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Tag: fashion blogger

How She Became An Influencer + How Important Authenticity is.

Hi Babes,

For this week’s Influencer Tips Thursday, we are learning so much from Camly on how she became an influencer & how important authenticity is! She has so much insider insights so let’s get to it!

Who are you and where are you from?

My name is Camly, and I’m a Vietnamese American who is LA born and raised.  My parents are both refugees from the Vietnam war, and my dad was a POW so the Vietnamese part of me is near and dear to my heart.  I graduated from UCLA so I’m a Bruin through and through.

What is your brand about and what made you start it?

My brand is just me, Camly. The crazy thing was it was my personal Instagram; I wasn’t necessarily looking to build it into a brand. I think one thing I realized was being myself and also wanting to break the mold of what a “influencer” should be was important to me. I want people to see my account, and see themselves. I want girls to see a normal, average height, average sized girl doing extraordinary things and know they can be that too.

Do you have another job outside of being a (blogger/influencer/entrepreneur)?

By day I’m a data analyst for a nonprofit in DTLA, called LA Promise Fund. I love my full-time job because it always allows me to keep perspective of life and what’s going on. I work with youth in South LA who’ve had to experience more life in some ways than I have. Its a constant reminder of the change I want to be able to make. I’m fortunate enough that my job allows for flexibility, while still feeding my soul to help others and make a difference.

Is it difficult to balance your work life and passion project(s)?

Of course, if it was easy everyone would be doing it, but I think the best things in life don’t come easy. They require commitment, sacrifice, and drive; at the end of the day I see the hard work as always worth it. I want to see how far I can push myself, how much I can do, what my limit is; there’s no better time to do that while I am in my 20s without kids or a marriage. Being able to explore these things has also redefined those goals; I actually think about whether I want a traditional family. My passion project has redefined what I’m passionate about. I’ve thought about adopting, about starting my own company. It is difficult hold that down while still working full time, but without doing both I don’t think I’d dream as big as I do. I don’t think I would have experienced what I have. I’m grateful that its been a roller coaster; where I’ve dealt with health issues that put me on bed rest post surgery for 2 months. It all gives you perspective about what’s important, and also what really matters to you.

What do you love the most about being an influencer?

That I have the power to make a difference; whether thats promoting a brand I love or sharing about something I care about. The term “influencer” means you have influence, and at the end of the day we are all “influencers”. I love being able remind every single person who crosses my path that. I’m not “special” or “unique”; I’m like you but took my influence and ran with it so you can too!

What do you think is the hardest thing about being an influencer?

I think its the idea that my feed is my real life, and yes it is, but I also want people to know I’m a real person. I think so often people don’t see all the behind the scenes, and do share some of that but Instagram is a highlight reel. I do my best to be real, but I don’t share every moment.  Like everyone else I have a private life; in many ways I’m an open book. But, I want people to know that influencer’s feeds aren’t every part of them; its a filtered down reality.

What are three tips you can give to someone who also wants to be an influencer like you?

1) You are already an influencer. OWN THAT! KNOW THAT!

2) Be open to networking. Meet people from all walks of life, and see where that can take you.

3) Collaborate! This is a space that is meant to work with people so you’re not on your own. Bring people along for the ride.

What are your goals and where do you see yourself a year from now? & where do you hope to be in 3 – 5 years?

In a year from now I hope that my brand has grown, but I don’t necessarily have a specific goal. I want to be open to whatever happens at some point I’d want to start my own company, but I don’t want to put a timeline on that. I think we so often set these goals, and when we don’t meet them we think we failed, but thats not failure its a learning process so who knows if in 5 years my company will be up in running. No matter what I hope to still hold true to who I am, and make an impact, empower young women, and love where I’m at.

Who/what inspires you or keeps you motivated to do what you do?

My parents are one of my biggest inspirations. My dad started his own business here in LA, ran it for 23 years, and came here as a refugee and POW without any money to his name. If my dad can beat all odds, what’s stopping me? Gives me so much perspective, and the kids I work with on a daily remind me that we need to change society. If I don’t keep fighting how are things going to change. They deserve better, we deserve better, this country needs better!

What’s your favorite app aside from instagram?

Oh that’s so hard…can I be honest I don’t use many apps. I’m pretty low maintenance on apps because I want to be in the moment and a not always locked to my phone. However, GoogleCalendar is my best friend! Its how I keep track of every collaboration, every lunch meeting, and every workout session. It keeps me organized and allows me to share with friends too!

What’s your next project and how can we support you?

I’m working on building out my website. IT’S NERVE WRECKING as I took on the task on my own, but I would love any guidance I can get. Also shout out to WEOSH! I’m working closely with them to launch workshops, events, and simply opportunities to empower other women so check us out and come along for the journey.

How important is it to you to make genuine connections/friendships through social media/in our industry & why?

It is so important. I am fortunate to specifically have a girl gang I LOVE, and they truly support me and back me up. Its hard when sometimes others tear you down, and without that love and support you can get lost in the industry. In addition I love being able to mentor women; I’m so young and have so much to learn, but those mentor figures in my life have kept me sane. Trust me…I have had my moments of insanity so its important for others to keep you grounded.

What does female empowerment and girls supporting girls mean to you?

It means you are genuinely supporting other women; its not competition. When one women gets a deal, a campaign, or a promotion its a win for all women. One more step closer to even the playing field for women kind. It means setting aside your opinions to truly love without expectations; so often society pits us against each other. WE GOTTA LOVE EACH OTHER, SUPPORT EACH OTHER, and BE HAPPY FOR EACH OTHER.

Where can we find you in social media?(state your social media handles/blog/website)

Instagram: @camly.me (formerly @camly.n)

Yelp: camly.yelp.com

MORE COMING SOON, and a rebrand!

What are you looking forward to the most from Influencer Girl Gang and what do you hope to acquire from joining us?

MORE Boss Babe connections, and simply another community of amazing women I love!

 

Hope this blogpost was helpful to other aspiring influencers out there to pursue their passion.

Xo,

Joy

 

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5 Ways How To Stay Creative

  1. Slow down. – Often times, I get my biggest “AHA MOMENTS” while I’m either driving, taking a nice long bubble bath, reading a book or journaling. With all the constant distractions & our never things to do list – our right brain often has a difficult time popping up with the next genius idea because we never give it time to rest & destress.
  2. Consume knowledge. – Do you know what’s the one thing that geniuses all have in common? They are all obsessed with learning – consuming knowledge, asking questions, always curious, reading books & taking chances. If you want to be amazing at whatever field you’re in — then do a lot of research about it. One of the best tools I like to use now is Google. Want to start a podcast? Google how. Want to learn about photography? Google how. Want to learn how to paint? Google how and once you find different ways to start what you’re passionately curious about – read & consume a lot about what you want to be a bad ass about! Did you know how many books an average CEO read per month? About 4 or 5. Want to be the next CEO of your dreams? Maybe it’s time to start reading how to get there. Our ideas has to start from somewhere and the more we learn, the more we become more knowledgeable.
  3. Break It Down. – Once you’ve done all your research – let’s do our break down and start a plan of action on how you’re going to be the next best thing. Jot down your plans and make them happen. Study the structure how others have done it before & practice & practice & don’t stop. Even if you fail the first time – don’t stop. Michael Jordan, one of the Greatest Basketball players of all times once said, “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed. Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”
  4. Imitate & Recreate – Now that you’ve been practicing how to do your thing & hopefully have learned how others have done it & succeeded – it’s now time to imitate how they do things & even recreate their work. I’m not saying just copy everything – add in your flair and what makes you unique. Now that you know that rules – you can now break them.
  5. Don’t stop creating even when you don’t feel like it. – I recently have been feeling like I was in a “creative mental block” – like I just can’t get myself to do things that I used to love before or I simple don’t feel inspired. And you know what I did? I put on one of my favorite TV shows “Once Upon A Time” and started creating & sewing again. Yes, I forced myself to sew. This show reminded me my dreams of wanting to be a costume designer. So even when I was at my lowest, I pushed myself to just create and before I knew it, all my creative juices just started flowing.

 

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Influencer Essentials And Why You Need Them

As a blogger/influencer, it’s very important to carry the right things in order to be successful in what you do. A few of the things that I need the most are all in my High Sierra Backpack. I love that it includes a matching zippered accessory pouch, has side pockets, a core organizer with multiple pockets and key fob, adjustable drawstring closure and a place where you can put your tablet inside and that it’s water resistant!!!

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Here’s a sneak peek of what’s actually inside.

  • an extra outfit
  • an extra pair of shoes + accessories

(it’s always to great to bring extra outfits so that you can make use of your time and place that you’re currently shooting in)

  • props (i personally love bringing props when I have photoshoots)
  • a mirror (i also always bring my long mirror in my car so i can see what i look like as i change from head to toe)
  • a laptop (when i have more time, after shoots, sometimes i get really excited and i like to edit right away.
  • a professional camera with a tripod (whenever, I’m not with a photographer – its great to have a tripod so you can always take photos of yourself)
  • bliss world lotion – a cult favorite moisturizer that’s rich & quick absorbing, leaving skin smooth and never greasy! – living in Cali – it’s so easy for us to get ashy (and you do not want to look ashy in your pics! TIP: if you can eliminate as much photoshopping in your photos later on – the better!
  • hcxo sleep mask – believe it or not, i actually need this as being on the road all the time, i sometimes have a hard time sleeping. It is made of 100% silk, the softest, most breathable sleep mask you’ll see me wear.
  • almay goddess gloss – i love bringing different colors of these with me because they keep my lips moisturized, smooth and never sticky and they’re made with pomegranate, raspberry and grape oils.
  • garden of life – if you know me, im always hungry! New GōL Bars are organic lifestyle bars that are made with just 8-to-10 simple whole food ingredients. I also love that it’s high in protein and fiber with no added sugars.

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  • This post is sponsored by Her Campus Media. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Made With Joy possible!
  • This post is brought to you by Her Campus Media
  • This is a sponsored post in partnership with Her Campus Media. All words and opinions are my own

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Dark Blooms

A few weeks ago, I went back to Death Valley with my friends. One of my favorite places to visit and to shoot in is —-Bad Water Basin. This place reminds me that—not all endings have to be ugly, some of them actually turn out to be unique and extraordinary. As soon as you walk in, you are greeted by white ground which sorta looks like snow but it’s pretty much dried up salt from the evaporated water, which once was a lake. Here are some of the pictures that I took with my favorite photographer, who became my boyfriend that weekend. Haha. I was so excited for this trip that I actually made three outfits, which I’ll be sharing the other two outfits soon. For this look, I used a black embroidery floral lace to make a see through maxi dress with bell sleeves and a two piece set. As Coachella is coming around the corner, I felt the need to make some festival inspired looks. This dress is very light and perfect for a hot, sunny day in the desert. And to top it all of, I made a floral crown to finish the look. What do you guys think? Are you excited for Coachella?

XOXO,
Joy

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HII HARLEY

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It should be really obvious that I love dressing up… probably one of the reasons why October is my second favorite month and Halloween is my second favorite Holiday after December and Christmas.

As soon as October hits, I normally like to dress up and blog about different Halloween costumes. A lot of times people ask me why i like shooting, dressing up or making costumes.. Frankly, it makes me feel alive. I love that fantasy of it all and the creativity that’s put into it. I love that in that moment, I can be whoever I want, be in character and forget about everything around me for a quick second. I’ve also wanted to be an actress growing up, I’ve always loved expressing myself and my emotions and impersonating others —but since I decided to pursue design instead,  I guess when
i found my love for modeling and blogging – it made me realize it’s sorta like acting when you’re in character —- but in a sense shooting has also become like an escape and a hobby for me. I also love that I get to work with talented photographers and collaborate on creating something with them.
If you have no clue who I dressed up as, you have to go see Suicide Squad. It came out in the movies last year and the moment I saw Harley Quinn, I told myself that I want to dress up as her one of these days! I absolutely love that she’s crazy, exciting, colorful and a rebel. Therefore; i made a Harley Quinn inspired a two piece inspired outfit and played around with my hair and make up based on the movie. What do you guys think about this look? Do you know who you’re dressing up as for Halloween yet?
XOXO,
Joy

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TWOOBS IS BETTER THAN ONE

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I’m a true believer that when women support each other, incredible things happen. Some of you may know that my bestie, Jessika and I started our own mermaid line, Secretly A Mermaid almost a year ago and it has been a fun, nerve wracking, crazy, glitter filled kind of year ever since. There are a couple of times that we’ve wanted to give up as we’ve realized that start ups aren’t easy but there’s many times that we are filled with joy as we are blessed enough to be able to do what we like to do best: which is pretty much everything – from designing, modeling, sewing, bloggging, advertising our own stuff, creating, expressing ourselves and networking.

And it’s times like this when we get to partner with different brands like TWOOBS that we’re even more excited than ever that we get to work with rad brands who slays around the world! They are Australian based super cool, glittery shoes that you can pretty much wear everywhere and ships world wide. They’re super light weight and fun! They even come with these cool glittery bag that you can use as your own clutch. I don’t think I’ve ever been obsessed with any pair of shoes than these!

Also, did you know that around one in four startups is founded by a female? Which is weird when you think about the fact that one in two humans is a female. This is why TWOOBS pass some of their profits to other startups run by female entrepreneurs. Every time you buy a pair of TWOOBS, you are not only scoring a super rad pair of shoes, you’re also helping a female start their own business. So go on their website now and check these babies out! 😉

TOP: Secretly A Mermaid

Shorts: Zara

Shoes: TWOOBS

XOXO,

Joy

 

 

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A Summer Of Love

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Can you believe that summer is almost here? Other than the heat (which I’m not a huge fan of), I can’t wait for the long sunny days filled with fun, ice cream, summer concerts, festivals, beach days and road trips. As summer arrives, it is very important to find your summer essentials. I am very happy to share that I found one of my favorite brands as it was a love at first sight at “A Summer Of Love. Everything they have is boho chic that has the feminine and trendy vibe. I especially love this “My Michelle Belle Crop Top” that I wore at Coachella as it is so versatile, flirty and fun! I wore it with a draped skirt with a side slit that I made while it was super hot during the day and I also wore it with the “Lucky One Ripped Jeans” as it got a bit cooler during the day. What are you guys and gals looking forward this summer? Don’t forget to shop at “A Summer Of Love before summer fully arrives and don’t forget to use my code “JOY4ASOL” to get 15% off your entire purchase! 😉

XOXO,

Joy

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Gagachella

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Happy Friday Babes! I can’t believe a week has just passed. I feel like I was just in Coachella yesterday. As you all know, one of my favorite things to do is to make outfits every time I go to events… For this look, I made a cape with embroidered lace and a white crystal crown to go with my new favorite body suit from “A Summer of Love” and white embroidered lace choker from “Secretly A Mermaid”. This body suit kept me cool from the incredibly hot weekend and I love how gorgeous the lace is and stretchy the material that it’s made out of. It definitely gave me so much room for dancing, singing my heart out with my favorite bands and prancing around at Coachella! 😉 This body suit is perfect for music festivals or even just a go-to-summer-piece. I’m looking forward to wearing this more often with a pair of booty shorts or a denim skirt. What do you guys think about this look? I definitely felt like my inner Lady Gaga shined brighter that day. For all the babes that went to Coachella, I hope you had as much fun as I did and stayed hydrated. I have a few more Coachella posts coming up. Stay tuned!

XOXO,

Joy

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Butterflies

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Are you guys excited for Coachella? I’ve always wanted to make a butterfly inspired outfit so I made this two piece set with a high low skirt  along with a butterfly crown. I had so much fun making these as much as I had fun shooting this festival inspired look. I was actually super inspired by Maria Grazia Chiuri‘s Spring 2017 Couture line when I made this outfit as I am so in love and just obsessed with her collection!!! I wanted to play with the idea of dreaming, fantasy, fairy tales and magic. Chiuri accessorized her magical dresses with Stephen Jones’ garden- referenced headdresses which also inspired me to make my own butterfly crown. I’ve always loved the color magenta and also been wanting to make a butterfly crown since I feel like the floral crown has been played out at festivals.

If you guys and gals end up going to weekend 2 in Coachella, please don’t hesitate to say hi and chat! I can’t wait to just dance around in the desert. Also, if you have any outfit requests you’d like to me to make, feel free to comment and i’ll see what i can do!
Hope this little ensemble of mine inspires you to wear something fun and creative at Coachella!  😉

XOXO,

Joy

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Out Of The Woods

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I grew up reading fairy tales — maybe that’s why sometimes I feel like my imagination is always traveling to another land. And because of this, I’ve also always believed in the good defeating evil, romance and true love. We didn’t have Disney Channel in the Philippines so  I learned about Cinderella, Aladdin, the Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Alice in Wonderland through books. Reading fairy tales and imagining to be in a another land was probably one of my favorite things to do when I was a child. Twenty something years later, I still love the idea of what fairy tales teach us —although now I am more well aware that not everything has a happy ending.

It was probably a few years ago when I first fell in love and got my heart broken that I experienced one of the most magical things I’ve ever felt in my life. It really did feel like the whole world was spinning and butterflies were living in my stomach. Everything happened so fast and so passionately and then boom —all of a sudden, it was over. The next thing I knew was— I felt like there was actual hole in my heart and it was shattered in a million pieces and I didn’t know how to mend it or to glue it back together. Days, weeks, months passed by and I still felt so empty, so broken —so not good enough. Eventually, with the help of my friends, family and my faith in God, I pushed myself to get out of bed again, to stop crying, to move forward, to live in the middle of the pain, to try new things I never thought I could do, to face my biggest fears (heck, I even jumped out of an airplane), to reinvent myself, to fight to be the best person I could be. There were still days that I would unexpectedly cry out of nowhere or feel insecure why it didn’t work out or the infamous question of “what’s wrong with me?” conversations with myself. But I learned that —that was okay, it’s all part of the healing process. It’s completely okay to be human and to be broken so you can be whole again.

As I look back now, I never thought I’d say this to myself but it was actually a very beautiful process. I can honestly say that I am proud of the person I’ve become and when people from my past tell me that I’ve changed – I say thank you —because I fought to be the person that I am now. So for those ladies, who are single this Valentine’s Day or even heartbroken — I am here to tell you that you will be okay. I know that’s the last thing you probably would like to hear right now but you will be, I promise. Everything will make sense in no time. Just allow yourself to feel, to break, to cry (but don’t stay there), to move in progress until you can feel again, smile again and love again.

There’s going to come a time that you will fall for someone again —and when that happens, you’ll be scared again but this time around you’ll be braver and know that if my heart gets broken again – I know I’m going to be okay because I’ve already survived, went through hell and back and got my life back together but better. You’ll know that it’s always going to hurt but this time it will be a little bit easier because you’ve been there and done that. You’ll also know yourself more and will fight for your worth this time around. And just because you love them, it doesn’t mean that you have to love yourself less.

If there’s one thing that I gained from losing my first love, it’s self-love. And yes, I would do it all over again because it lead me to the person that I am now.

Now that I’m out of the woods, I found that there was more to life than the small world I lived in at that time. There’s other genuine, beautiful people out there deserving of my love and just because one person broke my heart into pieces, it doesn’t mean that nobody is going to come around and love me the way I deserve to be loved. Sometimes the next person even helps set you free from the chains you’ve been holding on to for all these years, or shows you different side of you that you’ve never seen before or ends up proving to you that not everyone is out here to get you. When you meet that person, let them in, love them and thank them even if things also don’t work out in the end.

I didn’t mean this to be a sentimental post, babes! But it turned out to be. Eeeeekkkkk. Well, this shoot reminded me of the song “Out of the Woods” by Taylor Swift. The lyrics and the music video felt so real in my life in so many ways. This post has a Part II so stay posted in the next few weeks. I made two outfits and got to work with @_256k Thank you for making me look like I’m coming out of a very dark, magical land in a fairy tale. It’s everything I imagined and more.

Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone! Know that you are loved and you are worth it!

XOXO,

Joy

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