Happy HUMP, yo! Is it just me, or does it feel like Friday? As much as I lovelovelove a jam-packed weekend…I also really don’t love a jam-packed weekend. HA. There is no amount of coffee to sustain me today. Send a latte. Or three. SOS. 😉 Now, it’s Q&A time! Welcome to another #AskE. I’m really diggin’ this series personally, cos it feels super personal + hopefully still fun/useful/etc. Thoughts?

If you’ve got any sorta Q you want A’d, there’s a form for that! Feel free to use this handy dandy form whenever you’ve got something on yo’ mind that you wanna share – chances are, I’ll answer it in a future #AskE post. You’re always more than welcome to send Q’s my way whenever/wherever they come to mind, whether that’s via email, Instagram DM, tweet, carrier pigeon, or a kitten + bottle of Cabernet with a note on my doorstep. 😉 BUT, I figured a form on le blog is the easier/most central location for all, so I’m hoping it helps streamline things for ya. SO, let’s A some Q’s!

(Only $13!!!! – comes in blue-and-white stripes AND black-and-white stripes. Runs TTS – I wear a Small!) // Jeans (Sold out, other favorite jeans ) // (SO COMFY!!! Cost per wear is so low on these, cos I wear them constantly still. They continuously restock sizes + colors, so add to cart + watch!) // (c/o) // More Louis Vuitton here

How do you keep up with photos but also make your marriage a priority?

So this isn’t *as* difficult as ya might think (if ya asked this Q – ha!). Since I’m lucky enough to be able to blog full-time now, I try to get as much “work” schtuff done during the day in typical “work” hours when my hubs is also at work. Most often, my mom is taking my pictures, or I’m taking them myself (if I’m not in the picture). BUT…typically the best times to take photos – especially outdoor shots – is around the time when J is already home. So I think the biggest key is planning ahead! I try to stay a month ahead of myself in terms of knowing *what* I’m creating, and then as soon as I have something contracted or set in stone on my calendar, I schedule it to be shot. My mom also lives an hour from me, so we HAVE to schedule + coordinate together to really make the most of any/all time that we’re traveling to shoot together. On any given “shoot day,” I’m trying to shoot at LEAST 5-6 blog posts…so coordination is key!

I try to make sure I’m just always checking in with J on his schedule, wants, needs, etc. We keep tabs + really value open communication, so we’re always talking about what’s going on on any given day. Additionally, we make sure we have a specific date night on the calendar every week, and we always put our “youandme” plans first whenever possible (above work plans, other friends, etc) to ensure that we’re really putting time into our marriage.

What’s your dream destination for travel?

I’ve got a few! Lately, the list includes Banff, Nantucket, Napa, and a tropical somewhere on this side o’ the Atlantic. Overseas, I’m dying to see Italy (we’ve got something on the calendar – woo!) and go back to Spain (I studied abroad there in college). Positano, Italy is top of list, followed by Santorini, Greece and Poland (since I’m Polish!).

How do you keep persisting when the results aren’t there?

OOOH what a good Q. #RealTalk…I’m not the best at this. I am (+ always have been) a very results-oriented + goals-oriented person. I like setting goals, and I like seeing results/reaching said goals. Yeah, you and everyone else, Erica…

But really tho. Where my fellow Type A perfectionists at??? Ya feel me???

There are people who like to reach goals, and there are people who live/breathe/eat/sleep/sneeze by said goals.

I am the latter of this formula.

So it really drives me bonkers (+ on a more serious note, causes intense anxiety) if I don’t hit a goal.

I think it’s definitely a different journey now that I’m the one in charge of setting said goals for myself, and I’ve needed to re-evaluate + adapt frequently. But one thing I’ve learned: Give thyself grace.

If you’re not seeing the results you think you should be seeing…

Write down everything you expected of yourself, followed by everything that resulted instead.
Note any circumstances that you have no control over that may have impacted things not quite going your way.
Acknowledge that you are not, in fact, in control. Of basically anything. (Hollah to He who is.)
Repeat to yourself that is is, in fact, OKAY to not always be in control.
Go back to your original goals – have they changed at all? Or is your underlying mission/overarching purpose still pretty much the same?
Figure out if the step-by-step process to reach the goals needs to be altered at all to be SMARTer (more specific/significant, measureable/meaningful, action-oriented/achievable, realistic/rewarding, timely/trackable).
Keep on keepin’ on.

You basically have a choice here.

So you’re not seeing the results you think you want/think you should be seeing at this point in time.

…Is that worth calling it quits?

I mean, really, who are we to assume that our timelines are the right timelines after all?

In the end, it’s not about us. Nor is it UP to us. We can do everything in our power to get from A to Z, but there will always be a higher power making sure things don’t go awry at L, M, N, O, or P.

Persist because you never know when your breakthrough will come.

And if that doesn’t motivate ya, this quote from Conrad Hilton might: “Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.”

“Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.”

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I want to know the color you use on your hair! So pretty!

It changes! For YEARS, I would just use a box of Garnier Fructis dye, aptly called Sangria. 😉 Most recently I got a Redken Shades EQ Gloss in the shade Merlot (clearly I lovelovelove my vino – and this photoshoot was done closer to when I had that process done, so the color is pretty accurate to that Gloss here!), but that’s a semi-permanent treatment that gradually fades after about 6-8 weeks. I’m actually getting a color swap TOMORROW, so stay tuned… 😉

How much time did it take before you became a full time blogger?

My 4-year blogiversary is actually coming up in August, and I took the leap to go full time in May 2016. So, about 3 years before I became a “full time blogger.” Ha! But, I will say that I know girls who took the leap much sooner, AND much later.

Really, it’s such an independent variable that cannot under any circumstances be compared to anyone else.

Cos you have NO CLUE what all goes into anyone else’s behind-the-scenes, really!

One girl might have six years worth of extra income as a buffer to “take the leap” with a blog that is making $0 currently. Another might’ve been raking in the dough alongside her traditional 9-to-5 with essentially two full time incomes. While one girl might have the financial support/backing of family, another might be relying on her own badass self to pay all the bills on time.

There is no “right” way or time – it’s such a personal decision that really has to just depend on what’s best for you + your blog.

For me personally, I was only blogging once per week for basically the first 3 years of CUR while I was in school. I was able to kick it up a notch towards the end, but I had to keep it realistic in my prioritizing (as bad as I sometimes was at it, blogging straight through accounting lectures…#SorryNotSorry).

Related Post: A Day in the Life of a Fulltime Blogger

What Q’s do you want A’d in future#AskE Q&A posts?

If you’re curious see past #AskE posts all here.

P.S. Don’t forget to submit yo’ Q’s!!!

P.P.S. You can still shop the ! ICYMI, I styled 6 of my favorite pieces 3 ways EACH to really showcase versatility for fall. What have you bought/are you buying from the sale???