Month: February 2011

Hey guys. Today’s a good day. It’s supposed to be another warm one here in St. Louis. I’m also excited that I have a fabulous blog feature to share with you today. I love featuring other bloggers because I learn a little bit from every one of them. Oh, Mishka was one of the first blogs I found and it has made my daily reads list because the content is as real as it can get.

Michelle blogs about life as a student living in Wyoming with her boyfriend, Jordan. She’s a fashionista at heart but loves to write about day to day going. Stop by and check out her site, I know you’ll fall in love like I did.

TVH: How did you get started in blogging and how has your adventure evolved over the last 2+ years.

OM: When I first started blogging, I was working for a local clothing design company and started my blog as an outlet for my fashion and design obsessions. At first, I only posted photos of others’ work and never talked about my personal life. Eventually, I started working details of my personal life into my blog and got such a great response from readers that I made that my primary focus.

TVH: I love how personal your blog is and how you blog about your life in general. The variety makes for a great read. How did you decide on the specific content you wanted to share? Have you tailored your blog over the years?

OM: As I mentioned, I definitely didn’t start my blog to be about my life. However, now that I do blog almost entirely about my life, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. A great bonus about it is that I’m constantly motivated to become better, at cooking, styling my outfits, photography, or tailoring my design interests, so that I’m always giving my readers something new to read about. My blog really drives me to improve myself which, in turn, improves my blog.

And since I did start my blog initially to be a fashion/design blog, I like to talk about those things still. Now my interests have drifted from large fashion houses to small business and independent clothing designers, as well as vintage sellers. Similarly, I like finding DIY design projects to do instead of focusing on large home renovations or unrealistic kitchen styles. My 7 Things I Love Saturday feature is predominately about Etsy shops I love or art pieces by up-and-coming artists.

TVH: I‘ve been following your 25 Things to Do Before I’m 25 and I LOVE the idea. We are the same age, both 24 and I love the idea of setting 25 very specific/achievable goals to accomplish this year. What made you think of doing this and how’s the process going?

OM: My 25 Things list is one of my favorite things I’ve ever done. Like you said, having very specific goals that are somewhat achievable (some more easily than others) is really nice. Essentially, I’m spending my entire 24th year working towards something. It’s great to feel so productive, plus, by my birthday, I’ll have this whole list of things that I’ve accomplished. I got the idea from a blogger I adore, Sarah Von, who writes Yes and Yes. She’s been doing lists like this for the past couple of years and I just thought it was a great idea. As far as tacking the actual list, it’s going great! I’ve only been able to cross a few things off my list so far, but that’s mainly because a lot of them require quite a bit of preparation work, or are a huge process to do. For example, one of my goals is to run a half marathon, so I spend quite a bit of time every week working out and getting in good running shape so I can really begin training. Some of my smaller goals are pretty easy; the struggle with those is just making time in my day to do them!

TVH: As an antsy new blogger myself, I struggle with wondering whether or not my blog is being received well in the blog community. And although I started my blog as a simple online documentation of the things I do, I always love the confirmation that all my time is worth it with the addition of a new follower. One day I hope to turn my blog into a mini business of sorts. Do you have any advice for new bloggers? Anything you’ve learned along the way? In your opinion how do you get on someone’s “Daily Reads” list?

OM: My biggest advice for new bloggers is to keep blogging! So many people hit a wall around month 3 of blogging where they question their blog content or struggle to find the motivation or inspiration to write new posts. And it’s really easy to get discouraged when your blog doesn’t immediately take off, like most people expect when they start a blog. Instead, treat it like anything else in life. You have to work hard, you have to push through the hard times, and always ask for help if you need it. The blogging community is overwhelmingly wonderful about helping new bloggers out, so if you have questions about blogging, just send an email to someone whose blog you admire and see if they have any advice.

One important lesson I’ve learned along the way is that it’s impossible to please everyone. If you try to write a blog that will make everyone happy, you’re shortchanging yourself and your real readers. Instead, write strong, quality content. Maybe not everyone in the world will enjoy it, but the people who do like it are going to REALLY like it.

As far as getting on someone’s Daily Reads list, the best way to do it is by making friends. My Daily Reads page is mostly populated by blogging friends of mine. I love them and I love reading their blogs daily to see what’s going on in their lives. I also have a lot of people on my Daily Reads who I admire in some way, whether it’s their fashion sense or what they’re doing with their life, so I read their blog to inspire myself to become as wonderful as they are.

TVH: I’m a religious list maker and spaz out a bit if things aren’t organized. Have you established a blogging schedule? How to you find the time to blog with a busy student schedule?

OM: It’s definitely been an adjustment going back to school and keeping up with my blog! I’m sure a few people have noticed that I’m awful at responding to emails in a timely manner lately. 🙂
Honestly, I don’t have a blogging schedule. I try to post every day, but if I miss a day every now and then, I don’t worry about it. I know some bloggers who write all of their posts on the weekends and have them scheduled throughout the week, but I’m just not that organized. I wish I was though!

TVH: Your Etsy shop is pretty darn cute. LOVE the hair accessories. What made you decide you wanted an Esty shop?

OM: I have a hard time spending money on things that I could make on my own, which is why I started making the felt owl coffee cozies in my shop. Then I found some hair accessories that I love and decided to make those too. A lot of people really loved them, so I opened my shop. Unfortunately, I’ve had to cut back on some obligations so I can work as hard as I need to in school, and my Etsy shop was one of those things. I’m having a closing sale in my shop right now and it will end this weekend, when I’ll close my shop until I’m done with school in May.

TVH: Photography Question- What does your camera set up look like? I’ve noticed you make visual edits/apply effects to your photos, would you like to share your secret?

OM: I use a Konica Minolta, which used to be my mom’s husband’s. I love it, but Konica was bought by Sony, so they aren’t made anymore. I’ve heard that the Sony Alpha is pretty comparable, but if I were going to upgrade, I’d probably get a Nikon. As far as photo edits, I use GIMP because Photoshop is too pricey for me! I mostly play with curves when I’m editing. I’ve also downloaded a few curves settings that I found online that I like.

TVH: I always like to ask this question…What is a day in the life of Michelle like? (you’d be surprised by some of the answers I get on this)

OM: Oooh…I like this question! It kind of depends on the day, because on Tuesdays and Thursdays I’m in class all day and don’t really have a chance to do anything else. Every other day though, I hit the snooze button once or twice in the morning, then get up and make coffee. Then I do some blogging, read emails, and catch up on stuff online. Then I spend pretty much the rest of the day studying and doing homework.

Once my boyfriend gets home from work, we make dinner and watch Jeopardy! together. Literally, we watch Jeopardy! every night. We get super competitive with each other about it too! Then I either spend the rest of the night doing more school and/or blogging stuff, or, if I’m pretty caught up, I hang out with my boyfriend and do absolutely nothing at all (and it’s glorious!).

TVH: Lastly, do you have any fun things planned for Oh, Mishka in 2011? Anything to keep our eyes out for?

OM: My big plan is to do a lot more outfit posts. I’m big on making an effort to look nice every day, which has earned me some odd looks from the other students on campus who seem to live in their sweatpants. I really feel like I’ve come into my personal style lately and want to do more posts that reflect that. Mostly, I’m excited to show off some cute vintage pieces I’ve purchases lately!

It was such a pleasure getting to know Michelle just a little bit. I hope you’ve enjoyed a little peek into Oh, Mishka!