Although I’ve been blogging for less than 12 months (February 2016 will mark a year!), it has become one of my favorite hobbies. Aside from working on my new business venture, writing for this blog is more than just an outlet— it’s become a source of creativity, a way to tap into and explore my thoughts and feelings, and has even served as stress relief.

It can be hard to set aside the time for creative pursuits, but I find it so important, that I wanted to dedicate a blog post to offer tips for those of you who may be interested in starting your own blog, on whatever topic you’re most passionate about. For me, it’s become an evolving (and public) journal of sorts. I’ve been able to express my thoughts on the blog, and gain awesome feedback from people all over the world. Talk about perspective!

My process:

1 . Create a running list of subjects and topics, sort of an on-going brainstorm of ideas that you’d like to build a fleshed-out story from. It’s helpful to plug these into a calendar so you can work these ideas around holidays, particular times of year, themes and trends to make these more timely.

2 . Do your homework. It’s important for me to stay informed about trends, designers and industry news since I author a fashion blog. My favorite “research” sources are WWD, style.com and other fashion bloggers like Sincerely Jules. I draw on my personal style, and what I see and experience during my travels to keep myself inspired and looking ahead.

3 . Choose your photos! When I’ve committed to a topic, I schedule a photo shoot with my good friend, City Magazine photographer, Dav Amed. We collaborate on ideas and suggestions for backgrounds, poses, and work hard to choose unique locations in El Paso. It can be difficult to find the right scenery, so I love to hear suggestions from my readers. Sometimes a photo or outfit inspires my blog topic, but it’s usually the other way around.

4 . Dress the part. After I schedule the photo shoot, I visit Dry: A Blow-Dry Bar for styling, where I have my hair and makeup done by one of the talented stylists. I usually shop my closet to find the right outfit, depending on my mood or the blog subject.

5 . Write! When I’m ready, I sit down with a cup of coffee in a quiet place to gather my thoughts, and start writing.

As you can see, this is a personal process that will surely vary from blogger to blogger, but having a thoughtful, genuine blog with compelling photos requires planning and work. I’d love your feedback and invite your own updates, questions and requests.

For more, follow me at Gesuina.Legaspy on Instagram, or facebook.com/GesuinaLegaspy

-