Ten years ago today I started blogging. Ten years ago! Wow!
I was in my twenties, living in New York City and looking for a creative outlet beyond my 9-5. What started as a few posts a month, soon turned into a few posts a day. This space became my virtual inspiration board. Fly was my Pinterest page before Pinterest even existed. Here I could share all the things that excited me, and share in any way I wished. Which resulted in me exploring with writing, video, illustration, and collage. Creating content for Fly really pushed me creatively. And what was especially amazing was being able to create content that showcased the creative women of color I admired.
Throughout my years of blogging the question I'm asked the most is, "are you able to make a living off of your blog?" Which really means: is blogging your full-time job? Quite often the person asking would be disappointed with my "no, I have not made blogging my full-tme job" response. But I always followed up with this: Fly has afforded me a life I could have never imagined, which is absolutely priceless.
Because of this platform I've had some amazing opportunities. I visited the White House and met President Obama; had events like the 5th anniversary party at Anthropologie and the Pop & Fly Portfolio review; and collaborated with brands like Gap and Brown Betty. The blog became more than a place for me to share my inspirations, but also a place where my work as an artist and designer (and now author) could shine. Fly and its social media extensions all became my portfolio. I've done work with the Pan American Games, Lenny Letter, caribBeing, the BlackStar Film Festival, and USAID (among many many others) because of some connection through the blog. Which have all led to other opportunities like I Love My Hair and my new book out in October, Becoming Me.
So in actuality I am living off of the ten years of work I put into my blog. It took A LOT of energy to build a community over the years. And that hard work has connected me to my tribe—people who live this creative life and/or support it in some way. When I was a teenager and even well into my twenties I had no idea there were other brown ladies out there in the world like me. I did't know where to find that artsy, global, eccentric, eclectic, curious, and fun tribe. And if there was any small inkling that they were out there, I didn't know how to connect to them. But in 2006 I found a way. This blog has been that connector for me. A lot of the ladies I vent to, chill, brainstorm and share ideas with are ladies I met through Fly.
Working on Fly has allowed me to live my dream. I know for sure these opportunities would not have happened without having this platform. And I wouldn't have been connected to you. Meeting all the amazing folks who have followed this blog or my work on IG, FB, or Twitter has made these past ten years phenomenal. I am humbled and constantly in awe of all the continuous love and support. Thank you so much.
