DAISY DUKES

DUSTY IN DENIM

Scarf: Rokit, Top: Mint Vintage, Shorts: Beyond Retro, Bag: Market Stall in Morroco, Boots: Magnificent-Topshop

BEHIND STAGE DOOR

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW 
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

I think it's a bit ironic how I titled a recent blog post of mine 'New Balance', as I strongly believe that that is a true reflection of how I've been feeling of late. NEW - HAPPIER AND BALANCED. Just like I've grown some what over the past eight weeks and now re-ready for whatever life throws at me. It has to 100% be down to that fact that I've just finished performing in a Shakespeare production which has always been a dream job of mine. (And may it continue).  **Oh if all this acting talk is all new to you. Please read my actress post here to fill yourself in :-)). 

So now that I've finally managed to get myself out of my post show depressed slump. (job finished 2 weeks ago) I feel fully ready to write all about what I got up to. The dark comedic controversial comedy of  'Taming of the Shrew' by William Shakespeare was full of riding highs and a few frustrating lows......So let's get started! Oh, you will definitely need a big brew for this one! Enjoy! XX

WHITE FRILLS

DREAMY & LIGHT

A NEW BALANCE

 

BLOSSOM AND BALANCE

 

HOW TO BE THE BEST BLOGGER IN THE WORLD!!!! (or not)

THE BLOGGING GUIDE 

(ISH)

Hello wonderful one, how the devil are you? As you know I've been busy of late treading the boards appearing in the Shakespearean classic 'Taming of the Shrew' at the Arts Theatre in the West End (Picture below). It's our last show on Sunday :-( and I've been trying to make every single second of this acting project last. I'm having such a blast basically. Oh I'll be actually doing 'A Life of an Actor' post coming up next week, aiming to take you inside every step of our production process. So keep your lovely eyes peeled for that.

Whoa with a rather rambling introduction now done, let me begin.......Oh actually you may need a hot beverage for this post as it's more of a big old catch up ,which is really nice for me as I've felt like I'm just throwing different fashion looks at you of late. Quite refreshing to go back to how I started and just sit down in a lovely cafe called Sapid Coffee and talk/write to you. Okay I need to shut up and get on with it.........Enjoy! x


  

Why blog? 

See, the answer to this question has changed for me since I started this crazy blogging journey. I thought I'd just throw a few pictures up online and pop in a paragraph or two and that would be it - Easy! Well boy was I wrong! I've suddenly found myself running home from work wanting to tweak and improve my writing. Asking others for opinions and literally thinking about my blog all day (I have no life lol). And I began to care more about it than I initially thought I would. I also quickly noticed how you 'the readers' were engaging with my writing, and interacting with me which I found really kind. Especially on my Instagram page Flora Maria Style (obsessed with my insta app). Connecting and engaging with complete strangers around the world in such a positive way is still a huge deal for me. If I can inspire one person with my words and they can inspire me, then I'm more than happy.  

For some reason I was born with this crazy confidence built in me that I can walk into a room and say hey I'm here and not feel insecure. (I guess that's how I can act in front of a big ol' audience). I'd love to inspire that in others. Life is too damn short to be miserable. And I'm not saying hump days (what I call them, just days when you want to scream at the world) aren't okay. Of course they bloody are (especially PMT times). But if your reading my blog on an 'I hate everything' day, and start to hate it all a little less by reading something I've written then that's something. (Sorry for the deepness but this blog post will probably go there.)

With my fashion blogs I would love to get across that you don't need a billion pounds to feel fabulous. Also to give myself and people like me a voice. You don't have to be bang 'on trend' and follow this, that and the other. You can just be who you are, and it's okay to be a bit different, dress the way you like and if you want to wear bright blue polka dots on your head wear them! I also don't want to single anybody out from my blogs. I want everyone to feel welcome and maybe think look at this crazy women who is being who she is, not to show off anything, not to say look at my style but to continuously inspire each other and embrace our differences from all different backgrounds.

I'VE FOUND OUT SO MUCH MORE ABOUT MYSELF FROM BLOGGING........

Are you perfect?

For me perfection isn't real. No one on this planet is perfect. There are so many modern apps now which let you alter your face, arms, legs etc on a picture of who you really are to give you 'a picture perfect body'. So basically saying we can look 'perfect' in our online lives. The airbrush effect! I think it's crazy that we are able to buy into that theory. Why can't we just look at ourselves and say we are beautiful just the way we are.  But it's funny how a simple filter app can trickle into other aspects of your life.  For example I don't have a professional photographer taking my pictures and I wouldn't ever want my pictures to look 'perfect'. I may not have the best gadgets or lighting photography essentials, but I kind of like that. I know that some of my writing may not be grammatically correct but that's okay too. So I'd say the fact that you've opened yourself up to the idea of actually putting your life to paper in writing is already quite a vulnerable thing to do. So maybe start your blogging debut from there.   I LIKE BEING UN 'PERFECT'......

 

 Taming of The Shrew Cast at The Arts Theatre.

How do I stay inspired?

Being inspired and gaining inspiration is only where my blog content arises from really. It could be something I've seen, something buried in my wardrobe (clothing), something I've recently bought, something I've heard, a song, something I'm feeling, a thought or something I've felt in the past......the list goes on and on. It's really hard to pin point exactly where I gain my blogging inspiration from but it could literally be from anywhere. 

I like my inspiration to be something real and something I would want to read myself, and to be 100% honest. Initially when I started blogging in August (last year) I was reading other bloggers, to get an idea and to know how you actually do this blogging thing. But then I thought, as lovely as these other bloggers are, I'm not them and they're not me. Their voice isn't my voice or how I write. I guess I just didn't want to be too heavily influenced by them. We may have similar likes but my voice is completely different to them. I can't pretend to be into something I'm not. I can only be me on here so I stopped reading other blogs and focused on finding my own blogging voice. Although I do think it's always nice to support other online bloggers, especially smaller bloggers but for me it was important to discover mine first. :-)  I FOUND MY OWN BLOGGING VOICE.......
 

What's your vision?

In my overloaded messy mind I'm still able to pick out and see the finest tiniest of detail. I marry my dramatic arty farty thinking with my old school fashion thinking, to build a visual image that can hopefully tell a story. That's my initial idea anyway whether that translates who knows. But I do have a vision on how I'd like each shot to look and what mood I'd like to be created. I just like to play around with images, angles, backdrops, colours and style. I like that I have the freedom to do that with photography and the blogging images that I do. I mean I say 'I' do but I'm never the one taking the picture. My tip would be, if you can find someone to take your pictures that are patient with you, gets on board and makes you feel comfortable in front of the camera. You do have to remember that they are doing you a huge favour too. Blogging has made me learn how hard photography is, and you do need a certain eye for it. If you don't have anyone to hand, maybe you can find another blogger who you can work/share with. They could help take your photos and you could take theirs.
 TO BUILD A VISUAL IMAGE THAT CAN HOPEFULLY TELL A STORY......

Can you stay Consistent?

I hope so. I started off blogging three times a week, then twice and now just when I can. I think back then when I started I was a bit of dafty, and I didn't really know how much time went into one single blog post. To break it down. First you need to decided on the pieces you are styling together or topic you want to blog about, then gaining someone to take your pictures, then finding a location that fits, then you take the pictures which can take up to an hour (depending on how many outfits you're shooting). Then you need to think about the weather or a plan B if it rains (eeeeek), then you take the pictures (finally!!), then you have to load them up and pick around 4-6 that you really like, then you have to edit each photo, sharpen, highlight etc. Then you have to write about each piece with interest and detail. Now for some people that can be all done with ease, but with me I like to take my time and be thorough, and kind of commit to it and make it the best I can. So in short, you can see why each blog takes time. So now I've taken the pressure off myself and just blog when I can fit it in around my crazy acting schedule (everything in my life gets dropped if a meeting comes up, as I'll have to prep and work on the meeting material, script etc) and the normal craziness of life. So to summarize my gabble. DON'T WORRY, EASE THE PRESSURE AND BLOG WHEN YOU CAN..........

 What's your other media platform?

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and YouTube

Now this is something that I am totally rubbish at. I don't have a Facebook page (Doh!), I have a twitter but forget to tweet. (All the time! DOH!) And I don't have a Youtube account (Double DOH!!). I however do have and live on Instagram (Yaaaaaay). Now I probably need to get better at the social networking stuff and have a constant platform to keep up with the thriving blogging world. Oh, I do have a snapchat @Floramariastyle. I think I'm so bad at the above because I'm just generally quite bad on my phone and only on it for work purposes and Instagram stalking really. I don't live on it and really bad at texting people back. I'm one of them people! So I think my lack of media-ness stems from that. But I've realized that if I continue to work hard on my bloggers page first and once I've built my confidence up with that, I'll eventually try and merge with the others media-ness. Oh actually we did make my first fashion video, so I should get some brownie points for that. (Yum brownies!) No?....Okay, well.

I'M RUBBISH AT ALL OTHER SOCIAL PLATFORMS (APART FROM INSTAGRAM)...........

What has blogging taught me?

I'm constantly learning new things in this crazy twirling world of ours that we like to call Life. Even if one person reads a post I've written, I would love for them to feel like it has been worth the read. Some kind of worth over the precious time that they've generously given.
I'M FOREVER GRATEFUL...........THANK YOU......

That's it. Well done you for reading this far. I think I've covered all base's that I want to cover in this post. Sharing my thoughts in hope to inspire anyone else itching to dive into the online blogging world. I'm no expert at this stuff but I'm still having fun with it. I also hope that my rambling makes sense!

As always thanks for reading and don't forget to let me know if you have any tips to help me along the way too. 

My Look, 

My Style, 

FLORA MARIA 

XX