Lucie Loves | UK Lifestyle Blog

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Lucie Loves... Life & Career // How I became a lifestyle blogger, what it's like going freelance & things I wish I knew at 15 

Lucie Kerley

To this very day, my ‘Top 10 Tips For Starting a Blog’ post is the most popular one I’ve ever shared. I felt it was about time I did a next instalment, which I hope some of you will find of interest.

So when I was asked by James Barley, to answer a number of questions to help Year 10 students (teens, aged around 15 years old) who are trying to figure out what they want to do for a career, I said “YES!!” I remember being at high school and our class getting visits from ‘successful’ ex-students, and thinking that it would be nice to go and give something back myself.

I’m fairly new to vlogging, but it’s times like this that video is the perfect medium for getting my point(s) across. Apologies for the lack of music and odd little jumps (I was editing out my “erms”), I’ve still not quite got to grips with that advanced editing skill… but I think the content is pretty decent without any jingle.

In this vlog I talk about how I became a lifestyle blogger in London, my job as a social media consultant, what it’s like being freelance, the importance of having an active and up to date LinkedIn profile, and how to expand your professional networks.

I also answer a number of questions, which I hope will demystify the journey I took to get where I am today – basically, there is no ‘one’ path – have a watch and let me know your thoughts and please share your own journeys.

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It’s a fairly long video - about 20 minutes in total, so if there’s something you’re interested in more than others, take a look at the time codes below, to find out how to skip to the questions & answers covered:

  • What is your job? (skip to 0:07)
  • What do you actually do on a day-to-day basis? (skip to 0:33)
  • What was your starting salary? From doing an unpaid Internship to working as a school portrait photographer for around £14K per year, I then moved onto to MACE Archive for a role as a Curator: Community & Acquisition £20K per year, and then onto the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew as Grow Wild Digital Participation Manager - starting at £32,350 per yer and going up to around £34,000 after three years (skip to 5:49)
  • How straightforward has it been/is it to develop your career within this area? This is a list of the weird and wonderful jobs and temp jobs that have got me where I am today (skip to 9:24)
  • What did you study to get to this point? (skip to 3:28)
  • What grades (broadly or specifically) did you get/have to get at GCSE and A-Level? GCSE’s - 4 B’s - 4 C’s - 2A’s, A-Level’s Media studies - B, Art - B, Psychology - C. BTEC Foundation Diploma in Art & Design - Distinction, BA Hons Visual Communication (Documentary Photography) at Birmingham City University - First.
  • How soon into your education/training pathway did you know what you might end up doing? (skip to 13:41)
  • What do you enjoy most about your job? (skip to 3:08)
  • What is the most challenging thing? (skip to 8:23 & 11:30)
  • What were you like at school? (skip to 8:49)
  • What advice would you now give to your 15-year-old self? (skip to 15:33)
  • What advice would you give a 15 year old now? (skip to 17:12)

Useful links

I thought it would be helpful to link to the different websites, blogs, groups and organisations that I mention in my answers:

How to connect with me:

Funding organisations and places I used to work for:

Networking opportunities:

I try and attend as many of these creative/women in tech/women in digital networking events as possible, as well as meeting with my own Social Media Manager/Influencer peer group.

If there are any other great networking groups or organisations that are missing from this list, please get in touch.

Book recommendations:

In the vlog I mentioned my fave motivational read: 'Do Disrupt’ by Mark Shayler (skip to 10:34)

Also check out these other books from Do Book Co.: http://thedobook.co/ and this blog post that I wrote with lots of other great books and apps to get you motivated!

Inspiring people, courses and posts to check out:

If you’ve any other suggestions for credible, helpful resources or inspiring folk, please let me know.

Any questions?

If you have any other questions, please get in touch. Or, if you’re interested in me doing a vlog on another topic that you would find useful to learn more about, please send me your suggestion. Comment below or drop me an email to info@luciekerley.co.uk

Please 'like’ and hit subscribe on my YouTube channel if you enjoyed it.

Connect with me on LinkedIn and start building your professional networks.

About the shoot…

What I’m wearing:

Photo credit: @Mat_Buckets of Buckets & Spades Blog