GPC: Please introduce yourself to our readers (i.e. your name, occupation, hobbies, etc.).
D: Waddup peoples?! I’m Darrica. I’m 22 and I’m a full-time stay at home daughter (believe me it’s a real job). Outside of that I’m also a beachbody coach. I live for having adventures, hanging out, being there for my friends and traveling. Being in my early 20’s, I’m still trying to figure out who I am and life in general but I’m determined to have a great time while doing so.
GPC: What is the name of your blog(s)?
D: The name of my blog is Dear Darrica.
GPC: What’s your blog all about (i.e. genre, niche, etc.)?
D: My blog is all about my life. The ups, the downs, the pretty and the ugly. I hold nothing back! I also share natural hair tips and styles (check out my very first video below!). Being a beachbody coach, I share fitness tips, my fitness journey and different challenge groups I may be hosting at the moment (feel free to let me know if you’re interested in joining!).
GPC: What inspired your blog name?
D: How awesomely creative I am! Duh. No really it’s not very interesting at all lol. I knew I wanted my name to be included in my blog name. I wanted a name that described me but also wanted to include a word that started with a “D”. I took to the Internet and looked for descriptive words that started with a “D”. A lot of the words just didn’t fit but when I said “Dear Darrica” out loud I felt that it had a nice ring to it. Inspiring story right???
GPC: When did you start blogging?
D: I started blogging about a year ago. Dear Darrica isn’t the blog I started out with though. My first blog was Reese & Coco. I’m Reese and my best friend is Coco (her real name is Chanell. We just decided to use our nicknames for the blog). Recently she got a new job and couldn’t really find the time to blog anymore so Dear Darrica was born!
GPC: Why did you start blogging?
D: Because it’s freakin’ awesome. Honestly it’s such a fun hobby/job. I initially started blogging because I felt like I was at a moment in my life where I was making really big decisions and I wanted to be able to look back and see what exactly was going on during this time. When I decided to start blogging I never thought that it would take me this far though. I’ve made so many bloggy friends and have learned so much that I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon.
GPC: Is blogging your full-time job or do you work elsewhere full-time or part-time?
D: Besides being a full-time stay at home daughter, as mentioned earlier, blogging is my full-time job. It’s crazy cause with blogging you’re always at work. At a regular 9-5 at 5 o’clock you go home and that’s the end of your secular work day, for the most part. With blogging that’s not how it works. You’re constantly thinking about what you’re next post will be about. When you’re out and about certain things inspire you that you feel you need to write down so that you don’t forget. You have to make sure that your site is performing properly. The list goes on and on. When I first started thoughts about blogging consumed me. Most likely because it was new. I’m not as “obsessed” but I’m just as dedicated. It’s a lot of work and many people don’t realize that but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
GPC: How do you balance the demands of blogging with your everyday life?
D: This kind of ties in with the last question/answer. Sometimes you just gotta shut down the computer and live your non-cyber life. It can be hard because as mentioned before with blogging a lot of the time you’re thinking about what’s next or what you can do better, but every so often you have to block those thoughts out and just relax. When I first started blogging I made it my aim to blog 5 times a week, Monday-Friday. After a couple of months of doing that I found myself not enjoying blogging anymore. I felt like it was more of a chore (hey that rhymed!). I had to take a month off from blogging to get my priorities straight. I had to remind myself of why I started blogging in the first place. Now I stick to about 3-4 posts and week. It’s much more easier to handle and I’m back to loving it again.
GPC: What do you like about blogging?
D: Question is what don’t I like about blogging? I absolutely LOVE blogging. Outside of being to connect with others it’s an awesome outlet for me. I’ve always been a writer (I used to leave little notes around for my parents all the time when I was little) and blogging allows me to get what I’m feeling down on virtual paper. Yea keeping a journal is awesome but blogging allows you to share your life and feelings with others in a special way. You connect with ones who are similar to you and also with ones who have different perspectives on certain matters. Perspectives that in “real” life you would never be able to hear. The fact that it’s my JOB makes it all the more awesome. Best job ever if you ask me.
GPC: What would you consider your biggest accomplishment to date as it pertains to your blog?
D: I think my biggest accomplishment was when I received my first email about a giveaway that someone wanted me to participate in. It was just an awesome feeling that someone actually wanted to work with me. I was shocked. When that happened it kind of reaffirmed that I might actually be good at blogging and that I could be a successful at it.
GPD: What do you consider the biggest challenge you face blogging in your genre/niche?
D: I would say the biggest challenge was finding my niche. Finding other bloggers who talk about the same things I do was harder than I expected. You would think because the topics I talk about are all over the spectrum that it would be easy to fit in practically everywhere but that’s not true. Most lifestyle bloggers, that I’ve found, are parents and older than I am. So it was definitely a challenge finding other lifestyle bloggers who are my age and doing some of the things that I’m doing.
GPC: What has been your most exciting event you have participated in or attended as a blogger?
D: This actually happened recently. A couple weeks ago I participated in my first Twitter party. It was so far out of my comfort zone that I thought about bailing out a bunch of times. I’m glad I did it though. I made a promise to myself that I would take every opportunity to expand my blog no matter how out of my comfort zone it was. No regrets right?
GPC: What tips or tricks do you use to encourage engagement from your readers on your blog?
D: I write like I’m talking to my friends because in reality my readers are my friends. Without them my blog would be nothing but another website floating around in cyberspace. Leaving questions and getting your readers opinion helps them feel involved and important because they are. There was this one post about being an only child where I talked about my feelings of being one and I remember the comments gave me a whole new view. Having readers comment and leave their opinion really just gives you a feeling of fulfillment. You feel that you’re really helping others and giving them valuable and entertaining information.
GPC: What advice do you have for a newbie getting started with blogging?
D: Always be yourself. Reading other blogs comes with the territory of being a blogger. You may want to copy the style or “attitude” of another blogger. That gets really old really fast and your readers will pick up on it. People are going to resonate with your personality so just be yourself! The right readers will come along and love your blog for what it is.
GPC: What do you think is the biggest misconception about blogging?
D: That’s it’s not a real job or that it’s not real work. A TON of work is involved with blogging and you can definitely make it your job. Some people just view it as an online diary made for people who just want to get their feelings out there. WRONG. Blogging is real work people.
GPC: Who are some of blogger inspirations?
D: My number one blogger inspiration is Dani from Ok, Dani. I can’t even remember how I found her blog but since day one I’ve loved it. Hers was the first blog that I’ve ever read and followed. I also love Danielle from Fitness Fashionista. It’s awesome that I’ve been able to connect with these ladies outside of blogging. They’ve helped me out so much with valuable information and encouraging me take advantage of different opportunities that I normally wouldn’t have.
GPC: Please share your blog information and any upcoming events you would like to share with our readers.
D: You guys can find me at www.deardarrica.com
Social Media
- instagram.com/deardarrica
- twitter.com/deardarrica
- facebook.com/darrica.jackson
- facebook.com/deardarrica
- pinterest.com/deardarrica
If any of you have any questions or comments please let me know! You can email me at [email protected]. Thank you guys so much for the awesome interview! I hope to connect with all of you guys! Talk to you soon!
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