Introduce yourself to the Something Social community via your top three favorite Instagram accounts!
Ahh what a hard question! I think my top favorites right now are @CarolineCalloway, @Oona_Design and @TaylorStering. Caroline is an insanely amazing writer and storyteller, her IG stories are witty and well written and she always manages to keep her followers in the loops about what’s going on in the world! Taylor is the founder of Glitter Guide but I love her personal feed because I feel like I’m seeing honest, quick moments of her life. And it’s pink, so duh! Oona is my good friend who also happens to be an INSANELY talented graphic designer (she does commissions so check her out!)
Your blog, T + Tour, launched a little over a year ago. Tell us about the start of T + Tour – what was your original intent with launch and what has changed over the last year of your journey?
I started T&Tour after a trip to Europe during June 2017. I got back to LA, having just graduated, and decided what better time to build and start a blog? I had a TON of content I wanted to share from London, Italy, Prague, Greece, etc. and just enough free time to do so before applying for jobs (shoutout SSLA :)). I had actually built and deleted my blog TWICE in college out of fear of judgement by my peers (one of my only regrets is not starting sooner) so my outlook on judgement is definitely something that’s changed. I always tell people, starting and building and editing and planning a blog is A LOT of work but the hardest part isn’t all the hard work, the hardest part is choosing to be vulnerable on the internet. You just have to get over yourself and get out of your ego. Whomever’s going to judge you isn’t a friend anyways.
Your saturated and sunny aesthetic mixed with hand-drawn collage elements is so distinct! Tell us about how you developed your personal brand and how you maintain that across all social platforms, your website, and your work.
Firstly, THANK YOU! I think being distinct in a sometimes over-saturated market is such a compliment so I really appreciate that! I’ve always leaned towards bright, happy, warm and pink colors (even on IG, before I started blogging) so it was only natural that my brand developed that way as well. I like to think it’s kind of a reflection of my personality? Is that cheesy? **Answers my own question** A little, but I’m a positive person!
What is your favorite way to interact with your audience online and your best secret for maintaining strong engagement?
I think responding to DMs is huge! If someone is going out of their way to personally message you, it’s so important to take the time to respond in some way because that really means something to them (at least it does for me when I message bloggers I look up to). I also think liking and responding to comments is important. I really don’t pay attention to “best posting times” but I have found, the less often I post the better engagement I get. Hasn’t stopped me from posting almost everyday though recently! Hahaha, can’t win them all.
You attended your first New York Fashion Week this year. You wrote a blog on it, but we need to know the deets. What were you expecting, how did you prepare, and what was it like to be there?
I still look back on that week and smile because 1. I adore NYC and 2. I feel so lucky and grateful to have even gone a year after starting my blog! And with one of my best friends! I wasn’t expecting to get into many shows so I was happily surprised Sorelle and I got to attend several. It was also such a treat to be able to attend events for brands I love, like Lulus, and meet so many other bloggers from all over the country (and the world) that I’ve been following forever!
When was your “I’ve made it” moment with blogging?
I haven’t made it!!! Honestly, as silly as it sounds, I really thought I made it when I hit 10k (that swipe up feature though) but I’ve realized, there really is no “making it” because blogging is unique in that you can never stop growing. It’s not like one day I’ll be CEO of the blogging world and, there you go, I’ve made it to the top. Even the bloggers “at the top” like Negin and Aimee are still constantly growing! I think that’s what makes it so fun (and challenging), the possibilities are endless.
What would be a dream collaboration for you?
Oh I think about this all the time, I actually keep a list in hopes of manifesting them (hahaha shameless). I think my dream collaboration would be a travel collaboration with an airline I love or a high end hotel chain. I LOVE traveling so much.
What can we look forward to seeing in 2019 with T + Tour?
More. Blog. Posts. MORE BLOG POSTS. I really want to focus more on the blog this year. I definitely used 2018 as my year to focus on Instagram because I felt like my credibility as a blogger didn’t exist until I had the following to match (it’s silly and untrue, but I was really in my head about it at first) and now that that’s not my concern, I’m so excited to start focusing on my blog. And, if you’re reading this and you’re a blogger or creator, you should be doing the same! Instagram is awesome, but it’s also not your platform. If it disappeared tomorrow, what would you have left? That was some awesome advice Julia Engel gave me at Create + Cultivate in February and, though it’s taken me a minute to follow suit, it really stuck with me.
Quick Rounds:
Dream vacay?
Tokyo! Positano! Amsterdam! London (always)!
Favorite secret spot in LA?
Aroma on Tujunga. Not suuuper secret but secret if you don’t live in the valley!
Favorite piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Comparison is the thief of joy.
One food for the rest of your life?
Pasta, please.
Guilty pleasure song?
Let’s Dance To Joy Division – The Wombats
Embarrassing celebrity crush?
Robert Pattinson is forever bae.
Follow this girly-pop princess on Instagram and on her blog.
Interview by our Brand Communications Coordinator, Kaeleigh Morrison.
Are you just as obsessed with Talia as we are? Tweet us @somethingsocial or tag us on Instagram- @somethingsocial.
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