Piper here, your one-and-only source into the scandalous lives of the bloggers’ elite. And who am I? I am Grace’s roommate doing a blog takeover on a new perspective on the creation of Graceful Rags. When I found out that my future roommate (and future bestie) was a blogger, I had no idea what I was signing up for. So, welcome to a behind-the-scenes look of the blogging life from the perspective of a non-blogger. Here are 6 things that you might not know:
1. Photo shoots are never ending. Because Grace needs new sets of photos often, she has an entourage of people who are always willing to take photos. Luckily, I adore taking photos of Grace. I am no photographer, but her pictures always turn out pretty dang cute because of her willingness to try different props, locations, and poses. I’ve learned to turn on the volume while taking photos, so she can change her pose every time the little camera click goes off. My all-time favorite shoot will always be her Audrey Hepburn photos featured around Halloween!
2. Content creation does not magically happen on its own. As I’m sure most of you know, Grace has been keeping up with her blog since 2016. She has written HUNDREDS (359 if I did my math correctly) of posts dealing with various topics from pattern mixing to talking about Crest Whitestrips. She must come up with topics for her blog posts constantly, and her brainstorming sessions lead to some of my favorite conversations. I distinctly remember talking with Grace about all the “perks” of having small boobs only to see the idea turned into a funny article on Graceful Rags a few days later. She immediately writes down blog ideas in a small notebook, so she can refer back to her list when she needs some inspo, and then at the beginning of every month she will plan her posts to appear every Monday and Thursday. Side note: This is not the only list Grace has… I think she has two or three notebooks of lists going at any given time.
3. As far as I’m concerned, bloggers DO NOT sleep. Grace and I have spent about seven months on the DU campus together. In those seven months, I think she has gone to bed later than I have most of the time, and yet woken up after me, maybe five times…? I cannot tell you how many times I have gone to bed listening to her fingers hitting her keyboard while she works on a blog post. Is it a blogger thing? Is it a Grace thing? Is it a vampire thing? The world may never know.
4. Bloggers must be tech savvy. I know that Grace uses a variety of platforms such as Light Room, WordPress, Instagram, Facebook, Windows Photo Editor, and Pinterest to make the magic happen. She’s recently been working on linking Pinterest directly to her site… an ongoing problem. Fun fact: Grace can see when people stalk her blog through these magic web trinkets. So, when I initially did a “thorough investigation” of her back in July when we first started talking, she knew someone was looking through her posts. If you happen to visit Graceful Rags often and are now scared that she knows just how often you look at her blog, you don’t need to worry. She can only see which countries her viewers are from.
5. There are no days where a fashion blogger doesn’t look cute. There are many days where I wake up, throw my hair in a messy bun, put on some jeans and a hoodie, and call it good. Suuuuuurrrreeee I look like a gremlin who ate after midnight, but that really doesn’t become clear to me until Grace gets back to our room wearing a cute dress with a nicely paired jacket and well-thought-out jewelry to match. I’m always amazed that she has the commitment to prepare outfits every morning, rarely letting comfort come between her and her outfit (i.e., she wears heels around our campus… an ungodly thought), and puts in the effort to look good every day.
6. A blogger must be dedicated. I could write pages about everything I watch Grace do to ensure that her blog is kept up to date. Unfortunately, I only have a post, so I’ll just go through the highlights. She posts a video nearly every day on her Instagram story that talks about her OOTD. (You can occasionally catch me in the background of these videos.) She constantly learns how to improve her site; whether that be contemplating ways to redesign or procuring new content to keep her viewers engaged. She has an Excel spreadsheet that breaks down every clothing item she has, how much she spent on it, and how many times she’s worn it. She has it set to calculate cost per wear, and alert her when her cost per wear is too high. It’s the most impressive thing I’ve ever seen. If you ever get the chance, have her show it to you. I pinky promise, you will not be disappointed.
Well, there you have it. I’m sure there are about 1,000 things that I am missing that go into making a blogging dream turn into a blogging reality. So, if you’re thinking about becoming a blogger… quick reminder… It seems to be a MASSIVE amount of work. But, I’ve heard that it is incredibly rewarding as well. If you’re wanting to be a blogger’s roommate, get ready to play a very small part in an amazing (and extensive) process.
XOXO,
Piper