Lifestyle Blogger I Olivia Ewing

Olivia Ewing may be from Rogersville, Tennessee a town based on the bible belt of the Southeast but she’s far from the small town persona one might think. Her genuine charm and energy were almost contagious when we got the chance to sit down with her a few weeks ago. With bright eyes looking towards the new year for her lifestyle blog, growing her skillset in all things digital, and graduating from SCAD; this is one rad gal who’s bound to make it big.

 

What made you want to come to Savannah, GA?

I always wanted to go to study Fashion since I've been in High school but I never really knew what school was best. I checked out Parsons, FIT, and SCAD because I had a friend from my hometown whose a year older than me. His names Stephen he studies Fashion Design at SCAD. I saw he was at SCAD and it was closer to home and not in New York because my other two options were in New York because its a big leap at 18 to go from living in a small town with six thousand people to living in NYC. I did the SCAD day tour, and my mom and I fell in love with the school and everything it had to offer.

What got you into styling and blogging? I was looking at your blog and whole platform and found it was seamless when navigating through it which I appreciated. Going to your Instagram, I liked that you have more extended captions then the average blogger.

Olivia: I've always loved writing; my mom studied journalism and my moms also super fabulous. Since I can remember I've been exposed to style, being super girly wearing heels when I was little. The little clear plastic ones. I've liked dress up because of my mom's influence. So as she began to study journalism, I learned that I had a more natural talent in writing. I won a couple writing contests in High School, finding that I was good at storytelling. One of them being about a fashion show and I received an all-expense paid trip to Washington, DC. From here is where I started my blog at 17 but in my hometown, it's more sport driven, and no attention is paid to the arts community. So some people told me that's great you're doing your own thing and others were rude to me saying that I cared too much about my appearance. We don't care about what you wear so why are your writing about it? And I just thought no one asked you to care; I'm developing my style. This is where I started by combining my love of creative writing and storytelling connecting to my passion for clothes whether it be styling something that's not always done with outfits. It's a way I feel I can express myself without physically having to talk to people because I'm not always the best at talking to people right off the bat. I wouldn't say, I'm, an introvert but I find it hard sometimes in developing the instant relationship, so when people see what I'm wearing they can get a better vibe of my personality. I'm a huge advocate on first impressions, so I kind of just put all those things together

That's amazing! So, who is your audience and what do you want them to take away from your blog?

Olivia: This is the biggest question I struggle with is finding out who my audience is still. I have a bit who follow me from high school because they've supported me since I began the blog but they're not too interested in the fashion individually. Then I have. SCAD students who do care about the style and want to learn more about the companies I work with because they live here and absorb this information. So it's hard for me to balance the two and that's why I have a lifestyle blog because I want to try and reach to as many people as possible. If I can have a post that relates to five people each time then, I feel like my job is done. If that audience grows then great but as long as I can reach someone who is appreciating what I'm writing then that's all I care about. I don't want to try and hone my target audience too much since my blog is so broad. I think once it starts to grow a little more I'll have a precise definition of whose responding the most. Right now, I got responses from people who like my food posts, and Mom's saying "Oh my gosh I need to go to this restaurant with my girlfriends" they probably aren't focusing too much on my outfit. Its all over the place but I feel that's how a lifestyle blog is.

That's cool you have that age range.

Olivia: Its funny, because my blog is primarily focused at the woman, not for any particular reason just because I am a woman and that's who I write for, but my viewership is mostly men which I found interesting viewing my analytics the other day. That made me feel good seeing that I'm not excluding anyone. Maybe they're getting information out of my food posts or my local To-do lists.

What's your favorite part of the process whether it be traveling to different places or writing? Is it all of it in combination?

Olivia: It is all of it, but I do have such a passion for storytelling even if it's just through styling an outfit. I always want there to be a story with it. I think at the end of the day every blogger is and should be a writer because anyone can take pictures of things they like on Instagram and post them. That's awesome; I know plenty of people who do that and don't have a professional platform. I think if you go the extra step of having a website and being a blogger then you should focus on your writing. Pretty pictures can help lye on Instagram or Pinterest if your going to take that extra step be the storyteller.  That's what I focus on, even with my patrons on Instagram I make my posts as long as possible and getting people to engage as much as I can. I love trying to get people interested and talking about things. Getting the conversation going.

How do you feel about hashtags?

Olivia: I do hashtags on all of my pictures, I've done it for awhile so I've never looked to see what my pictures would do without them because I'm kind of terrified. It leaves an open door  because as long as you have hashtags your photos there always searchable through people who search through hashtags. Im someone that does search through them, i'll go to the instagram hashtag search box and I’ll type in things that i'm interested in looking for or type in the name of the restaurant I want to go to. I always look at everyones post that has been there. Its just how I am on Instagram so Im sure Im not the only one in America or in the world that does that. So, I wouldn't want to miss the opportunity if I didn't include them.

What’s the direction you see your blog going into the new year and what resolutions do you have yourself?

For 2018, I’m truly focusing on growth. Growth within my blog, growth within my portfolio and styling abilities, and growth in my wellness practices whether that be eating cleaner or adding more exercise into my schedule than the previous year. Specifically for my blog I’d like to add mixed media such as GIFS, films, and motion graphics to truly expand my skill set and differentiate myself. I’d really like to push myself outside of any norms I’ve created and truly challenge myself this year. There’s no growth in the comfort zone!

Words and Photos by Rylie Healy