Passion & Motivation with Emma Etc

Image Source

Passion & Motivations with... is a little series I started last month. If you haven't already check out the first one with Nana Wintour. This month's guest is Emma from emma etc. Emma writes about beauty, books & etc which includes fashion, music, TV shows, movies and podcasts. She has the most gorgeous blog and I'm so happy to include her in the series.

For you, does passion/motivation interweave or are they separate?

To me, you have passion for something you love doing, but motivation is what keeps you going. I think it’s hard to find motivation for something you don’t like doing, and I think that’s the difference. So motivation comes easily when you are passionate.

What areas are you passionate about? Career, side/creative projects etc.

I’ve just finished University and I’m still trying to figure out what my main passion is. Currently I work at a media company where I help manage a beauty website and I’ve just started interning on the side to gain more experience with digital content creation. In some way I’ve always been intrigued by the glamour of the magazine industry, but I don’t know if I’m the right fit for it. I have always enjoyed working for myself though. I’ve had my blog since 2013 and others before that – this is what I have more of a passion for at the moment because I get to create it entirely by myself and make all the decisions. I don’t get paid to do it, so in that sense it is purely about passion. Blogs are sometimes seen as silly things to some people, however to employers it can show you are hard-working, consistent and passionate about the subjects you write about, and it’s the way the media industry is going.

Image Source

What is it about these areas that makes you motivated to achieve goals/get stuff done?

Seeing the end result time and time again after putting a lot of hard work in is something that motivates me to write and photograph my blog posts. It’s never been about the followers for me. I really have no reason to blog other than for the enjoyment of it. I think this takes so much of the pressure off, because I don’t care about reaching a huge audience – I would rather connect with a couple of people via Instagram DMs and blog comments rather than get lots of likes. It’s so refreshing to do something purely for the fun of it. The whole online blogging community makes me motivated and comforted because we’re all just creative people trying to make something interesting on the Internet, all the while experiencing the highs and lows of life.

How do you get through periods of feeling less motivated/passionate?

There are definitely times when I question why I’m doing what I’m doing. I think the moment something starts becoming a chore, you need to revaluate the situation and try and work out what made you excited about it in the first place. For me, taking a step back and having some time off from it really helps. If I’m feeling unmotivated, I will just consume other people’s content, read books and magazines, even watch TV and movies. Just experiencing life or someone else’s perspective of life is really comforting and shakes me out of a bad situation. Also, sometimes you might have to accept that you are no longer passionate about a certain thing, and that’s okay – just do what makes you feel good.

Image Source

Where do you find sources of motivation & ideas? Other people/art/blogs etc.

I always find inspiration by looking at my favourite blogs, but you can’t just copy what someone else has done. The small things make a blog unique in my opinion, and even down to the style of writing. It’s always been important to me to make my own spin on something and not blend into the crowd too much, whether that’s through the weird references I make or whatever – if you’re slightly quirky or unorthodox, people will relate to you. So in that way I always go back to my own values, style, and way of doing things when trying to find motivation. It sounds pretty silly but I find a lot of inspiration on Tumblr, mine is like a scrapbook of everything I love and want to be. Pop culture from my past gives me the biggest surge of inspiration, nostalgia and comfort when I’m feeling low.

And finally, are there any future projects/goals your excited about in 2018?

I’m feeling a little lost this year so I’m not putting any expectations on myself. I’m just trying to experience life day-to-day and not get too overwhelmed, but I think by the end of this year I want to have a better idea of what I want to do with my life! Nothing major, then…

Thank you so much to Emma for her amazing answers. Make sure you check out her blog as well as her Instagram: emmaetcblog

Ashley xx

Passion & Motivation with Nana Wintour

Image Source

I've been planning to do this for a while and I can't believe I'm putting up the first post. Sometime last year I wrote a post on passion & motivation and it kind of inspired me to start a series. First up is Sophie from Nana Wintour whose blog was the first one I'd ever read and what gave me the idea of starting one of my own. She writes about books, beauty, fashion, as well as personal posts and I'm so happy that she kicks off the series.

For you, does passion/motivation interweave or are they separate?

Personally, I think they go hand in hand. With passions and an enthusiasm for life and whatever it may entail, I feel like you can be so driven to do whatever it is you set your mind to. They definitely can be seen as separate entities but they really do intertwine and form quite the dream team when utilised well. 

What areas are you passionate about? Career, side/creative projects etc.

Good question! I like to think I’m quite a passionate, enthusiastic person. I love my work-even though it’s not really a creative job. The people and the supportive, awesome environment it is makes me feel really lucky. It really is like a big family. I love my side-hustle, mostly non-paying btw. For me that is primarily writing, whether it be for my own blog or other outlets. Writing has always been something that has filled me with such enthusiasm and excitement I suppose. It seems to be something I can really do effortlessly. Tying in with that, words are obviously a huge source of love for me. I often think about how powerful they really are and how they can communicate so much. 

Image Source

What is it about these areas that makes you motivated to achieve goals/get stuff done?

Hmm because my workplace is so positive and there’s always a lot of laughter and the like, it makes me want to work hard. Of course I have days where I’d rather be catching some extra zzz’s and maybe want to throw my desk phone out the window but the good far outweighs the bad. In terms of writing-goodness knows I procrastinate a lot sometimes. Once I get going though I find I can’t really stop until I’ve finished. For time’s sake I often come back to blog posts and write bits and pieces. I guess because it’s something I genuinely love doing and want to succeed at+better myself, it makes me want to get shit done so to speak.

How do you get through periods of feeling less motivated/passionate?

This is something I’ve definitely been struggling a bit with lately. For me stepping back a bit is extremely helpful. Thanks to social media, which I otherwise love for the most part, it’s all too easy to get swept up in what everyone else is doing. Don’t do it. Following people for the sake of it? Unfollow them. Taking a break is great too-I’m thinking particularly with blogging here. I remember back in the day I used to find the idea of taking blog breaks horrifying. Now I do them quite regularly. It’s perhaps less noticeable because I’ll still be posting but my weeks are less filled up with writing posts, scheduling woes and the like because of it. Maybe that’s just because I work full time but when it begins to feel tedious or unenjoyable, I know it’s time to step back for a bit.

Image Source

Where do you find sources of motivation & ideas? Other people/art/blogs etc.

So many places-I’d be here all day if I listed them all. Sometimes it can be something as simplistic as having a conversation with someone. Actually conversation is another thing I love, I’m sure people wish I’d be quiet sometimes haha. Seriously though-good banter=great inspiration, most of the time. As I am quite a visual person-things like films and literature are a huge source. Flicking through magazines is another. As cliché as it sounds, taking the time to not stare at a screen whilst walking to and from work for example can be a huge inspiration. Whether that’s noticing the colour of the sky, the oversized shades a stranger dons, an appealing typeface on a window. Honestly though I often get inspiration at the weirdest of times. Case in point: I was looking out the window of a train when a series on my blog came to me. Not sure what inspired it but I quickly grabbed my phone and wrote notes down.

And finally, are there any future projects/goals you're excited about in 2018?

No concrete projects as such. I really, really need to get my act together and overhaul my blog design. It’s stale and I want a refresh. Other than that, for me it’s getting published elsewhere-which kinda scares me because not hearing back is the worst but actually submitting things is quite nervewracking in itself. Honestly though, whoever says “yep, I’ll print that” will probably make my year. 

Thank you so much to Sophie for her amazing answers and being the first of the series. Make sure you check out her blog as well her Instagrams: @nanawinour & @whatsophieread.

Ashley xx