http://www.kiwithebeauty.com

l cannot believe it has already been 2 full years of KiwiTheBeauty.com. It’s my 2 year blogiversay and I am really excited for the growth and love I have for my little blog. It definitely seems like this blog is older…because technically it is. KiwiTheBeauty was actually in effect in 2011, without a domain name – just a name. Then in 2012 I bought the domain name…so thus this site was born.

It’s kind of weird but at the same time knowing I have been blogging consistently for 2 years. I actually been blogging longer. I have already talked about this a few time on this blog, how I started on Blogger.com in 2006 as a college blogger (basically talking about absolutely nothing; boyfriends, music, college musings…etc…) and  it was cute. I had subscribers and people who were really anxious to read my little ramblings and it was a fun little community I was involved in. Then I decided I wanted to be more than this silly college girl blogger, I felt like I wasn’t talking about anything with substance. So I became really deep and poetic with my motivational blog – which is still up hiding in the blogiverse at Live.Love.Learn by Kiwi. With that blog, I talked in the 3rd person, like I was someone’s conscious and I would talk about turning life lessons into a positive perspective or an awakening. What did I know?! I was in an on & off again relationship with someone I loved very much and really talking to myself. Self-helping myself through what we were going through…and ironically enough I stopped blogging here because we actually got back together and started our love life up on a better foot. So no more love & life lesson talk when I felt at the time my problem was solved right?

Funny enough, this same boyfriend I was with 2 years later in 2011 actually listened to me on something important. I was yearning to take pictures and blog again. I was at a job that I loved at the time and wanted to finally blog seriously in another way. I wanted to start going to events and taking really good pictures. Both of my other blogs lacked my personal touch, I wanted to blog with me in them, with my voice and really let people see that maybe my opinion could be beneficial due to me being outgoing or whatnot. I read so many blogs over the years I was obsessed and I wanted to have my own. Where people cared about it a little more. So I came up with Kiwi The Beauty, to take pictures beautifully and share it. As soon as I came up with the name I  bought this domain (yay) no more blogspot, straight to wordpress and I bought a $30 wordpress template that never worked. Even though it didn’t work, I had the intention to have my blog and do something. But I was missing something important. A CAMERA! So that Christmas, my boyfriend asked me what did I really want for that year as a gift and I  almost didn’t tell him because I didn’t think he would get it for me. He begged me and tell me to tell him what I wanted, anything – and I broke down and poured my heart that I really wanted a camera to blog with and take professional pictures.

So Christmas time is here, I am putting gifts all under the tree and I don’t see anything he bought. I was like ok…maybe it’s something small. I almost had a mini panic attack because my mind started to think well maybe he just didn’t get me anything at all. Christmas morning of 2011, I woke up and he gave me one gift. It was my Nikon D3100 camera, the same camera I have today and it was all I wanted. I knew from that day forth this blog had to come alive. So in 2012, I blogged in the most unconventional way possible! Through social media…remember I bought my domain but no website was built. So I decided I have this camera, I am gonna use it and I will Facebook, Tweet and Instagram my way to blog. So I just shared my picture…all. the. time. I was in a  cool blogger group that was really supportive and we would constantly go to events and I would take massive amounts of pictures. My pictures, my dedication to social media and I guess just my outgoing personality started to get a little attention in Atlanta. I started to get invited to all of these fun events and asked to just take some pictures. I felt I was really beginging to blosom with my blog.

There was something missing still…an actual domain name. My friend Nikka’s husband (a great graphic designer; check him out at evolun) then birth my blog. He created this page in which you see today and put it all together. So on Dec.5th, 2012 I wrote my first blog post! From there on I have been writing and growing this blog.So as you  can see from the long thesis I wrote from blogging, it is clearly my passion. I have been doing this for more than 2 year, but the years I’ve had on this platform has changed drastically. I grew a lot in two years!

I went from blogging as a hobby, to blogging and creating a name for myself and making some real income from it. I would of never thought in 2006 you can transition your lifestyle and career to become a full-time blogger (almost there). Blogging is a cool buzz word now, people actually respect bloggers and even think we are important. I think it’s amazing the evolution of blogging has become due to social media and blogger becoming their own personalities with a following. People can connect with you, and even brands/companies know our value now celebrities aren’t the only ones who can promote things. Blogger have a more authentic voice and we are very creative. We wear so many hats so the word “blogger” isnt someone who just writes on a site. I am a photographer, a graphic designer at time, event hostess, media correspondent, journalist, content creator, brand ambassador, model and more! Being a blogger is an all-in-one job!

One of the best things that has ever happen to me within blogging these short 2 years thats is completely amazing in my endorsement with Miss Jessies. Here I am last year at my blogiversary party.

Me + Miko Branch (co-founder of Miss Jessies brand) at my 1 year Blogiversary party and Leave-In Condish launch!

Me + some of my friends with Miko Branch, co-founder of the Miss Jessie’s brand. So last year I had the opportunity to be apart of a hair campaign with the brand not knowing what was really in store. I totally thought it was just going to be online, maybe some Christmas promo…some great exposure but nothing major. Miss Jessie’s surprised me with this opportunity to be the face of the Leave-In Condish product, which you probably seen the add on the side of my blog. Cool right?

Miko telling me about my blog and the surprises she has in store for me.

In this picture was a real moment. As Miko and I was taking lots of pictures on the red carpet she kind of just talked to me personally about how happy she is to meet me (this was our first personal encounter) and that she has been reading my blog. What?? She was reading my blog??? She said she was following it for a while, because I would always hashtag and tweet/Instagram the brand (before the campaign) and she seen how authentic I was and wanted to use me for something. To help me with my blog and do something special for me. So at this moment she said she had some surprises for me in the upcoming month. A magazine ad..wow! Well little did I know it wasnt just one magazine ad…

2014 Magazine Campaign Ads and Features!

I was featured in 7 magazine ad! SEVEN full page magazine ads with my face on it and my blog!! This is unheard of…but it happened this year. And that’s not all that’s happen. Miss Jessie’s did something else that people are still buzzing about…

I was on A BILLBOAD this year! I was on 4 different billboard in different place in Georgia. I cried and I cried more because this was overwhelming. Within less than two year, a thought I had – turned into this. An opportunity. A major opportunity I didn’t think was possible in 2006. Who would of thought something as simple as me talking about embracing my curls and loving a product would turn into this??

My VLOG ON ME SEEING THE BILLBOARD FOR THE FIRST TIME

That was my major highlighted moment thus far in the 2 years that I have been blogging. From my blogiversary party to this year, I not only got national exposure and a cool ad…my blog grew too! I have people commenting on it more, my social media following is growing weekly and people really care about Kiwi The Beauty. The blog and the person (me)! I have so much more to share about what has happened in this year alone, the growth and maturity even from last year to today – but I will save that for my year recap.

Am I where I want to be with my blog yet? Absolutely not, this blog is still a toddler! Just getting out of it’s infancy and out the the potty training stages and starting to wear big girl panties (sorry for all the baby analogizes lol). As with any baby, it’s still has time to grow and develop into something beautiful…so its cute & precious right now but I expect a big growth spurt coming for 2015.

I am not having a blogiversary party today. Not today…this year came just a little to fast for my liking to do such a major celebration like I did last year.I do want to have a blogiversary/birthday party though. It will be in February – I want to have another elaborate party. But today will be lowkey. If you got this far into reading my blog, I want to say thank you! If you’ve know me for 2 years since this blog…thank you for sticking around. If you just started to get into this blog and read about my life and what is cool…again thanks for sticking around. It means the world to me.

ANY COOL IDEA I CAN DO FOR MY 2 YEAR BLOGIVERSARY PARTY? LET ME KNOW PLEASE!