Passionately Curious

Here is the post I wrote years ago! I echoed here what I learned from the 2 speakers, Tricia Gosingtian and Ana Santos. Tricia is a fashion blogger, so there's a part of the event in which we all had to pick out and model the outfits from Bayo then Tricia picked out winners from the attendees. So the event started with that then went into the specifics of fashion blogging then writing in general. :)

Hope you'll pick up a few writing nuggets! Happy reading and writing!

Passionately Curious: On BDJ's Event on Fashion & Writing

When I got to the store, I was asked to pick two outfits. I had to do it quick because Tricia Gosingtian was on her way for the talk already. Gulp. And I was told I had five minutes. Bigger gulp. So I quickly got to my feet and ran through the racks looking for different pieces to put together that would match my body type and my style.

It was like being a stylist/model for a day, because we had to style ourselves and had our pictures taken by the official photographer of the event for every outfit we try on.

Can I just say, I am really bad at posing :P I  am not a natural but it was really fun! And I was pretty happy with my choices. Here are my two Bayo outfits.

I wanted so bad to take home the clothes! But it was definitely fun while it lasted. :)

Later on, after everyone was settled down and I got to know the other BDJ girls--after a little meet and greet with Darlyn (awesome creator of BDJ!)--Tricia, who has already arrived at that time, began choosing the 3 most stylish bellas as winners for the contest.

And the winners for the Bayo fashion contest are... drum roll please...

Kiara Padua

Niña Lacadin


Melissa Javier

Intimate and personal vibe

What was nice about the event was that it was made to be intimate. It was great to see a group of strangers coming together for a common passion. We were all able to share about our own styles, our fashion icons and our interest for writing.

It was very laid back and since there were only 20 of us as attendees, you really have the opportunity to be up close with the speakers. We all got the chance to ask questions and take pictures with them after wards.

Tricia Gosingtian: effortless chic

What was striking about this lovely girl is how down to earth and approachable she is. Having the same Alma mater as her makes it easy for me to identify her as one of my college friends or block mates. (close??! Haha!) 

When you look at her pictures on her blog, you would think she is very high profile—the typical social butterfly. But I tell you, she isn't. It was great to see her embodying humility despite her many achievements.

Tricia is a fashion blogger/photographer/stylist/Forever 21 brand ambassador (I am so jealous of that last slash). So with all those titles to boot, it would have been so easy for her to let that get into her head. But amazing how she has that very grounded vibe going. Major points for this girl!

Being part of the fashion/blogging industry at a very young age, here are some nuggets of wisdom that I picked up from her talk.

Blogging makes fashion friendlier

Blogging bridges personal and professional.  

At this day and age, it is easier for an average person to copy a fashion blogger’s style than a celebrity’s. Come to think of it, I think I have been visiting Kryz Uy and Laureen Uy’s blogs more frequently over Rachel Bilson’s (my fashion icon) Polyvore page in the past month. I guess there is something refreshing about the previous girls’ reach-ability and the convenience of getting your hands on their clothes without having to buy it online and maxing out your credit card.

Blogging essentials: Design, Content, Brand

So what makes a fashion blog work?

Tricia says that we have to keep these 3 things in mind: design, content and brand.

When you talk about design, this is all about the layout, typefaces, navigation and sophistication. Nothing hurts the eyes more than hot pink backgrounds, small curlz fonts in bright yellow and animated cursor. 

Similarly, it is important to match your great design with a great content. Your blog should have a specific voice and should be catered to a specific demographic. 

It will also help if you keep it up to date. When your followers see that you last post was four months ago, most likely they would think that your blog has gone dormant and be less likely to visit it anytime soon.

And just like any outfit you wear, your blog has to carry a brand that speaks out your individuality. It has to have credibility and it has to create awareness and value to your readers.

When I was writing this, I admit I had a little difficulty. I wanted to share my experience but at the same time I wanted my readers to pick up something from it. I wanted it to be relevant for those who weren’t in the event. Thus, this has become a personal/feature blog entry. And I hope it is working!

Ana Santos: modern-day Jane Austen

Nothing screams girl power more than Ana Santos, whom I was amazed later on when she came walking in and introduced her 9-year old daughter to us! Dude, she looks so young! But she not only looks good, but carries herself confidently and speaks really well.

http://writersblockphilippines.com/about/about-ana-santos/

Set your writer’s voice free!

When she first asked us what a writer’s voice is, I first came up blank and then thought maybe it’s that one thing that you love writing about.  Wrong.

A writer’s voice is the individual writing style of an author.  It’s a combination of syntax, diction, punctuation and dialogue. 

Needless to say, it’s the you in writing. It’s not like a skill that you have to learn, but it’s that voice in you that needs to be discovered and freed.  But how do you find it? Well, according to her you have to write, write, write… and write some more.


Experiment!

Sure, writing is a passion but you will not be able to put that passion into something concrete unless you do it. 

So put those thoughts, those ideas, those learning and experiences into words. Just write, write, and write. Do not think about the grammar first, or the organization of your ideas, or the content… Later on, you’ll have plenty of time to do that. The first step is to get that pen and paper and start writing because you want to get those words flowing as candidly as if you are just talking to a friend, wanting to share something special.

So you have to keep doing it, until the words and the style that you use starts to feel like your own skin—effortless, natural, distinctly you.

Don’t eff it!

If you love something and someone spat on it, what would you feel? Most likely you’ll be infuriated, or at the very least, pissed. Same thing when writing is your passion. There has to be that respect and an area of ethics to speak of. When you write something derived from other people’s ideas, make sure you acknowledge their work or at least place a hyperlink that would direct your readers’ to their site.

Be responsible for what you write. As much as we are all pro freedom of expression, there is a line that separates harmless writing from writing that would trample other’s freedom and privacy.

So write passionately and responsibly.

Be passionately curious

If there is one thing that stuck to me in that talk, it is to be passionately curious. It is not to be afraid to experiment and to learn as much as you can as you go along.  I guess this just pretty much captures where I am at the moment.

I love writing but it was only until late last year that I have taken up my virtual pen to write again. I knew that my writing has gone rusty, but because I wanted to express myself one way or another, I tried doing it again. And I am just happy that I am rediscovering my passions this year.

The idea is to keep learning and to always be in the moment of inspiration, and put those into something concrete. 

So whether it’s a bunch of words strewn meaningfully or several pieces of clothing put together beautifully, create your “passion piece” (passion masterpiece) that would one day be hung on the wall, igniting that inspiration in others. :)