PINTEREST LOOK FOR LESS

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During the winter months, it's easy to fall into a bit of a style rut. Gravitating again and again to the same coat or sweater and wearing jeans 90% of the time. Whenever I'm feeling like this I turn to Pinterest for inspiration. Winter should be a fun season to dress for, not a bland one. Just think of all the things you could layer...

The outfit below is a perfect example of a unique, layered winter look. (And considering this image has been re-pinned over 325 times, I can't be the only one to think so.) You probably already have a simple black sweater and white button down hiding in your closet, so all you'll need to add is a slim-fitting leather midi skirt, which is also a versatile piece. Plus, this look can take you straight from the office to happy hour! Feel free to add your favorite winter trench coat and switch up the peep toe booties for some closed toe pumps. 

HER SUCCESS

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I have always wanted to be a cheerleader. I went to a performing arts high school that didn't have sports. They didn't even have gym class. The closest thing we had to cheerleaders were ballet dancers. Though it was an incredibly cool high school (a lot like Glee, actually), I really wanted a chance to be a cheerleader so I could cheer on my school and wear a cute uniform on game day. I mean, how can any girl resist a good pleated skirt, right?

In the competitive world of blogging and social media every day feels like a game day. I feel like my "game" is all about my photos and the score board consists of likes, repins and comments. A home run would be getting featured on a major blog or published in a magazine or working with a household name brand. So, where are the cheerleaders? Do they exist in this game?

A lot of days it feels like they don't. A lot of days it feels like people are waiting for me to lose so they have a chance of winning. But then there are some days when you get a super encouraging email from a reader or a text from one of your friends asking to collaborate with you and that feels like someone just did a cartwheel in my honor.

I love being a cheerleader for my peers, and I want to be even more of one this year. I will admit I have been the opposing team for some in the past, and you know what, it doesn't have to be that way. People can look at me as their target to beat, but I want to look at them and say, "Right on! You are such a lady boss!" because hopefully the more I do that the more cheerleaders we can make instead of opponents. 

My friend Latasha Haynes is a lifestyle photographer in a very competitive market, and she came up with this incredible quote that says, "Her success is NOT my failure." Isn't that the truth! Your success and my success really have nothing to do with each other. Just because you succeed at something doesn't mean I have failed. We all have our own paths to walk, and from a spiritual stand point, I believe that God has a special purpose for each person on this earth. No one is greater than the other even if someone has more followers than I do on Instagram. We are all equally as valuable and capable of doing wonderful things for God's kingdom and other people. Can I get an amen?! 

Handwritten artwork by Katie Sterbenz. And you can buy a t-shirt with this quote on it in Latasha's Etsy shop, click here.

Photography by Kym Ventola, Styling by Alex Evjen, AVE Styles; Dresses by Cleo & Clementine, Makeup by Stephanie, Neiheisel, SN Makeup Artist.

REMEMBER WHEN PINTEREST WAS PRETTY?

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Remember back in 2011 when everyone was just joining Pinterest and it was the most addicting, beautiful place on the internet? Though I use Pinterest every day being a "power-pinner, pinfluencer, pin ambassador..." whatever you want to call me, I'm getting tired of all of the pushing and self-promotion. 

It's still the place for many people to go to find helpful advice, IKEA hacks, and tasty recipes, but not for the pretty. When I want to find inspiration I open up Instagram or Tumblr because those seem to be places where people care much more about curating beauty. I'm tired of seeing text over images with "How to" phrases or "5 Ways to Style Short Hair" just because it generates clicks. 

So, I'm resolving to going back to the pretty this year. I've always been picky about what I pin, but now I'm ready for my Pinterest to feel more like an art gallery and less like a marketing platform - making my Pinterest-universe a place of beauty like it once was. Some people say that they hate their feed now because it's cluttered with pins they don't even like.  Here are some tips to cleaning things up:

  1. Make sure to only pin what you really love. Pinterest learns what you pin, so it's going to suggest you content that looks similar to what you add to your boards. So, it's your own dang fault if your feed starts to look ooogly (that's super ugly in "alex language"). 
  2. Make sure you follow and possibly unfollow the people who curate their accounts to your liking. When I follow new people with great taste Pinterest, again, learns what I like.
  3. Clean up your own boards by deleting the pins you don't love. (Note: Don't delete boards though because you may end up removing followers. Deleting pins won't hurt you though).

Photo by Rennai Hoefer

JANUARY PINTEREST CLASSES

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Happy New Year! I'm pumped to hit the ground running in 2016. Are you? If you're a blogger, marketer or business owner like me you may have some marketing goals you want to reach in 2016. If any of them involve Pinterest, I would love to help you achieve them.

I always offer online consulting, but I also have some speaking dates coming up in January.

1. ALTITUDE SUMMIT // JANUARY 20-22, 2016 / SALT LAKE, UT

Altitude Summit combines education for business owners, bloggers and creatives and networking with brands into a jam-packed week. This will be my fourth time speaking about Pinterest at Alt. I hope to see you there!

1. SAY HI SOCIETY // JANUARY 15, 2016 / GILBERT, AZ // $38

Say Hi Society brings the best of blog conference and local meet-ups together: amazing speakers, fellow influencers, and an energizing atmosphere. No need to book a hotel room or take time off of work. All of their events are accessible after 5pm. Woohoo! I'll be speaking about how to share your content on Pinterest effectively.

If you have any questions about either of these events, please let me know or visit their websites. I'll be sure to post any other speaking dates as they come up too!