Mustard Seed Sessions: Britt Douglas

I'm so excited to be sharing this interview with you! Britt is a hard-working, inspiring, beautiful woman who is the voice behind Gallery No. Eight. Hailing from Toronto, she creates and designs websites, prints, and the girl can seriously do her nails. Check out her instagram and make sure to follow along as she and I are hosting a fun giveaway to go along with this interview!

 

MSCo: What's a day in your life like?

BD: I usually try and wake up between 6:30-7, have a little quiet time, then breakfast, and then get my bum over to my desk usually between 8-9am. Lunch is usually around noon, and after that I'll work again until around 3-4pm. I like to step away from my computer in the evenings, but after dinner I will occasionally pop back over just to finish up a few things. Every day is different in terms of what I'm working on, but it's always a mix of client work, blog work & so many emails!

MSCo: What prompted you to start your business?

BD: After starting my blog, I started playing around with it's design & found I really enjoyed it. Design has always been a love of mine, and blog design was the perfect mix of art & 'science' for me. I helped a friend out with her blog, and it grew from there. I now offer branding in addition to web design, and am thinking of opening up a little print shop in 2015 :)

MSCo: Is your business your full time job? If not, what else do you do? If yes, how long were you doing it before it became full time?

BD: Yes, I work for myself full time. When I graduated university, I'd already been working at this for a few months. I did apply to other jobs & even internships, but never heard back from any of them. I took that as a sign to continue doing what I was already doing & just grew it from there.

MSCo: What would you tell your 20-year old self? 

BD: To work hard at what I want, and to take more chances. I remember discovering the youtube beauty scene in 2009, and was thisclose to starting a channel. I'm still kicking myself for not!

MSCo: What's the worst job you've ever had?

BD: I can't say that I've had too many bad jobs in my life (so far!), and even the ones I didn't enjoy I definitely learned from, so I try & look at it from that perspective. (Boring answer I know!)

MSCo: What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten?

BD: This quote: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/309485-nobody-tells-this-to-people-who-are-beginners-i-wish

MSCo: What's the hardest part about pursuing a "non-traditional" career? The best part?

BD: I think the initial reaction from family & friends was the toughest - they just didn't see it as a 'job' and didn't understand what I did. And that frustrated me for a while, but I started 'inviting' them into my process more, and talking about my work & what was going well, what wasn't, etc, and I think they slowly began to 'get it' :) The best part is definitely my work environment. I work by myself, in a nice quiet space, and that is absolutely my best working condition. I know that isn't the case for everyone (and some just won't understand! To those I suggest reading 'Quiet' by Susan Cain :) ), but I really do my best work alone, in a quiet space.

 

 

 

 

MSCo: What or who inspires you?

BD: Gosh - tough question! I think people who constantly explore and push and discover new methods and ideas and designs - that's incredibly inspiring. And I think genuine authenticity is beautiful - not hiding behind perfectly styled shots (although I must admit to be guilty of that!), but people who are so able to open up their hearts & share, that always gets me.

 

Thanks so much, Britt! Make sure to check out her blog, and join us on Instagram to enter to win one of her gorgeous Love Deeply or Psalm 23 Prints!

Mustard Seed Sessions: Interview with Stephanie of The Loudmouth Lifestyle

I'm so excited to share this interview with Stephanie Shar from The Loudmouth! Steph is bold, talented, and carving out a path for herself in one of my favorite cities, Los Angeles. 

Make sure to check out her blog, instagram, and e-book to get more Steph in your life!

1. What's a day in your life like?

As a writer/blogger/shop owner/aspiring model/soon-to-be consultant, every day is a little different!  But, it goes something like this... I usually wake around 7 or 8 when my boyfriend gets up for work, and I don't actually start anything serious until 9. During these early morning hours, I take my time eating breakfast while checking my phone, social media, email and my favorite blogs. I try to respond to everything ASAP so that I don't forget, because I tend to do that.  After that I'll normally work on something easy like a just-for-fun post, link roundup or guest post. Around 11 I really get down to business, and then in the afternoon I'll take a long break to nap, take a walk or run errands.  If I just stay in the house all day on my computer, I get crazy.  I go back to writing around 4 and work diligently until 8.  After that I'll read, hang out with the boyf and relax.  Now that I'm pregnant I get tired super early and usually head to bed around 9 or 10!  I wrote all about my daily schedule here.

2. What prompted you to start your blog?

I've wanted to write for a living since I was 7, but I never knew exactly what to write.  I went from short stories and poetry, to novels, to scripts and sketches.  I finally discovered blogging in 2010 and started The Loudmouth Lifestyle, which started as a fashion blog, but now focuses on self-help, self-love and living to the fullest!  It's the perfect place to fulfill my goals of inspiring and empowering women, and I've recently begun writing e-books as well.

3. Is your business/blog your full time job? If not, what else do you do? If yes, how long were you doing it before it became full time?

I am proud to say that it's now my full-time job, though getting to this point hasn't been easy!  I've been publicly blogging since 2010, but I've been writing in general for the last 20 years!

4. What would you tell your 20-year old self?

I would tell her to get cracking on your dreams sooner than later. :) I don't think it's ever too late, though sometimes I do wish I had started earlier.  I just didn't have the confidence. 

5. What's the worst job you've ever had?

Fortunately, my past jobs haven't been too bad, but I have had to deal with some mean bosses.  One of them was sexist, racist and wouldn't give us breaks.  He also almost fired me for wearing jewelry with my uniform.  Now, I get to wear sweatpants and eat at my computer!

6. What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten?

It was from my dad. I was a teenager and I had a huge crush on a boy that didn't give two shits about me. My dad told me, “don't ever put more effort into a relationship than the other person.” Even though he said those words so long ago, I learned that on my own, over and over again, the hard way. I am the type of person who sometime cares TOO much about other people and can forget about myself. I've become more selfish, in a good way. You need to have a healthy balance of love for yourself and others. This can be applied to business, too -- if you have a business partner and you're putting in more effort than they, something needs to change.

7. What's the hardest part about pursuing a "non-traditional" career? The best part?

The hardest part, for me, is the fact that most of my friends and family are more traditional.  A lot of them don't really "get" what I'm doing and it's difficult to explain or earn their support.  I've always been a pretty independent person, and that's been really helpful in starting my own business, since I don't have a team backing me up.  That leads me to the next question -- I love working for myself!  Though I plan to someday higher a photographer, videographer, and office assistant, it's not possible right now and I am totally okay with that.  I'm learning a lot and having fun and I'm always busy, which is so fulfilling.

8. What inspires you?

Other blogs and books, and getting offline!  I usually find the most inspiration when I'm traveling or exploring my own city.  Immersing yourself in a different environment is so refreshing and I always come back to my work with new ideas.