the diary of: Vintage Royalty & Meena Osei-Kuffour.

Meena Osei-Kuffor and I go way back. Back as far as 2004/2005...God I'm old... Before I started writing this introduction of sorts, I tried really hard to remember how I first met Meena, but because I'm getting up there in age I decided to do what I do best...so I guessed.

Although I can't accurately remember when we first spoke to one another, I CAN remember when I first laid eyes on her. It was sometime during my first few days as a lonely freshmen at Kent State University. Meena walked out the "Hub" (the local melting pot), this ball of style, confidence, and grace. She stood out like that one stray chocolate sprinkle that finds it's way on a mountain of vanilla ice cream, just begging to be looked at. There was something so surreal about her. Some would have said it was her outward appearance, but I don't think that was it. She had a certain air about her, one that hadn't, and to this day still hasn't, been matched by anyone I've come in contact with. It's like back in the days we were in college, she knew that Kent was just a necessary pit stop she had to make in order to fuel her wildest dreams.

Although college is behind us, and we've both gone our separate ways, Meena and I have forged the sort of friendship that is bigger than what we had at Kent. I've come to appreciate her as an artist, a businesswoman, and a hustler. Her blog Gossip Me Style is something I check out everyday, and her accessories line Vintage Royalty is both innovative and utterly amazing... like nothing I've ever seen before.

Naturally I had to get the skinny on what Meena's been up too, her inspirations, her fears, and her thoughts on the state of the fashion indusrty today....

___________________________________________________________________________

Tell me a little about yourself. Where you hail from, past and present involvement with blogging and fashion as well as what you do now.

Meena: I'm from Chicago, born and raised. I love fashion and everything about it. I've had magazine subscriptions since I was probably 11.... dreaming one day of styling the pages of these magazines. I started blogging because it just felt like a natural step to take. I have no prior experience in blogging, but I follow many blogs to keep me in the know. I currently have one blog, Gossip Me Style. I do have a few new ones in the works...

How did you get started in the blogging business and how long have you been at it?
Meena: I started blogging last year. I guess I just woke up one day and said, Why the fuck don't you blog? And it went from there...

What was your motivation for starting up Gossip Me Style?
Meena: My motivation was seeing these ferrible (fucking + terrible = FERRIBLE.) blogs out there. I was like, I can do this so much better, so I gave it a shot. Guess you could call it a form of hater-a-tion, but whatever...

Who is your core audience?
Meena: With Gossip Me Style, my core audience is young adults, ages 21-29 who currently have many side hustles as well. They work all day, party and entertain at night, and fit their hobbies in whenever they can. My audience reads my blog as they check their business and personal emails. If they need to be informed, and have a good laugh, they'll tune in.

Who are some of your favorite bloggers and what blogs do you read on a regular basis?
Meena: The Cut: Fug Girls; Lateboots.com: Marcus Phifer and Sham; Trenddoll.com; Diary of a Broke College Student (you make me laugh), and C.O.C.A. I read The Cut and Lateboots...Everyday...

If you could write a guest post for any blog what blog would it be?
Meena: The Cut, hands down. I think those girls have a ripe sarcasm about them that would be right up my alley.

Do you, or have you ever written or blogged for any other websites or magazines?
Meena: I haven't blogged for anyone else, but I have written for a few online magazines including: Vibe Vixen, Hip Hop DX, Evil Collector, Emergingthoughts.com (DIY writer), Spanglishmagazine.com, and I have many more in the works.
Can you give me the link to your favorite blog post you've done. Doesn't have to be popular, just your favorite.
Meena: I have two, and I wrote them in the same day (January 30). I think I was in a goofy mood, true Meena Mode. The first is called, "Hail King Louis" and the other: "Lady & the Tramp". I like to read those when I want a good laugh.

Any side hustles to speak of?
Meena: Besides working 2 jobs and blogging, I am a freelance stylist and a accessories designer for a company I started called Vintage Royalty. I think I'm on the verge of something when it comes to my earrings. I've only been doing it for about 9 months and it's creating a lot of buzz. I also started throwing fashion shows, my first one is coming up soon. Keeps me pretty busy.

So how did the idea for Vintage Royalty come about?
Meena: I'm not sure really. I use to work at the Art Gallery on campus (Kent State University) and use to meet all these artists and creative people. One day this girl had on these earrings and I asked where she got them. She said Japan and they were made of paper. I think a light bulb went off...I went to JoAnn Fabrics and went to work. It took about 2 or so years to come up with the ones you see today however.

About how long does it take for you to create one pair of earrings in your collection?
Meena: Well if I'm making a brand new pair, it can take awhile to figure out what I want it to look like. But honestly it is all the layers of glue and hardeners that take forever. Sometimes if I have a big order, I just put on a layer and then go back to sleep. One time I did that from 4am - 10am...it was rough.

Who are the designers that have inspired you most in the past?
Meena: Oh my God. I still get inspired by Marc Jacobs. The head accessories designer for Louis Vuitton is fucking ridiculous too. The shit she comes up with...Stella McCarteny I love, and the art and other accessories I stumble on inspire me the most.

In your mind, what kind of woman wears Vintage Royalty products?
Meena: I like that question. I think I get a lot of different types of women. But mostly you have to have confidence. These earrings can be overwhelming if you're not careful. If you think too hard about them, you'll never wear them. You have to just throw them on and go. I get a lot of orders for photo shoots and fashion shows too. But the girls that wear them on an average day are my true customers. And as you know, each pair of earrings have their own personality. There's one for everyone. Bold, creative, unique, loud, and strong fashion girls.

In your opinion what is the hardest thing about being a business owner?
Meena: Well, I was just talking to my Dad about this the other day...Time is my hardest battle. It's difficult for me because I'm creating the shit and selling the shit; I am 100% of the business. And I have to know both sides. I have sooooo many ideas, but sometimes I can't get to it as soon as I want too because there's so much going on. And when you first start out, you don't really make that much money so you have to keep your day job. I'm exhausted...

Also, what is the best thing?
Meena: The best thing...knowing one day that this business is going to put me right where I want to be. I think I've stumbled upon something great, and that excites me more than anything. I wonder how far it will go?

What are your views on the fashion industry today?
Meena: The fashion industry: I think creativity is at an all time high. Designers, stylists, and whoever else are getting crazy as they want and people are eating it up. I think it's wonderful! Fashion is #1 on everyone's mind right now. I know 12 years ago when I told people I wanted to be a fashion designer, a lot of people looked at me like WTF?! But teens these days can go to fashion camps and intern at 16 years old and go to places like Forever XXI and go crazy. And that's great, I love it. I know people probably expect me to talk about the high end, ready to wear fashion, but I believe it starts here. It starts when you're little and you have big dreams. I'm so excited about the future of fashion. Big and small.
If I asked a friend to describe you, what would they say?
Meena: Oh boy...LOL. I'm not sure what they'd say. I think they would probably laugh to themselves before they answer the question. And the first thing they would say is that I'm crazy. After that, they might mention that I'm also an ass. I keep them entertained.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Meena: In New York, working at a fashion magazine. Side hustles becoming apart of my income.

Any upcoming events or news you'd like to share with us?
Meena: Well, I have this huge fashion show coming up in like two weeks that I put together with one of my best friends. It's going to be a big deal. The earrings are growing, slowly but surely. I may be in Complex Magazine, but it's too early to tell. So my next step is trying to figure out my next move. I have lots of ideas stuck up there. Stay tuned for fabric earrings incorporated with the paper ones. I'm exploring brooches/ pins a little more, plus these fashion boys keep trying to get me to make them some earrings, so I'm looking into making some for guys. They're jealous ladies...
And much much more...

the diary of: LOUDreams.

I'm not entirely too sure when I first stumbled on LOUDream, but I do remember the first thing I thought about. As cheesy as it may sound, I thought: "I'M HOOOOOMMMMEEEE". No seriously, I did, and do you want to know why? Because being a fan/stalker of the world wide web and all it's counterparts, I had yet to find a small space where the author(s) shared my love for contemporary art, music, fashion, and travel. On a daily basis my brain and I had to travel to numerous websites all of which only encompassed one or two of these topics, never the whole sha-bang. So finding LOUDreams was a dream come true. I visit that little corner of heaven on a daily basis, and never ever EVER get sick of it. I'm grateful to that blog, because a lot of the content I write about for JENESIS Magazine, my writing portfolio, and sometimes pitch to M.I.S.S. has been directly inspired by Joseph and Shakib's work with LOUDreams.

I've thought about conducting this interview for awhile now. When I first started this series I made a list of blogs and people who inspire me to be a better writer and a better observer of life, not surprisingly LOUDreams made it in into the top 5. So after gaining the courage (read: BALLS) to reach out the Shakib and Joseph, I was very surprised at the amount of time it took for at least one of them to get back in touch with me. This amount of time being about 20 minutes (I know right, HOW COOL!). It never ceases to amaze me the luck I have at getting amazing people to give me insight into how and why they do what they do. Shakib and Joseph are one of a kind bloggers, for sure. They're the breed that care about their readers, and actually want to hear from them. You don't find that too often, but whenever I do, I'm loyal.

I'm done talking (or rather typing?), onto the juicy stuff. It's a good one, thank me laterrrrr!

_________________________________________________________________________________

Tell me a little about yourselves and how LOUDreams came about.
S/J: I'd like to say that we are young motivated adults who are fascinated and inspired by creativity in all spectrum's. LOUDreams was fertilized and grown (and still growing) off of a midnight thought that I (Joseph) had about a year ago. It came to me as a small idea of something that seemed fun and "cool" to do. Being an avid fan of the world wide web and certain blogs, I had yet to see one incorporate all aspects of everything extraordinary. Don't get us wrong though, we are not just your common website, we are planning some amazing things for the future, taking one baby step at a time.

What was your motivation for starting LOUDreams and how long have you been at it?
S/J: You basically see everyone take that certain same old road, we wanted to start something new, something fun, and something for many people to be excited about. I think Shak and I share that same idea. We do this more for the people then ourselves even though we highly enjoy it.

Do you have a core audience? If so, who is the audience (age, occupation etc) and if not what kind of people would you like LOUDreams to attract?
S/J: Our viewers are pretty interesting. We have our good core of 16-30 year olds who enjoy the entire website but then we have a community of older adults who love the design, photography and art posts. Our fans, whatever age they are, are awesome. Any and everyone who is ready to take a dose of yumminess is welcome to the LOUDreams world.

There are all sorts of topics that get addressed on your website. Whats your favorite topic to write about for LOUDreams?

S: I enjoy the whole music aspect of things. I like to paint pictures with my words, so when I am capable of reviewing my favorite artists' concerts I can't help but to get geeky.

J: The art post are always different, always refreshing, and amazing to discover.

I know you guys feature a lot of art on LOUDreams, far more than any other blog I've seen other than maybe Kanye's blog. Who are your favorite artists or projects you've featured on the website?
S: Art is the whole idea behind our vision because we feel that everything we post is art. Personally, I am a big fan of music and the videos. So, I'll answer this a bit differently. I am a big fan of BB Gun, the director of Christian Rich's Famous Girl, KANYE WEST (Not the 'Hip Hop Artist,' the ARTIST). I feel that Lupe and Kanye are 2 of the few that realize music is an art and they constantly make art for art's sake.

J: I am a big fan of David Choi's graffiti work, that man risks his own lively hood to make these phenomenal wall murals, have you seen his documentary? Making artwork out of his own blood? Yeah, I know, crazy! And then there are other artists like Jo Hamilton who created crochet artwork, which I thought was splendid. Every artist we put up we definitely enjoy, that's why it's up.

I've noticed that you all seem to favor (or at least post) brands that boast a very clean aesthetic. Are their any brands or designers you're particularly fond of?
S: I am a big fan of Triumvir, FiveFour, GStar, and 3Sixteen... They should send me some samples of clothing ;D.

J: The funny thing is we do like the more simple and clean looking aesthetics but my favorite designer is outgoing Thom Browne and his creative designs.

What blogs do you read on a regular basis? And do you generate ideas from those said blogs, for LOUDreams?
S:I am a big... HUGE fan of Street Etiquette, HypeBeast, Kanye, Nahright and KiD CuDi. I like 2DopeBoyz, but they don't filter enough. I feel like they put everyone on. My motto is Scarcity Determines Value. We like to put the best of the best.

J: Coute de Coute is a favorite. Jeff Hamada's booooooom.com is fun. Egotastic is sexy. Gizmodo is a necessity, it feeds my iPhone hunger, Hypebeast is great, your great.

S: And hell yeah we do. Those blogs I mentioned above are great at what they do, Street Etiquette especially. I feel like we all need to meet and take over the Blog-Sphere haha.

In 5 years where do you see yourself and LOUDreams?
S: In 5 years... You'll see. There are a great many things in the works. But... We will always maintain our 'Grass Root' mindset. E-Mail and you'll get an answer. If you don't it's because I accidentally forgot to respond. To any of those people... Sorry and get back on your email and hit 'Re-Send.' Please and Thank you.

In a couple sentences please let my readers know why they should check out LOUDreams everyday like I do.
S: Man... You should just check it out and decide for yourselves. If you like it, know that we'll be doing it everyday. And, if you don't like it know that we'll still be doing it everyday. And, please email us with any suggestions to make it better.

Who are some of your favorite bloggers? If you have any, express why they are your favorites.
S: KiD CuDi because its brushing the surface of being his journal. Its a good and honest perspective of the industry. STREET ETIQUETTE Too. Those guys are 'old souls,' with an amazing sense of fashion.

J: I respect Jeff Hamada's art and photography posts, he keeps it simple, finds the best, posts the best, and is always active in the art, design, and fashion world. I definitely respect Kanye's blog, he post what he likes, he doesn't say much unless he's flustered, but his content is always on point. I highly love the people who work at acidolatte.blogspot.com, they, by far, post the best artist and artwork on the web, I don't know them personally but it is damn amazing.

If you could write a guest post for any blog what would that blog be?
S: Mannn...I would love to guess post on your blog... Shout out to TheDiaryofaBROKEcollegeStudent.blogspot.com

J: Diary of a Broke College Student, did you even have to ask...? (GOOD ANSWER GUYS!!)

If you could trade places with anyone in the world who would it be?
S: I'd trade places with only my mother or father, so I could understand what it means to be in love.

J: These questions are so difficult! Ryan Paraiso, our head writer for the website is in New York for vacation, I need a vacation so I pick him.

What, in your opinion, is the best thing about living in LA?
S: LA is a beast. I hate and love living here. It's great because it is an exercise of the mind. You have to be able to read people and understand their motives. It helps build your understanding of character. So, to answer your question... The best part of LA is being able to communicate with an immense number of people.

J: The best of everything, you got the beach, the girls, the nightlife, the day life. Can I say that everything happens in L.A.?

In your opinion, what makes a good blog/website.
S: I don't know haha.

J: A good concept, simplicity in regards of website layout and design.

Any advice for less experienced bloggers out there?
S: Don't let the inexperience stop you. Fuck getting your feet wet, take some chances and belly flop into life's ocean.

J: It's all about content, content, content, the more you have, the more will come.

If you could own one item right now, what would that be? (Money is no option)
S: Could I own love? Trust? I'd love to own the rights to word 'swagger.' Its used too frequently. Back in the days swagger would describe a James Dean, a Dean Martin, a Sammy Davis Jr., a Muhammad Ali, a Michael Caine.... Should I continue? Stop throwing away the emphasis of beautiful words. Stop telling everyone in the world you love them because its not true. When you tell an acquaintance you love him/her it takes away from when you say I Love You to your mother or significant other.... Cherish your words.

J: A fuel efficient car would be nice.

Air Jordan 1's or Air Yeezy's.
S: Air Jordan 3s! Haha. I need to be able to play hoops in my kicks. I can't hoop in Yeezy's or the 1s.

J: Air Jordan's, why..? because I'm not an alien. respect to Kanye for getting out his dreams and I love his work, don't get me wrong, but I don't share his dreams nor that kind of style... God I hope he doesn't read that.

Favorite article of clothing.
S: My underwear! I hate it when I forget to do laundry and have to go free. Haha. I love all my clothes equally, but I appreciate my underwear the most.

J: Umm wristwatches, cause I'm one of those guys who say creative things for the hell of it.

Favorite song or favorite artist.
S: Lupe Fiasco... KiD CuDi - The Prayer is constantly on repeat with The FuthaMuckas - Dance Like She Used To, H.O.P.E. - Nightlife II, U-N-I - Land of The Kings and AJ Alexander - How Does It Feel? That CD has been ultra-durable in my whip.

J: I can't pick a favorite song, I think for me it changes everyday, but a band or artist I truly admire for their creativity and work ethic is definitely Radiohead, they have been consistently great in a world where no one can be consistently anything... side note: I have recently become highly disgusted with everything on the radio, the music that our youth is requesting over and over again makes me sick, it's terrifying for our generation. There is only so much LMFAO a man can take.

the diary of: Daydream.

In my short life thus far, I've been blessed with the unique ability to become friends with anyone. People I don't know, people I kind of know, and people who are friendly with my friends are all free game. I think this is most prevalent when I think about the way I met my next two interviewees.

Ok, get ready for a Brady Bunch story here kiddies:

During my last year at Kent State University where I solidified my role as a Broke College Student, and started this blog, I met Katya Philmore, who introduced me to Noah Traylor. Noah found his way into my big ol' heart the way any normal man would: his sneaker collection. After a year of giving random advice to Noah, and long talks on my front porch with Katya, I packed my shit, and left Ohio for good. This is where Loren Bates and Terrence Hubbard come into the picture. Being that Ohio is about as big as a New York city block, everyone knows everyone in some form or fashion. Noah knew Terrence and Loren. How? I'll never know, but that's not the point of this story.

Sometime at the beginning of the semester, when parties were off the hook and everyone wanted to look super dope for them, is when I spotted T & Loren. Noah hanging in the same social circle and loving everything that touched his body, would take pictures of them as a group to display their obvious freshness. Being that I'm an addict for the fresh, I took notice (and plus I thought they were both really cute...lol).

To make a long story short, I came to visit for my friend Danielle's birthday sometime in December and officially met Loren. Although rather reserved, some would even say shy, there is still something about him that can draw people to his presence. Confidence is the ultimate aphrodisiac, and I think that's something Loren has going for him big time (even though I don't want to have sex with you). Terrence on the other hand, I haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet, but I feel like we're kindred souls in a sense. He seems to have a deep sense of creativity, something I could tell when checking out the artists the boys feature on Find Your Dreams. Plus he's cute, so it helps (Ok I'm done I promise).

Alright, I've already written enough. Here's the point: Everyone thinks their special, yet everyone doesn't act like it, we don't set ourselves apart from one another. We do the same things, wear the same things, and act the same way. It's very rare that I find MEN who are willing to go above and beyond to set themselves apart from the pack and do what makes them happy. It's also very rare that I find men who do this as confidently as these two young men your about to learn about. They are a rare breed of gentlemen wanting to live out their dreams, and I'm so happy to call them my friends (or rather homies as Loren puts it HA!)

____________________________________________________________________________

DEE: Tell me a little about yourself. Where you hail from, past and present involvement in blogs what you do now.

LOREN: Long story short... We attended Bedford High School in the middle class suburbs of Cleveland. Terrence & I both had algebra together in 7th grade where Terrence would often draw the Air Jordan shoes I was wearing at the time while in class; pretty funny now that we look back on it. When Terrence & I got to high school up until our senior year, we stayed in the same art programs which ultimately became the reason we became so close and ended up attending Kent State together, were from there we established that we wanted to create a clothing brand... fast forwarding a few chapters; after the addition of Lawrence Ellis, Noah Traylor, and Jason Horne we created Daydream.

Maybe later we can give you the whole nine on how the team was formed... If you play your cards right.

DEE: How did you get started in the blogging business and how long have you been at it?

LOREN: We've been wanting to start the blog for over a year but we officially started the last day of February. We're still rookies, I guess?

DEE: What was your motivation for starting your blog?

BOTH: Giving the current state of dependence our society has for technology, there is no way we can expand our brand without the help of the Internet. So one of these apes got the bright idea to start a blog... So here we are.

DEE: Do you blog or write for any other magazines or websites?

BOTH: No other besides our Daydream blog and Things I Can't Afford

DEE: Any side hustles?

LOREN: Nope, neither of us are engaged in any "side hustles"... Just your typical broke college students. But I guess you could label Daydream as side hustle, once we start making money off of it. Noah on the other hand has many!

DEE: Who's your core audience (age, occupation, stuff like that)

BOTH: Basically the young adult, college crowd... But we don't discriminate. We're thankful just to be noticed.

DEE: If I asked a friend of yours to describe you, what would they say?

TERRENCE: Quiet. Some say shy, some say cool, I say I'm amazing. Some say artistic, some call me a rebel. I sometimes get that I'm a hippie. YESSSS!!!

LOREN: I'd love to know... But if I had to guess, I'd say original?

DEE: Who are some of your favorite bloggers?

LOREN: Kid Cudi, he's a Cleveland fellow just like myself and he's pretty funny. He gives us hope that we can actually escape from this God forsaken city. Ibn Jasper. He doesn't get the respect he deserves because he's in Kanye's shadow, so I like to hear what he has to say. Kanye of course to hear about upcoming tours, songs, and his infamous rants. And last but not least, the people I know personally. Its nice to follow peoples blogs that you actually have interactions with. Some people tend to be more open on they're blogs then they do in an actual conversations.

DEE: What blogs do you read on a regular basis?

TERRENCE: On the regular I check out DAYDREAM (that blog is f-ing awesome), kanyeuniversecity, kidcudi.com/news (Cleveland rep. yesssss!!!), Hypebeast, LOUDreams, bbcicecream, Highsnobiety, and Twitter of course lol.

DEE: What do you write about the most for your blog?

LOREN: We cover it all. Anything that catches the eye basically... I specialize in cars, houses, Jordans... that whole get up. T on the other hand mainly dabbles in Art and Noah covers celebs, sports, and news. As a whole we post clothing, videos, music, gadgets. If it inspires us, you'll see it.

DEE: If you could write a guest post for any blog what would that blog be?

TERRENCE: BBC's blog... "I can relate to them more."

LOREN: The Hundreds... "The obvious answer would be Kanye's blog or Hypebeast simply for exposure... But I'm just not that obvious, plus The Hundreds are more personal."

DEE: Can you give me a link to your favorite blog post you've done. Doesn't have to be a very popular one, just your favorite.

BOTH: The way our blog works, you can't post links to an individual post (for some reason?) but, our favorite post was the Air Yeezy camp out sneak peak. It was our first personal blog post, different from the normal posts about fashion and music. We informally introduced ourselves to the world... or at least our 5 viewers.

DEE: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

TERRENCE: Hopefully successful, and designing.

DEE: Any specific tips you have for new bloggers who want to make it in the blogosphere?

TERRENCE: "Be original & post frequently."

DEE: What does the future hold for you and your blog?

TERRENCE: "The future holds world domination!!!"

LOREN: "Basically what Terrence said, but the politically correct thing to say I guess would to be successful... You don't blog because your bored, you blog becasue you want to be noticed. At least in our case."

TERRENCE: O yea. Peace and Love by the way.

LOREN: You remember that scene from "Almost Famous" where right before his interview, Russell tells William off the record... "Just make us look cool." Haha...

Sure you do.

For more information on my favorite boys be sure to check out:

Find Your Dreams
Loren's Twitter
Terrence's Twitter
Noah's Twitter

the diary of: Sarah Morrison.

Sarah Morrison is my favorite blogger. Ever.

I learned about Sarah Morrison's existence through a tiny little magazine called Missbehave. Actually, my friend Katya gave me a nudge in the Missbehave blog direction, because she had been reading Sarah's daily musing and thought that with my obnoxious personality, I'd like her too. She was right in so many ways. So I started reading the magazines blog little by little, and Sarah started standing out as my favorite more and more. Within a months time, I was certifiably obsessed with the magazine, quoting with Katya the ridiculous things she would write. Yes, I was in love, with Missbehave and the love of my internet life, Sarah Morrison.

My favorite Sarah Morrison memory has nothing to do with what she's written, but more to do with the type of person she is. Before my last trip to New York last October, I was prompted (or rather encouraged) to contact Sarah, to see what was happening in the city the week we were due to be there. Not only did she facebook me with her direct email address, but when I emailed her my questions, she emailed me right away and even offered to meet up with my friends and I if her schedule permitted. This may seem small to some, but it was big for my friends, but especially to me.

Sometimes bloggers can seem like celebrities to their readers, and in some instances the bloggers who are successful (and some who are not), forget that they are normal people just like their readers. Not sure if that made sense, but this will: Sarah Morrison is a great writer, an even better blogger, and an awesome person. In my opinion that is all that matters.

I recently had the opportunity to ask Sarah a few (ok, QUITE a few) questions about her journey and her hustle. After your done reading up, I'm sure you'll love her just as much as I do.

__________________________________________________________________________

DEE: Tell me a little about yourself. Where you hail from, past and present employment what you do now.
SARAH: I was raised by two hilarious and crazy parents in Boston, Massachusetts. I have a degree in Early Childhood Education and Human Development as well as half my Master's done in Social Work which most don't know. I never planned to leave Boston for good. But one day I did. And I'm glad I did. I moved to Los Angeles for grad school. I didn't like the program. I dropped out. I reevaluated my life. I'd never had a retail job or waitressed or anything like that. Since I had gotten working papers at 15, I did day care and such. I taught. I did social work type jobs. Then I decided I wanted to try a meaningless job. And American Apparel was hiring. From there I got a job as a hostess at a nightclub in LA called Cinespace. I worked in the office during the day as a door girl at night. From there I started throwing my own parties....

At some point along the way, I started writing down all the funny things that happened in my day. Things people said, customer interactions, hilarious musings. At the end of each week, I compiled them and wrote a blog called Sarah Morrison's Best Week Ever. It was a quick read. Usually 10-15 bullet point formatted musings. It was funny. People enjoyed it. It evolved as I evolved. My writing got tighter. The stories and characters changed as my life did. People enjoyed it. I began doing these video blogs as well. I would pick a silly topic and sort of pretend it baffled me beyond belief and list the half serious reasons why. The videos are not for people who aren't particularly bright nor was the blog. Nor is anything I do. Unfortunately that's 99 percent of the population. Those people think I'm serious. It's lost on them. Those people bum me out.

I left LA to pursue writing legitimately. There wasn't a lot of that at the time in LA. Plus I was burned out on the party shit. I lived in Philly for a brief period doing the Urban Outfitters blog. Philly got old fast. From there I wanted to move to New York and I wanted to work at a magazine. And I wanted to work at Missbehave. I emailed Samantha Moeller. I told her who I was, what I did, how obsessed I was with Missbehave and by the end of the day I had a meeting with her and Mary set up. They brought me on to run the blog and write for the magazine. It was the greatest experience of my life to date. I didn't even need to make friends, the smartest funniest girls in all of New York were sitting next to me all day in my office. I learned how a magazine worked. I tightened up my writing. I legitimized myself. I believed in what we were doing. We all did. And what's what a job should be. I miss it still. I cry a lil sometimes when I talk about it. So I'm glad we are typing.

Missbehave folded. I was over New York and wanted to move back to LA. So i did that. Volcom approached me. They wanted to start a blog to sort of mirror the lifestyle of the girl who wears there clothes. They thought I was the girl to do it. The content is similar to that of the Missbehave blog, since it's simply my thoughts on blast. But it's going well. Yall should check it out.

I do and always have done marketing stuff on the side too. I think people can tell that. Companies, services, brands hire me to PR them through my writing. It's a little more lucrative then the professional blogger bit as I am sure one might guess.

DEE: How did you get started in the blogging business and how long have you been at it?
SARAH:I started that Best Week Ever blog in 2005. The reception to that has been and still is amazing. I stopped doing it a couple months ago after the website I wrote it for was short on cash. Now I sort of just do "it" all day long on Twitter. Over the years I have written for a bunch of websites and magazines as well. But it was that Best Week Ever thing that got me here. Do what you love for free and if you do it well the money will come. And it did and still does.

DEE: What was your motivation for starting your blog Sarah's Electronic Blog Ride?
SARAH: $$$$$$$

DEE: Who's your core audience (age, occupation, stuff like that)
SARAH: It's girls. It's girls usually in high school or college some a lil older. Even as I get older, the audience doesn't change. I'm not sure what that says about me.

DEE: If I asked a friend of yours to describe you, what would they say?
SARAH: Crazy, funny, fun, fashionable, emotional, pretty, and TV.

DEE: Who are some of your favorite bloggers?
SARAH: I really don't read the blogs. I can't. I don't want to rip anyone off and I don't want to know who's ripping me off. I write without reading. Keeps the content original.

DEE: What do you write about the most for your blog? Gossip, celebrities, fuckery?
SARAH: I used to write a lot about my personal life. But that's gotten hard for the people involved in my life. So I've stepped back from that. Usually timely pop culture stuff or less invasive personal stuff about my life.

DEE: If you could write a guest post for any blog what would that blog be?
SARAH: I stopped reading Jezebel when I started at Missbehave because I didn't want to overlap on content or at least be aware I was overlapping on content. But Jezebel definitely.

DEE: Can you give me a link to your favorite blog post you've done. Doesn't have to be a very popular one, just your favorite.
SARAH: Will you pick one? This task is stressing me out.

Sarah's Purse Exposed by Olivia Alin (it's about Sarah, so it's the same thing.)

DEE: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
SARAH: I used to want my own magazine. I still do. We are at a shitty time right now for magazines. We are all playing this waiting game to see how they will evolve with technology. My dream of becoming Jane Pratt unfortunately seem a little unattainable right now. I have no idea. It sucks. Maybe a book? But those seems to be falling off too these days. Maybe ITT tech? JK!

DEE: Any specific tips you have for new bloggers who want to make it in the blogosphere?
SARAH: Write! Write with all your lil heart. Write well. Write stuff no one is writing. Be yourself. Write about stuff you love, not things you think you should love. People can tell when you are faking it. (Believe me I have tried.) If you are watching College Hill write about watching College Hill. Don't try to talk about the new Girl Talk record you don't care about. Don't worry about being cool. Be honest. Be real. Be original. Never stress out about your traffic and your comments. If you write it...they will come.

DEE: What does the future hold for you and your blog

SARAH: I have a bunch of new shit coming my way. I don't want to jinx it. So for now, keep reading the Volcom blog. Woo Hoo. And follow me on Twitter. My Twitter is often more entertaining that the other shit.

Well that's it, stay tuned for more of my interviews with my favorite bloggers. And get hip to Sarah Morrison below!

Sarah's Electronic Blog Ride
Sarah Morrison Twitter

the diary of: My Favorite Bloggers.

I've started expanding my blog a bit these days. The new design, adding a couple more pages, trying to really make this place my main squeeze. With the additions and expansions, I got the bright idea to start to also put myself out there as a writer. I've always been the type of writer to only talk about my opinion, especially when it comes to The Diary of a Broke College Student. This has always been a place for me and by me, it houses everything I love and some of the things I hate all sprinkled with friendly (sometimes) funny (always) opinions.

During my journey on this blog, I've come to meet some really awesome people. Some of them I know from my life as a student, some from my life as a blogger, and some are my real life friends. They are all fantastic at what they do individually, and though their approaches to the game of blogging are all different, I value the opinion of all of them. They are my inspiration to keep blogging. From the more successful of the bunch, to the designers, all the way down to the amateur bloggers, they keep me going.

So I thought to myself, why not share the wealth. Thus the creation of the "the Diary of..." series of interviews I will be conducting so that they can share with you what their hustle is all about. Stay tuned, I've got some great people lined up...

Tee of Trend Doll
Jennifer Farris of Jennifer Farris
Meena Osei Kuffor of Gossip Me Style
Kayta Hackman of Musings of a Madwoman
Sarah Morrison of Sarah's Electronic Blog Ride
Katya of Ambition is the New Black
Loren & T. Hubb of Find Your Dreams