The Happy Hour- Interview with infinitelyadaydreamer

Hello lovelies!

Today’s post is a reshare of the interview I did with the lovely Daisy from Daisy’s corner whom you may have known previously as Sophie Amara. She lives in the UK, is a good friend of mine and shares inspiring productivity, lifestyle and positivity content. Her and I have collaborated on various occasions now and thoroughly enjoyed it!

I wanted to share this interview here as I felt many of my readers, besides mutual followers of myself and Daisy’s blog, wouldn’t have had the chance to read it yet and may want to learn more about me! It’s quite the comprehensive look into my creative routine, personal habits, hobbies, aspirations and more.

This post is also a part of the Happy Hour series, where Daisy interviews content creators, Instagrammers, Bloggers, Youtubers and more. She started this series at the beginning of June and it has been so well received. I’d like to extend a thank you to Daisy for her effort in this collaboration and for allowing me to share this post with you all.

 

 

 

Hey Maryam, thank you so much for agreeing to take part in this blog post and coming onto my blog! I’m so happy to have you here and to be doing yet another collab with you! I think this will be our third time working together, won’t it? Please could you begin by introducing yourself and telling my readers a little bit about you and your blog?

Thanks for having me lovely! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed your happy hour interviews with other creators so am delighted to be featured. Daisy and I have been friends and collaborating for a while now- recently we had a two post productivity series go up. Daisy’s post is linked here and mine here. Anyhow, I’m Maryam, the sixteen year old blogger behind infinitelyadaydreamer. I live in beautiful sunny Sydney. My creative journey began in 2015 and ever since, infinitelyadaydreamer and I have been growing alongside each other. I’ve always had a love for words. I’m passionate and driven when it comes to giving a voice to the things I believe in. Starting a blog allowed me a sacred space to share and brought me community. Over the past few years, I’ve fostered my interest in design and all things creative. I have a particular fondness for photography, film and of course, writing. All of these are storytelling forms, which is something so important to me. I want my work to speak to others, my vision to be clear. Other passions of mine are in intersectional feminism and minimalist living. As they say, change starts with you and then spreads. I am a feminist because I believe in an equal world. Harmony exists when we are all valued the same, despite our differences. When what could divide serves only to bring us closer together. infinitelyadaydreamer is a home for all my inner musings. I don’t have a specific niche, but I blog about lifestyle, beauty, art, wellness, minimalism, feminism and current affairs.

 

So, my first question is regarding the name of your blog and Instagram. I absolutely love the name ‘infinitelyadaydreamer’- it’s so lovely and I think it really fits the aesthetic of your social media as well. How did you come up with the name? Was there anything specific that inspired you to use this as the name for your blog?

infinitelyadaydreamer translates to forever a daydreamer- I couldn’t think of anything better to describe myself. Years back I had started off as a gaming blogger, so when I rebranded I had to think seriously of what name I wanted to identify with. It was important that the name I chose resonated and would represent me not just as I was then, but as who I would become. To me, infinitelyadaydreamer speaks to my carefree nature, to how I can live simultaneously in my own inner world and still connect with the outside. It’s about the ways in which the two intertwine- in my mind I am all I could ever hope to be- someone joyous and fulfilled who follows a less trodden path. An interior designer, living and working overseas. It’s my belief that the more energy and faith I put into these hopes, the more likely they are to come to be.

 

Now, the first topic I’d like to discuss is your instagram and photo editing. I am absolutely obsessed with your photos and the filters you use! Do you have any tips when it comes to establishing an instagram feed or editing photos? Are there any apps that you would recommend for their presets?

Thank you for the kind words! As a smaller content creator on Instagram, finding ways to draw attention to my work was key. Like any other platform, Instagram can very easily become oversaturated with the same old posts fitting into the same niches. The trick is to put a spin on what you do and make it new. Take your inspiration from pinterest and the work of other influencers, but always maintain authenticity. When you release the need for perfection and create out of love and passion, you will always find your calling. Throughout my time on Instagram, I’ve stuck to a clean, minimalistic theme. I use white bordered photos to further break up my content and have my photos be less condensed. I want my work to be appreciated individually, not just as a whole. In terms of editing, a significant portion of my feed was edited using the M5 preset on VSCO. Recently however, I invested in the Haley Ivers preset pack and it has been transformative. Editing apps are a brilliant budget option as they cost little to nothing and give you access to a variety of tools, but they can only take you so far. Another tip for editing with presets is to adjust accordingly with each photo. There is no one size fits all formula.

 

Another thing I wanted to chat to you about is the current situation. I’m guessing you’ve been in quarantine at some point this year and you may still be- either way, I’m sure you’re aware of what’s going on! Do you think the current quarantine and COVID-19 situation has benefitted your blog in any way? Do you think you’ve learnt anything new so far or have taken away anything positive from this experience?

In Australia, Sydney especially, I feel like we’ve pretty much come out the other side in terms of the virus. It feels like covid was all anybody could talk about and now it might as well have never happened. Funny how that is. My honest and perhaps unpopular opinion is that quarantine was the best thing that could’ve happened to me at the time. For a while I’d been wanting to go out less and suddenly there was no pressure to – first it was discouraged and then you simply couldn’t. Being on the grind all the time can take a lot out of a person. Over time there is a physical and mental toll. I truly believe it wasn’t enough for things to just slow down. They had to stop entirely for me to feel like I could catch up and be okay with the direction I was going in life. Quarantine allowed me that extra time to spend on my personal projects. I redesigned my blog, worked on making it increasingly user friendly and batch wrote content.

 

I completely agree with you on that- I think quarantine has really benefited me and is just what I needed to be honest! Now, this question slightly links to the previous one. It can be difficult to put together content when we’re very limited in where we can travel. You may feel stuck for ideas or in a creative rut. If this is ever the case, how do you motivate or inspire yourself to put together posts?

My inspiration is drawn primarily from other content creators and platforms like pinterest – I like to add to existing ideas and put my own spin on them. Recently I came across some older photos, my content from 2018, and loved what I saw. Many of these images hadn’t yet made it to my instagram account, so I’ve been slowly posting them. While at home I focused on improving my flatlay skills and adding older pictures to my scheduled posts. Using a mix of the two, I was able to post fairly consistently!

 

When did you start your Instagram account and your blog? What inspired you to do so?

I started my blog and instagram account in 2015, but started posting seriously in 2018. I no longer have content up for those earlier years. I was initially a gaming blogger which meant that many of my posts became irrelevant. I was inspired to start a blog as it seemed like a fantastic way to have my voice heard- beyond that, it was a mature hobby. Suddenly I was doing something that none of my friends had experience in or knew about!

 

Do you think blogging is something you would like to take up as a career in the future? If not, what type of job role can you imagine yourself in? Do you think you would continue blogging alongside this job?

My plan has always been to pursue a career in Interior design. Ideally I’d like to have my own business- being self employed has countless benefits as long as you hold yourself accountable. Running a one person operation means you answer to yourself and you only. To kickstart my goals of landing a career in design and eventually building a business, I plan to take a tafe course from next year. Depending on whether full or part time slots are available, I will take an interior design course alongside photography as the two complement each other. I hope to continue blogging on the side and perhaps earn extra income from my site or freelance writing.

 

How do you maintain a balance between school work, blogging, being a content creator on Instagram and a social life?

My personal priorities determine what I should dedicate my time to and when. My people come first, then passions, then work. I don’t compromise on this or stray from it. This system is perfect for me as the three end up correlating. I spend a decent chunk of time on each aspect of my life. By the end of the school day I’ve had my fill of socialising, used empty lesson time to create blog and instagram content/engage with others and complete any set tasks. These small slots of time are very important and allow me to get lots done. At home, my afternoon to early evening is spend making phone calls to loved ones, then posting and promoting on instagram. I’m more engaged from late evening onwards, so I use this time to work on assignments and focus on getting ahead. Scattered throughout the day are plenty of other activities.

 

Each person I’ve spoken to about my blog is surprised to hear how much time I invest into it each week. This includes coming up with ideas, taking the photos for posts, creating thumbnails, editing photos, drafting posts and promoting them! How much time would you say you spend on your blog each week on average?

Maintaining and creating content for a blog is not for the fainthearted or those with commitment issues! If you’re truly invested in blogging, setting up a schedule and dedicating regular time towards writing is a must. If blogging for you is more of a casual hobby, post whenever you feel like it or inspiration strikes. I tend to batch write content and usually work in hourly chunks. I’d say I probably spend half a day working on my blog each week. This includes editing posts, scheduling them, going through the wordpress reader and designing my website.

 

I was reading your blog post a few weeks ago where you answered your readers assumptions- it was such a fun and interesting read! I noticed that you spoke about being artsy, a budding photographer and enjoying collaging and creating moodboards. Do you think this creativity and artistic side to your personality compliments your blogging and writing? Do you find that it helps when it comes to formatting the website for your blog?

Words to me are just as artistic as any other element. I definitely agree that my love for good design and eye for pretty things has helped me in creating engaging content. People are visual in nature and words are the perfect accompaniment to images and illustrations. They add to each other and work to give the reader a fuller picture of what you aim to portray in a post. Pictures are just as important as the written content in a post. This is why they need to be relevant and add a different dimension to what you’ve already got down.

 

Who would you say is your biggest inspiration in the blogosphere or the blogging community?

Rather than being inspired by individual people, I look up to those who are authentically themselves and unashamed to speak on matters they care about. I look up to anybody who has forged a path for themselves and settled into a happy rhythm of consuming and giving back; of reading and sharing. I look up to those who encourage deeper thought in others, who seek to question until they have answers. I do of course have many inspirations within our broad blogging community though!

To name a few:

Hope Leilani

Christina and Camera

Carly Allison

Crystals and Curls

The Autumn daydreamer

The Striped Plaid

 

I always find that this is an interesting question to hear people’s answers to as responses are so varied! If you weren’t blogging, what do you think you would be doing? Do you think you’d have a different hobby?

This is a great question! If I wasn’t blogging I think I would focus my efforts on creating a youtube channel or doing work in fashion design. Those that have followed me for a while would know that at one point, I did have a channel. I kept that up for about a year but didn’t feel it was the right creative outlet for me. I compared my blogging/writing abilities to my videography skills and there was such a big gap in terms of what I could do and how well.

 

Here’s a question not necessarily blog related- what three pieces of advice would you give to your younger self or what do you wish someone had told you when you were younger?

I’d let my younger self know that wisdom is not measured by age and rather experience. That the most interesting people lead unexpected, messy lives and frequently stray from the confines of what is considered normal. I’d tell her that being underestimated by others is no reflection on her, just another assumption that she will dispel.

 

Wow, that is incredible advice! You couldn’t have worded it better either. You post quite a bit about fashion on your blog too- what is your ultimate favourite outfit or piece of clothing that you own?

I’d describe my style as minimalist chic- I adore neutrals and classic silhouettes in clothing. Dainty gold jewellery, pearls, dresses and anything floral print has my heart. At this point I have a closet of treasured pieces, so I really couldn’t pick.

 

I really love your little ‘weekly inspiration’ posts as well! What inspired you to start posting these? Is it something you’ve always done?

I’m so happy to hear you enjoy the weekly posts! I know a lot of others do as well. I started my weekly inspiration segment years back, around the time I shifted from gaming to lifestyle content. Ever since, I’ve stuck with this idea and shared a single post on Mondays. While nothing major, I like the idea of being able to brighten someone’s week and help them to start off on a positive note.