So, I was restructuring the back end of A Touch of Teal the other day and realized I never did a link love, vol. 39. I’m in grad school, but I still can’t count apparently!
All that restructuring of the back-end was to reorganize my navigation bar. You’ll notice that outfits are now sorted by season and you can quickly access my new wear-to-work series, which I plan to add to regularly. Under the lifestyle tab, I’ve called out my favorite verticals that I plan to consistently post about—travel, cocktails, paper products, personal posts, and on my nightstand—and I’ve moved career and blogging to top-level navigation categories as I want to get back to posting about these topics.
Since this link love seems to be masquerading as a “blog goals for 2016” post, I also have three other ideas + tasks I want to implement moving forward and wanted to share them with you today:
IMPROVE MY PHOTOGRAPHY / I’ve come a long way in my blog photography considering I used to take all my pictures on an iPhone or point-and-shoot digital camera, but I want to keep improving. It’s been about a year since I bought my DSLR and I now have two lenses for it—a 50mm and a 35 mm. One thing that really frustrates me is seeing other blogs with great photography and knowing mine have the potential to be even better—especially around outfit posts. I want to ensure those photos are less blurry, less awkward, and have more interesting backdrops that my apartment complex courtyard. (I’m lazy sometimes!)
GET PERSONAL / Some of my favorite blogs these days—particularly Sequins & Stripes and Lemon Stripes—do such a fantastic job of giving you insights to their daily lives and what they are currently struggling with, elated about, or interested in. I love reading these blogs because I feel like Liz and Julia are great gal pals who I could invite over for a wine night, even though I’ve never met them in person—though I have sent them fan mail! This is something I want to get better at on A Touch of Teal, while still finding ways to keep some parts of my offline life private.
REDESIGN MY BLOG / I last redesigned my blog in September 2014. I love how it looks, but really want to take it to the next level and find ways to incorporate newer design trends into A Touch of Teal, while also improving the functionality of how you find and read my content since I now have nearly 400 posts!
Whew. Seems like my weekend to-do list just grew a ton! If you’re a blogger, I’d love to know what your goals for 2016 are. If you’re not a blogger, I’d love to hear what songs you think TI will sing (rap?) at his concert that I’m going to tonight. And either way, I hope you have a great weekend! x
- Who else is excited for the Friends reunion?! Here’s a take on why it’s so hard to get all six in the same room.
- Why baby carrots are not baby carrots.
- Anyone else succumb to Powerball mania this week? Here’s a simulator demonstrating how hard it is to win. (I lost $20.)
- Any other Cup of Jo readers out there? Her brother-in-law died earlier this year, and her twin sister wrote a beautiful op-ed in the New York Times. I definitely cried at work reading it.
- Loved this post on Instagram profile branding, another skill I really want to hone in 2016.
- The backstory behind Instagram filters’ names.
- LOVED these Fuller House season one photos.
- Pro-tip: stop asking people for coffee in 2016.
- Want to know the most popular Lyft destinations in your city? Look no further than the 2015 Lyftie Awards.
- How rude: Elizabeth Olsen was approached about playing Michelle in Fuller House.
- An interesting tale about a guy who is addicted to frequent flyer miles.
- What flight attendants really think when they first greet you.
- Belated but stunning and saddening: the year in pictures, 2015.
- If you’re 30% through your life, you’re likely 90% through your best relationships.
- Loving this new brand identity for the University of the Arts Helsinki.
- Good news for your weekend: a new study suggests people who don’t drink alcohol are more likely to die young.
Love your goals for this year and the progress you’ve made on revamping your blog! Your photography is always really impressive to me. I want to work on mine as well! Which lens is your favorite/do you use the most?
Aw thanks so much! Your comment really means a lot as it is something I put a lot of work into. I love using my 35 mm lens, but I think the key is a low f stop! Mine both have f/1.8.
Good luck with your goals! My plan for this year is to really get serious about building my personal brand – I was neglecting the marketing part for way too long! For now I managed to launch a new website/blog for it and it’s a good start I think! 🙂
Thank you so much! Your personal brand is so important. I actually took a class on personal branding last semester, so let me know if you have any questions! xx
I think you can definitely tackle everything on your goals list. Just focus on each thing one at a time and you’ll see success. I can’t wait to see more of your personal post as well.
Kia / KTS
http://www.houseofkts.com
Thanks so much Kia! You’re always such a great support system.