Squarespace Website For Fashion And Lifestyle Blog Blazers & Bralettes
We are so excited about our latest project for lifestyle blogger and content creator Elise Mak. From the get-go, Elise had a clear vision for her new Squarespace Website. We loved starting this project with our Logo + Brand Kit to create the color palette and logo for her brand. For the second part of this project, we moved into choosing a template as part of our Restyle package. Elise had her heart set on our Jonesie template. She loved the layout and the little details. Her exact words were: “Honestly, I just love it all, it’s exactly the feel I was going for!” Our team had so much fun running with her vision and transforming our Jonesie template to showcase her brand. We are in LOVE with the end result - a clean, sophisticated and high-end website!
GO LIVE: WHERE DID YOUR PASSION FOR THE INDUSTRY OR CRAFT START?
Elise: I grew up as a child actress up until it was time to leave for college, which according to my agent was the worst decision for my career. She was right. (haha) I went to UC Berkeley and tried to continue acting, but the opportunities just weren't in the Bay Area like they were in LA. My junior year of college was when I really started to play around with Instagram. I would post an #ootd as often as I could, shared my own fashion ideas, I even bought a ring light. (Talk about a game changer.) When I came moved back home from school I tried getting back into the LA scene, going to auditions, enrolling in my old acting classes, etc. Nothing seemed to be working out in my favor anymore -- I had just taken too much time off with school. That is when I started to notice that people were using Instagram in a totally new way and that it was creating an entirely new career for creatives like me. I saw fashion blogs start to pop up more and become mainstream and no longer just a quiet hobby. That's when I realized that I could create my own space for my art, crafts, and passions in writing and acting. And so I did.
GO LIVE: DID YOUR EDUCATION HELP PREPARE YOU FOR THE INDUSTRY OR FOR STARTING YOUR OWN BUSINESS? OR ARE YOU SELF-TAUGHT?
Elise: I was a theatre and rhetoric major, so, in a lot of ways, my education did help me in this industry. And, in a lot of ways, I am self-taught. Rhetoric has helped me understand how to relate to others and their various needs through my writing and content as well as how to be relatable in general. Rhetoric has also strengthened my writing -- especially broadening my ability to write in different voices. Theatre has helped me to be bold, confident, courageous, to just get on stage and do the damn thing. But really, was anyone taught how to be an influencer? We all are going through trial and error and hoping a post gets enough traction to gain followers to get companies to hire us. (obviously, 1+1=2 lol) I think experience plus my eduction has brought me to where I am today.
GO LIVE: WHAT’S THE HARDEST LESSON YOU’VE LEARNED IN YOUR BUSINESS?
Elise: You just want one? lol. I think learning to truly trust your gut and be yourself is one of the hardest lessons to learn with being in social media. The internet and social media are not setup to boost your self-esteem. It's really easy to fall down a habit hole with everybody creating such beautifully curated moments that don't portray someone's real day to day life. I've struggled with comparing myself, my relationship, my job, literally everything to others on social media. It's taken time to believe that being myself is enough and that is where I was able to genuinely develop a voice and style to offer on B&B.
GO LIVE: WHAT DO YOU WISH SOMEONE WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU WHEN YOU STARTED OUT?
Elise: Don't use the same wall every time you post an #ootd -- get creative.
GO LIVE: WHAT WAS THE MOMENT YOU HAD WHEN YOU SAID, “I SHOULD DO THIS” OR WHAT MADE YOU TAKE THE JUMP INTO WORKING FOR YOURSELF?
Elise: I had wanted to be a content creator full time for years. After college, my mom needed help in marketing/sales for her company, so I did what I had to do and helped her out. I was only planning on being there for a year or so, but somehow I blinked and 5 years went by. Funny how that happens. So as of this May, I just craved my dream life so bad that I finally made the leap and am now doing this full time. I honestly just feel like THIS IS MY TIME TO TRY IT. I don't have kids, I don't have a mortgage to pay -- this really is my shot. So I took it. I guess the fact that I had no reason not to try was my motivation to invest in myself. I mean, what's the worst that can happen? And on the same token, what's the best that could happen? The latter was pretty exciting.
GO LIVE: WHAT THINGS HAVE YOU GAINED / DO YOU HOPE TO GAIN IN YOUR LIFE FROM FOLLOWING THIS DREAM?
Elise: Freedom -- financial freedom, freedom of time, freedom of feeling trapped, freedom to create, freedom to be me. That is what I have gained and would like to continue to gain in abundance.
GO LIVE: WHY DID YOU ULTIMATELY DECIDE TO WORK WITH US FOR YOUR RESTYLE OR CUSTOM DESIGN?
Elise: I saw your work on various sites and really just loved the design of every single one. I, somehow, found your Instagram, looked at your previous work and templates on your site and just felt like our vibes matched. Any hesitation in the past to work with you all was solely financial. I have wanted to work with you all for, at least, the past year.
See Blazers And Bralettes Live On Squarespace
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