My Top 12 Instagrammable Murals!

June 28, 2017

Growing up in NYC I was surrounded by art. The thing is, the museum wasn't the only place you could find inspiration. If you took to the streets you'd be able to see art on the sides of abandoned buildings, trains parked in the long island city rail yard, billboards, and even on the sidewalks.

During the summers, and still to this day, I take joy in my private walking tours looking for new murals. And yes, some of them make it onto my Instagram and even become the backdrop to my outfit posts.

I do have my go-to spots so why not share them with y'all! Do it for the 'gram and don't forget to tag the artist. (Keep in mind, some these locations may showcase a different artist than the one shown below).

1. Kenmare & Mulberry Street - consistently changing and always worth the trip!

2. The Rainbow Gate in LES - 87 Rivington Street (go before they open or after they're closed)

3. First Street Green Art Park - 33 E 1st Street (this public park is filled with murals!)

4. Harry's Corner Shop - 64 Macdougal Street

5. Emojis Mural - 15 Prince Street (across the way from Cafe Habana)

6. Tic Tal - 90 Orchard Street

7. Bowery Mural - 76 E Houston Street

8. Flowers Mural - 250 Mulberry Street

9. Chinatown Photographs - 150 Lafayette Street

10. Long Island City - 43-01 21st Street, Queens

11. The Rainbow Wall in Dumbo - York Street between Adams and Washington

12. The Bushwick Collective - St Nicholas Avenue in Brooklyn

Feel free to add to this list by leaving a comment down below or by sharing your favorite murals via your Instagram link too!

Blogging Basics 101: Keep Learning

February 11, 2015

Hey guys! This month's post is going to fall on the shorter but sweet side. But, as always today's handy tip will help you grow your blog and strengthen your base.

Social media and the technology that goes along with it are continuously changing. Everyday something new emerges or a drastic change has occurred on of our beloved platforms. It's up to us as savvy bloggers to be able to understand it and use it to the best of our abilities.

By giving yourself a continuous education (never stop learning yo) you stay on top of the game of the digital landscape. If you're new to all these techie + social things, now is the time to develop a firm grasp on the platforms you'll be using. If you're going to go all in, might as well do a fabulous job!

Here are a few of my favorite resources when it comes to blogging:

The B Bar

It's an amazing blog about blogging. The two ladies (Victoria & Meg) that run it are pros when it comes to marketing blogs and small businesses. Definitely head over to their space for really great advice, tips, and tricks on making your blog tick!

Lynda.com

Lynda has saved my butt time and time again. It's another great site where you can learn anything and everything. Photoshop, check. Wordpress, check. Digital strategy, check. If you can afford the subscription or get your employer to sign off on it - do it and watch a video a week. This week I'm learning all about Keynote so I can build an amazing media kit.

SkillShare

Similar to Lynda, I go to this site to about things that pertain to the creative things in life (i.e. fashion photography, logo design, etc.). Sometimes they partner up with really amazing teachers, so I'd suggest signing up for their newsletters to stay in the know.

CopyBlogger

Besides taking a few writing classes, the next best thing is to read up on content marketing. CopyBlogger has been my go-to from the get-go ever since going digital at the agency. They will teach you the in's and out's of creating amazing and shareable content.

Blogging, social media, and tech go hand in hand. It's so important as a blogger to stay up to date. Even more important to have a solid base that will prove essential in the long run (i.e. HTML, Photoshop, Facebook Ads).

How do you guys stay fresh on the blogging + social game?

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Got a question or another topic you'd like me to cover next month? Shoot me an email, I'd be more than happy to help. Want to read what I covered last month? You can find that right here.

Photos via Pinterest.

Blogging Basics 101: Build Out Your Content

January 21, 2015

With a new year comes a new chance to start fresh in all aspects, including my blog. This year, I plan on being more proactive when it comes to blogging. Just how I build out content for my clients a few months prior, I'd like to start doing the same on the blog - it makes planning and writing a million times easier. It's also the fun and creative side that attracts me most to blogging.

When I say "build out content" what I really mean is brainstorm themes and ideas that make for great content.

Doing this ahead of time will help prevent staring at a blank screen as you rack your brain on things to write about - also known as writer's block. A few tools that make this process easier for me is a calendar (the google calendar works great) and somewhere to jot down ideas (a small notebook that can fit anywhere).

We all have great ideas, the hard part is capturing them. Think of your little notebook as an idea bank where some of your greatest thoughts can no longer be forgotten. If little notepads aren't your thing, don't worry - anything that's easily accessible can be used instead. As long as your creative ideas or thoughts are somewhere you can easily reference, you're in the clear. I tend to have mine handy on long subway rides for those spur of the moment "Eurekas". This idea bank will help build out your content for the following month, week, or what have you. Looking for a cute notepad to spur inspiration, try this.

For clients, I tend to build out content a month in advance. We can do that for our blogs too, but if a month is too much - try for a week. When prepping for the month ahead brainstorm ideas, themes, or DIYs that would be great for certain holidays or events. For instance, next month (February) I'll make sure to include a post related to NYFW. Here's a great marketing + holiday calendar

I use it on the daily. Another great tool is using google.com/trends. For instance, want to write about turtlenecks? Search that in google.com/trends to see what's currently trending on turtlenecks and incorporate that into your blog to help boost seo.

Next is scheduling out the content. This is where your calendar comes into play, which we'll refer to as your content calendar. Start filling in those blank spots with themes or ideas you plan on writing about for that particular day or holiday. Having a hard time coming up with a theme for one of those days? Refer to your idea bank for a source of inspiration. For me in particular, I'll block out an hour and fill in my content calendar with a theme and maybe a few sentences to outline what the post's motive will be. For those of you that want a calendar more geared towards content creation, try using CoSchedule.

Still need help creating content, read this awesome infographic from CopyBlogger to help create compelling content. Now get out there and bring your ideas to life :).

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Got a question or another topic you'd like me to cover next month? Shoot me an email, I'd be more than happy to help. Want to read what I covered last month? You can find that right here.