Some of the questions I’m always asked each week. Want to know anything else? Drop me a note at briony@agirlastyle.com or come and say hello on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
Where do you live?
I moved to the UK with my (now) husband at the end of 2008, and split my time between London (where I work) and Cambridge (where I live). Before that I lived in Washington D.C. for 6 months (where I interned) and in Australia (where I grew up).
What do you do?
I spent the past 15 years working full time in politics (first in Washington DC, then Canberra, then Westminster, and finally in Brussels). Recently, I decided to take a leap of faith and turn my side-hustle into my career. Now, I freelance full time and consult for a handful of my favourite fashion and lifestyle brands (Net-a-Porter, PORTER Magazine, The Cambridge Satchel Company, and more) on digital strategy and social media, write for magazines and other publications, and spend the rest of my time running A Girl, A Style.
How long have you been blogging?
I started A Girl, A Style at the end of 2009 and have been going ever since (albeit always alongside my day job). I think this officially makes me one of the ‘original gangsters’ of the blogging world.
May I use your photos?
Sure! Please just ensure you credit me and link back to this site, and don’t use more than one or two photos at once. Under no circumstances may my posts (words or images) be reposted in full or used for commercial purposes without prior written consent.
Which camera do you use?
For all the pictures I take myself, I use the Olympus Pen EPL-8. It’s so compact, light, easy-to-use (read: husband-friendly) and much less cumbersome to carry around when I’m out and about that it actually replaced my Canon SLR a couple of years ago. It also has in-built wifi for sending the pictures straight to your phone (great for Instagram or blogging on-the-go) rather than having to run them through your computer first. (NB: this isn’t sponsored in any way; I bought my own EPL-8, and the EPL-7 before that).
Do you have any tips for blogging?
First, really think about your angle. What are you passionate about? What is your USP? What can you contribute that is uniquely yours? Don’t try to copy what someone else is doing, or worry about trying to be everything or everywhere at once. Find what makes sense for you and then just start.
Once you’re up and running, think of your community and the audience you want. When I started blogging, Twitter and Instagram didn’t even exist so I would constantly read other blogs and leave meaningful comments or reach out to other like-minded bloggers who were also just starting out (and I’m happy to say that most of the connections I made then remain friends today). Now, it’s so much easier to connect via social media, so respond to articles that resonate with you, retweet posts you love, engage with hashtags and join the conversations that make sense for your brand. Whatever you do, don’t buy fake followings. If you’re doing something well, your audience will grow organically over time. It’s far better to have 10 loyal, engaged followers than 100,000 fake followers who don’t actually care about anything you post.
My number one piece of advice would be to never start a blog with the intention of ‘being famous’ or just for the perks. In truth, it will take months or years to get to that point (if ever), so if will be hard to stay motivated if that is your primary goal.
Which platform do you use?
I use WordPress which I love, but there are so many other great easy-to-use platforms out there which are just as good these days.
What did you study?
I actually have three degrees; Bachelor of Arts (English, American Studies), Bachelor of International Studies (Politics, Strategic Studies), and a Bachelor of International Business. Fun fact: I also have an AMusA Diploma in Music (piano).
Any advice for someone starting out in their career?
Intern, intern, intern. While you’re still studying, try to get as much good experience under your belt as possible. You’ll (hopefully) learn a lot more than you could in class alone, build a great CV which will set you apart from other applicants, and help you figure out what it is you really want to do. In high school I thought I wanted to be a lawyer so spent the summer interning for a law firm. I hated it so much that I never pursued it again!
My number one suggestion is: don’t wait for opportunities to land in your lap. You have to fearlessly knock on doors until someone will take a chance on you. Once you’ve landed that first internship or job, don’t get complacent; be nice to everyone and always have impeccable manners, arrive to the office first and leave last, work hard and try demonstrate your worth. If something isn’t in your job description but sounds like a good opportunity or learning experience, volunteer to help out. Before long, you’ll earn more responsibility and recognition.
Any advice for someone hoping to work in politics?
First things first: know your stuff. As a first step, figure out which issues you care about, and where your politics lie (but it’s ok if this evolves over time). I’m not saying you need to know last ten years’ worth of legislation and party platforms like the back of your hand, but it helps to know your Liberals from your Conservatives and your elections from your filibusters if you want to earn respect.
Once you know which party, campaign, NGO or think tank you want to work for, try to build connections and experience. Don’t wait for vacancies to be advertised; join the youth wing of a political party, go to policy debates, volunteer to help a campaign (political campaigns – no matter what the cause – are always happy to have more volunteers), get involved in local or student organisations (at university I was always doing something; model United Nations, Youth Parliament, campaigning for charities, running for student office, you name it!), or ask if you can volunteer during your term break – chances are you’ll build connections and experience that will lead to something longer-term.
Politics can at times be emotive and divisive. Always keep your integrity and trust your gut and remember that if something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. One of my very first jobs in politics required me to take a position I didn’t feel comfortable endorsing if I wanted to keep my position there. Needless to say, I wasn’t working there the next day. You probably won’t agree with everything your boss / party / organisation / campaign advocates for, and that’s ok so long as your views align on the majority of the big issues. If you don’t feel passionate and proud to work there, you need to question whether that’s the right place for you.
