I get a lot of questions about how I do what I do. Like, what kind of focus, dedication, strength is required to maintain such a fun, light-hearted and rad blog. When y’all see pictures of me lounging around in lingerie, eating my cuppiecakes, you probably envy me. I make it look so easy. Trust me, I train hard for this. In fact, writing a blog like CapeTownGirl requires a rigorous year-round training schedule. I will attempt to break down my processes, so you can empower yourself to achieve at this level too.
1. It takes a lot of solid dreaming.
When you look at this picture, what do you see? You see a whimsical lass, prancing around a sunny field, as if she hadn’t a care in the world. I see a girl who’s focused. At the top of her game. This girl is fully in her zone. She is dreaming, not only for herself. She is dreaming for you, too. All sorts of things are running through her mind right now. Deer. Teacup Chihuahuas. Lady Gaga’s new video. This girl has reached the point where she has almost become the dream – an important step in the journey towards becoming a chick blogger.
2. It takes knowing your good side.
Looking good in photos is a skill – it can take years of practise to discover your Zone Pose. This is the point where your face comes together with your body to create a moment where you are one with your own hotness. But knowing your good side means knowing your bad side. You eat one too many cupcakes, and you could go to a dark place. The trick is to remember, you’re not alone. Focus. Go within yourself. Remember the dream. Remember the bambi. The chihuahuas. The cuppicakes. Use visualisations. One that works well for me is imagining myself puking up everything I just ate. This stops me from eating that extra cupcake in advance. But find your image. Do what works for you. Remember, this is a journey. YOUR journey.
3. Make sure you find yourself a friend who will take photos of you. And only you. Not them.
You can’t do this alone. You need support – and I’m talking real support. Get yourself a modelling coach. Get yourself a dietician. Get yourself a personal trainer. Get yourself a chick-blogging mentor (I’m happy to mentor you if you take plenty of pics of me). Most importantly, make friends with someone who has at least 2 Lomo cameras and an iPhone. Why all three? The Lomos are non-negotiable, since they will be flattering and abstract and instant hits. The iPhone because you can’t be seen with a BlackBerry pleb. While you need a friend to take pics of you – very badly – you certainly do not need to lower your social status. Be patient until you find the right person.
4. Take rest days. A lot is said in the silence.
As a professional chick blogger, you may find you want to push yourself. Maybe you want to push yourself a little too hard, to blog more, now, again. This is when you need to step back, and regroup. You need to refocus, and remember why you’re doing this (for free entrance to the hottest clubs in town). The truth is that sometimes not posting can be more powerful than posting. You really need to gauge this for yourself. You need to listen to your audience. What do they want? What are they saying about you behind your back? What are they not saying about you behind your back? (bitches) It is important to slow down for your own sanity. Tweet a little less about your daily @vidaecaffe. Twitpic self-portraits in mirrors even more less. Just take time out for your inner chick blogger to remember who she really is. This is not a race, remember. This is a lifestyle.
These may seem like extreme measures, but you’ve got to decide how badly you want this blogging thing. You have got to get your head right. It’s all in the mind. Either you are in this to win this (and other competitions that will benefit from your free blog-PR) or you are just another (f-ing) chick blogger with pretty pics you’ve stolen from other chick bloggers all over your site. Make up your mind. How badly do YOU want it?
Think about it.
xxCTG
