarify a few things. Read more…

Postcards from Blogland

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Post cards from Blogland

A few years ago my friend and I went real estate shopping in blogland. We approached with quiet trepidation. Unsure of the vast spaces that unfolded. Blogland appeared to go on forever. Just when we thought we may have touched the edges, another array of niches would shimmer before us. Read more…

Why I don’t need you to inspire me. But I WANT you to.

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When this blog was in its infancy, the tag line was “empowering mothers, inspiring minxes”. We were shiny-eyed with enthusiasm and the idea that we could touch other women’s lives in a positive way. The promise of doing something purposeful and visible. Something to fill an empty space while our careers where on maternity leave.

Then I started to notice something. How often a new writer would introduce themselves and their blog with the words “I can’t wait to inspire/empower/teach you how to make your life better”. Words that reflected the ones we had used.

inspiration. don't force it.

Words I found grating. They rankled and bristled and left a bitter taste. They did not compel me to explore that writers work. They left me asking questions – Why does this person presume my life is not complete without them? Why have they assumed they will inspire me? What’s wrong with how I am right now?  Read more…

Weekend Rewind + Why I like blogs better than magazines

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I am so excited (and a little starry-eyed) to be co-hosting the Weekend Rewind with Bron from Maxabella loves, Sonia from Life, Love and Hiccups, and Kelly from Kelly Exeter . I love a good party, I love hosting a good party and being invited to co-host a great party is even better. Like any fabulous party the Weekend Rewind is a place to make new friends and catch up with old ones. Please link up below to feed the mutual blog addiction.

Arrow 2

It occurred to me that my blog addiction has replaced my magazine addiction. And I used to have quite the problem. As soon as a new issue hit the newsstands, it hit my bedside table. I would buy every issue of Vogue, Marie Claire, Harpers Bazaar and InStyle. Their covers were full of promises that were seldom fulfilled by the pages. But that never stopped me searching news agents, coveting my next magazine hit.  Nowadays, I have a Collective Magazine subscription and I will sometimes buy Frankie or Peppermint magazine. At some point spending nearly $10 on glossy pages full of advertising lost its appeal. It was probably at around the some point that I discovered blogs.

These are the reasons I think blogs are better than magazines. Read more…