preppy

What I Hate About Social Media: From a Blogger Perspective

January 17, 2017

hey all!
whats up? how is your life right now? its tuesday and i am crazy busy this week, i have been having exams on and off from last week, this week and next week. i have been crazy busy and was so glad that i had yesterday off of school and i hope that all y’all had a fabulous mlk jr day yesterday and a restful long weekend.
so today i want to share a not so popular opinion:
i hate social media
thats it, i said it. i know its a taboo for a teenager, and its also a taboo for a blogger. just because i am 16 i should just love everything about social media and just love it but honestly its just so much work.
social media is just so much work.
like so much work, and half of it is not even real. like most people show a happy experience, but its not as sunny as it seems to be in experiences.
like for example,
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this photo, i posted for christmas was a set of macaron ornaments that i recieved for saint nicholas day.
seems easy right, you know, just open the box and put it in between the tree branches right?
but in this photo taking experience, there is also this one
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yeah,

  • i took my tripod out, set it up to the correct height (1 minute)
  • brought my lamp out from my bedroom, plugged in and turned it on (5 minutes)
  • brought out a string of christmas lights and plugged them in (3 minutes)
  • set my ornament in the tree (1 minute)
  • taking my pictures, realizing they didn’t look good at that angle and then fixing the ornament and tripod angle (7 minutes)

oh yeah, then i decided oh i don’t like how that ornament looks in photos, so i eventually switched it to the other ornament that ended up in the image that was posted on instagram.
then it was another:

  • setting up the ornament in the branches (3 minutes)
  • changing the angle of the tripod (2 minutes)
  • and retaking the photos again (5 minutes)

but wait, there is more, you didn’t think i posted the image without editing it did you?

  • moved my photos from my camera to my phone (5 minutes)
  • edited them on the photos iphone app (3 minutes)
  • moved them to vsco and edited them (6 minutes)

so for a grand total of 41 minutes for 56 likes on an instagram photo.
now this seems really crazy, and i assure you this is crazy. like no one should be having to spend almost 3/4 of an hour ending up with only one photo that goes on the internet for not very many people even seeing it or let alone caring how long it takes you or what the image is even of.
now, this is sad because not only is it a time waste, but it also creates a sense that perfection is easy, just because we see it on our feeds. lmy photos should not have to be as good as a company who have hired many 8 people to make the same photo as i did in 40 minutes as a teenager, but you are expected to have good photos or no one will follow your instagram or care what you post.
its just sadness that the world has gone to this, that we just expect that it takes 41 minutes to make a photo, or 15 minutes to make a graphic which i use on every post, 3 days a week.  i also spend about 20 minutes each on my photo sets where i create outfits, and i honestly wonder if people even care, or just scroll past it to see articles about “free preppy stickers”.
okay thats all what i had to say and thank you for listening to my ranting!
xoxo
kwe monogram(aka kate wins!)
 

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interview

Khat with Kate: Citrus and Style

June 26, 2016

hey all!
i’m feeling the heat today, and california is definitely way too hot! to keep myself from dying from boredom and heat exhaustion i have a special surprise!
today i have another installment of my interview segment with
*drumroll please*

Caroline from Citrus and Style

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and since i love her blog so much, i really wanted to ask her some life related questions and some blog related questions, and of course her answers are in pink!
so here we go:
-When did you start blogging?
As a freshman in high school! It’s crazy to think how much my blog and I have grown over the past four years. 
-How did you get into blogging?
I started citrus & style on a total whim because I needed a creative outlet for all these ideas I had been storing in my head. Going to a private school, I was pretty stressed out and needed a way to unwind and re-inspire myself. I remember writing my first post (How to Personalize Your School Uniform) and was immediately hooked on being able to share what I love with others! 
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Why do you enjoy blogging?
Like I mentioned before, blogging is a way to inspire myself and feel productive doing something that I truly love. It’s so incredible to get to form friendships with likeminded people from around the world and work with brands with pieces I adore. Not to mention, it’s a way to earn money in a way that is really fun for me! 
-What do you like to do for fun?
I love exploring new areas of town with my friends whether it’s a cute café for brunch or a new hiking spot along the lake. Working out is something I genuinely enjoy so finding fun ways to shred some calories with friends like biking across town to shop is great as well! 
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-what is your favorite social media platform for showing your blog off?
Instagram is the easiest and most visual way to show aspects of my blog, so I would have to say that would be my favorite platform. However, I personally love Pinterest the most because creating organized boards for different topics is perfect for a Type-A person like myself! 
you can find her instagram here
and her pinterest here
-what would your advice be for other bloggers? what would your advice be for bloggers looking for getting into the game?
If you have enough time to start a blog and think you would be passionate about running one, I say go for it! I had no idea what I was getting into when I launched it as a freshman in high school, but maintaining citrus & style has given me so much purpose and inspiration in my life (as cliché as that sounds!). Consistency and content are key in my opinion; you want to make sure you are posting regularly and that your content is enjoyable for your demographic. One quick trick is to make a list of 50 post ideas to see if you have enough content to start a blog. I also recommend avoiding any paid site design services in the beginning because it’s crucial to be able to learn how to work everything on your own!  
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hope you all enjoyed this post as much as i enjoyed interviewing caroline!
you can check her blog out here or by finding http://www.citrusandstyleblog.com
xoxo
kwe monogram(aka kate wins!)
 

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