Long before bloggers were taking up residence in the front row and brands were using their marketing spend on influencers rather than print advertising, Carmen Hamilton was launching her blog “Chronicles of Her”.
Begun as a hobby when studying at university, Carmen thought she may be able to twist her side-project into a means of getting her start in the fashion industry. And that it did, with the stylish creative going on to secure jobs at a digital start-up and then Vogue Australia.
“There aren’t as many publications in Queensland as there are in Sydney, so I thought it would be good to just start doing something so when I finally moved here [Sydney], I could show that I’d been working,” Carmen tells Who What Wear.
A combination of being named a part of Vogue Australia’s blogging arm as well as creating more service content such as “how-to wear articles” saw Carmen’s popularity soar – securing her a spot in Australia’s fashion blogging elite.
Like with all success stories, the most common query is: how did you get to where you are today and what tips do you have for people looking to do the same?
In a recent interview with Who What Wear’s Amanda Stavropoulos, Carmen reveals how she got her start: “I didn’t really think it through or have any strategic direction at the beginning, I just jumped in. I posted images that inspired me, and then I’d write little pieces about them, and then I slowly went into doing outfit posts. My mum used to shoot them for me! I was super embarrassed and didn’t want anyone to see me, so we’d go into a park.”
Carmen goes on to reveal her top tips for aspiring bloggers, advising: “I used to always read these articles saying that you should have your own point of view, or point of difference, but I think when you’re sitting there trying to start, that can hold you back from starting because you think you have to come up with this grand plan that no one has ever done before.
“I wouldn’t necessarily agree with that. I think the whole thing with blogging, is that it’s a personal point of view because you are your own person. Obviously it’s great if you can be the next Leandra Medine from Man Repeller and have a really particular point of view, but I don’t think you should hold back from getting started if you haven’t yet found your ‘voice’ or ‘place’.
“I think the sooner you get started, the better. I would just start! Get into it. You learn so much from just doing it. Every time you put a post out there, you learn something from it. This is the sort of industry that’s always evolving anyway, so as long as you’re across that, you can evolve with it.”
Click here to read the full article on Who What Wear. All images supplied by Dave Wheeler/Who What Wear.