Inspiration: 2 Creative Blogs You SHOULD Be Following

I know, I've been doing a lot of Writer Talk, Reader Talk, and Interviews lately as opposed to the creative design/DIY/inspiration posts I used to do all of the time. It's not that I've given up on that side of things, I've just found that the writer and reader side of posts to be more relevant in my life right now.

Holli and I are writing books that we hope to will finish in July. (Largely in part to Camp NaNoWriMo we plan to participate in.) This means my brain has been a little more inclined to think about things like writing resources, Dos & Donts, POVs, humorous writer musings, and, of course, book things.

So, to show you that I still very much love everything design + inspiration, I wanted to share with you two of my favorite creative blogs that you SHOULD already be following.

1. A Beautiful Mess

Honestly, ABM is one of the sites I visit during my daily online routine. I can't put my finger on the exact way I came to know about this lovely blog, but I've been glued to it for more than a year.

ABM is lifestyle blog run by sisters Elsie and Emma. Their topics include Crafts, Photography, Recipes, Decor, Fashion, and Beauty. While I appreciate all of those creatively fueled categories, their crafty DIYs and Decor (specifically the At Home With series) posts are my bread and butter.

I love this site because, despite their obvious popularity, both sisters and the people that work with them seem to be humble and absolutely love what they do. If you ever need an inspirational boost or some creative juice, I suggest you roll on over to their site and spend some time enjoying everything they have to offer!

Their Home page's mini About: A beautiful mess is all about creative a beautiful life. We share daily inspirations, DIY projects and recipes. We believe that the best things in life are homemade.

Amen, sisters!

2. Design Love Fest

Oh, how I love me some Design Love Fest. Different in vibe from ABM, Design Love Fest still has all the goodness of a creative and inspirational design blog. 

Bri Emery, founder and editor of DLF, has a knack for style, a flair for life, and is just adorable in general. In the past year the evolution of Blogshop has made DLF even more fun to follow as well as the my favorite reoccurring topics of Make It, Design, Interiors, and Advice.

The graphic designer part of me (as well as the freelancer side of me) is what loves Design Love Fest the most. If you work from home, are a designer, or just love pretty things in general I suggest you put Design Love Fest in your bookmarks!

DLF's tagline: Where type & images totally make out.

*Drool*

Do you have any blogs that you just love?

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

Advice: Exercise Your Camera for Your Blog

I am a very visual person. If you have a pretty picture or ANY picture really, I will be more inclined to click a link than if you just have text. I know for a fact that I am not alone. Whether it's just more intriguing or I'm just spoiled by beautiful blog posts over at A Beautiful Mess and DesignLoveFest, I think finding your photography style and voice is key to a successful blog.

This isn't going to be a post about tips and tricks (maybe later on). Instead it's going to be this simple advice: exercise your camera.

What does that mean? 

Take a lot of pictures! Have fun! Edit to your own liking without worrying about others!

You don't need to copy the same style as other bloggers or photographers. If only for the main reason that you are not them!

Take the time to snap a few pictures of a friend (which I did) and edit each a different way until you are happy. Also, don't be afraid to use different angles.

I guarantee that your blog will be more successful if you take the time to get visual! Find a way to incorporate your original images into each post to help draw the attention of readers to keep them coming back for more!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)