a website & community for women who write & blog
Energetic. Bubbly. Joyful.
These are all words people have used recently to describe me.
One person even said, “I wonder if you ever have a bad day.”
Another said she admires me because I am “so together.”
While these comments are sometimes flattering, sometimes that make me wonder if I’m being fake.
If you’re looking for things to do in Birmingham this week, don’t worry. I’ve got you covered.
Food bloggers, it’s time! Birmingham Restaurant Week kicks off tomorrow. This 10-day event gives Birmingham residents and tourists the chance to get a taste of the Magic City food scene and cuisine. From Aug. 12 – 21 participating restaurants will offer a variety of food and drink specials, including two and and/or three course prix-fixe lunch and/or dinner menus for $5, $10, $15, $20 or $30 per-person. For more details and a list of participating restaurants visit bhamrestaurantweek.com.
“A woman must have… a room of her own if she is to write.” – Virginia Woolf
I never needed a room of my own to write, but I longed for one anyway.
As a girl when I shared a room with my younger brother I found a way to write my really bad poetry in spite of all the chaos that little brothers can bring. (I love you, C.J.!)
But when I finally got a room of my own at age 12, I felt like a queen reigning over her queendom. My bad poetry got a bit better and I started writing short stories, too.
Fast forward to adulthood and at age 25 I found myself sharing my room again — this time with my husband. I continued to write nonetheless. No longer much of a poet or fiction writer, I was busy writing articles for newspapers and magazines, blog posts for websites, and personal essays for myself.
I could and would write anywhere — at our dining room table, on our sofa, in our bed. But that famous quote from Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own stayed in my head and I kept dreaming of a home office.
Last year, when my husband and I became first-time homeowners and traded in our two-bedroom apartment for a three-bedroom house, my dream came true.
I love my whole house from its high ceilings to its hardwood floors, but my office is the apple of my eye. And the reactions my girlfriends give when they see it for the first time cause me to swell with joy.
“Oh my gosh! Hashtag goals!” one person said.
“This is a YouTube office!” exclaimed another friend.
“Your office is like a Pinterest board come to life,” declared someone else.
But I’m not writing this post just to brag about how dope my office is. I want to offer a few tips to help you create an inspiring workspace of your own.
How do I juggle building both my business and my personal brand?
For over a year I’ve struggled with this question and would discuss it with anyone who’d listen.
Everyone I asked agreed that I did indeed need to build my personal brand. But when I’d ask how I was to create consistent content for and properly promote both I was met with shoulder shrugs.
You see, I do A LOT. In addition to being the founder of See Jane Write, I’m a full-time teacher and a part-time freelance writer. And save for the occasional intern and event volunteers (and my incredibly supportive husband), the See Jane Write team is made of me, myself, and I. So how can I find time to build two brands on top of all of that?!
Then some conversations with a few friends got me thinking. “You are Jane,” they said.
I never thought about it that way. See Jane Write started as a writing group for women that eventually became an award-winning membership organization and business. I don’t see myself as Jane. The women who rock with me are all Jane.
“But you built this. See Jane Write, as it is now, wouldn’t and couldn’t exist without you,” they insisted.
And that’s when I began to realize that See Jane Write is my personal brand, or at least it could be if I got personal.
And so after more than 12 months of mulling this over I made a decision to treat the See Jane Write brand as my personal brand, to share more personal stories of trials and triumphs on the See Jane Write blog, and to give my followers a behind-the-scenes look into my professional and personal life on the @seejavaciawrite channels on all social platforms including Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. I made a decision to get real while also remaining relevant.
In my next writing life I want to be a fashion blogger. I love reading about fashion. I love thinking about fashion. I love planning outfits for special occasions and everyday looks.
There’s only one problem — I hate to shop. And this weekend I’m attempting to revamp my wardrobe as I prepare to return to the classroom for the 2016-2017 school year and try to upgrade my look as I prepare to take my personal brand and business to the next level.
To get my mind right for this adventure, last week I watched a webinar by fashion blogger Jeniese Hosey of The Jenesaisquoi and style coach Megan LaRussa Chenoweth. The webinar was meant to teach us attendees “How to Know Where to Shop and What to Buy…Without Breaking the Bank.”
I knew it would be helpful. Jeniese is one of my favorite fashion bloggers and two years ago I was a student in Megan’s virtual style coaching program, Style Yourself Chic, a program that helped me improve my look in a way that gave me the confidence to turn my blog into a business. Now it’s time to turn that business into an empire! And I want to look good while I do so.