Hello Carly! Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. First off, can you tell us about you and your blog?
I’m Carly and I’m a fifteen year old blogger from Seattle, Washington. I’ve had my blog lovecarlyallison.com for five years. It started off as an art and DIY blog and has morphed into a travel, lifestyle and fashion blog!
How do you balance your personal life with blogging and podcasting?
This is something I’m always working on. I think a really important part is to decide what parts of your life you are going to keep personal and what you are going to share online.
What is your philosophy of life and why?
My philosophy on life is the way you look at something is the way it is. I think that if you look at something with a positive outlook it will seem better than it is. The same thing goes with negativity- if you complain constantly and only see the bad, that’s all there will ever be for you.
What strengths of yours make you a good blogger?
I’m best at expressing myself with writing or typing rather than words in the moment. I think that helps with blogging because I can think of the best way to express what I want to say, when I feel ready to say it.
What is the best thing about your hometown?
Definitely how close I am to so many things- within half an hour I can be at the beach, in the mountains or even downtown Seattle which is just amazing!
In the future, where do you hope your blog will take you?
I hope to work with some really cool brands I love as well as just growing my own content and making each post better and better! A few dream brands to work with would be Mejuri, Revolve or Princess Polly. Obviously, I’m so far off, but those would be super cool.
What are some of your goals for this year?
One of my goals for 2020 is to be a better listener because listening is so important and something I can always improve on.
Another one is to take more photos because you can never take enough photos and they are great to have for memories. Also, to go on my phone less because my screen time is way too high!
I think it’s really important to spend less time on your phone for your mental health and because you don’t want to remember your life as just looking at others.
What role does your social media play in blog engagement? Do you view social media as being separate to your blog or an extension of your content there?
I personally use Instagram and Pinterest to drive traffic. I always post on my story when I upload a new post or podcast episode. I also save pictures from my Instagram and blog to Pinterest and I’ve had a few get a lot of saves on there!
As for a separate thing or extension, I think for me it can be both! I love to post on my accounts and story as if I only used Instagram but I also share new posts on there as well.
What does your creative process look like?
I’m not the most creative person but a lot of the time a post idea will come from finding something I want to share and thinking of the best way to do so. So whether it be a tip I realize or an outfit I really like, I just see what I can do with that.
How would you describe your style? Who or what are your inspirations?
I honestly can’t describe my style as one thing- it’s so scattered!
If I had to describe it, I would say it’s a combo of basics, 90s and whatever you would put cargo pants in the category of! As for stores, I love Brandy Melville, thrifted stuff and Pacsun. Depop is my go-to for finding stuff and I love how you can buy whatever you are looking for sustainably over there. Some people’s style I love are Madison Beer, Olivia O’Brien and Olivia Vargus.
Describe your journey to veganism. What are some of your favourite recipes?
The main reason I wanted to go vegan was my body’s reaction to dairy. Whenever I would have dairy I would feel so sick and then sluggish for a day or two and I simply didn’t want to feel sick in a way I could control anymore.
I’ve also been a vegetarian for years before because I’ve always hated the meat industry and wanted to do everything I could not to support it. So, in April 2018 I decided I was going to go vegan. Some of my favorite things to make are stir fried tofu and any veggies I have, pasta, smoothies, toast with either peanut butter or avocado and salads. All of those are super simply and easy but they are great go to’s. Whole Foods also have the very best vegan baked goods including croissants, chocolate cake, donuts, cupcakes, etc.
Thanks for sharing this inspiring interview! x
Thank you for taking the time to read! Glad you enjoyed the post x
Loved this so much – Carly’s one of my fav bloggers so it was nice hearing more about her!!
Lexie
http://www.whatlexieloves.blogspot.com
So glad you loved the post! Thanks for reading Lexie 😊
I loved this interview!
Glad to hear that! Thank you x
Really interesting interview!
Thank you so much!
A wholesome interview! Loved it! xx
So happy you liked it. Thank you zara!
loved reading this!! i always love discovering new bloggers so i can’t wait to go and explore carly’s blog! xxx
That’s great to hear! definitely do that x
Thanks for reading sophie!
Love this post <3 Will definitely go check out Carly's blog!
Yes, definitely do! Thanks for reading love (:
Such an engrossing interview! Great job, Maryam!!
Thank you so much! 😊
loved this- I feel like I know carly a lot better now!! also, how pretty does she look in these photos?! xx
ahh, thank you so much grace! It was good fun interviewing carly. I tried to ask questions specific to her niche but with a personal side to them. I’m really happy with how it turned out. carly is just so lovely and yes, absolutely gorgeous!
Loved this and Carly is such a hun! xxx
Yes, she is! 🥰
Love this post! Interviews are always fab posts! X
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed x
This is such a amazing read, you’ve made me want to do my first interview!
Thank you so much Rachael! They’re a lot of fun and a great opportunity to get to know people better x