Saturday, May 30, 2009

Asking Apricot

"The fashion thing was just an idea I came up with one day. . .
when I was unemployed & bored."

 Hey Fashion People, 
     I'd like to invite you to enjoy my first ever "blog interview". I am so happy to have stumbled upon Apricot Tea. The site's author, Ev'Yan, is a budding fashion/lifestyle blogger who is part Carrie Bradshaw, part the best friend you never had. She was kind enough to answer a series of questions I was dying to ask. For more Apricot, visit Apricot-Tea.com.

1. Introduce yourself. Who are you and what do you do?
   My name is Ev'Yan, & I live near Los Angeles, CA. I am a freelance writer, dedicating most of my time to my personal blog (apricot-tea.com) & my advice blog (askapricot.com), as well as helping my husband with his online business. When I'm not doing those things I love to paint, make jewelry, watch Hitchcock films, & play old school Nintendo video games.

2. Your blog name is so adorable! What does "Apricot Tea" mean?
   Thank you! I came up with the idea from hearing the song "Apricot Tea" by The Robot Ate Me. My sister introduced me to the song, & I fell in love with it. My sister is nicknamed "tangerine" (from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), so I adopted the alias "apricot" so that we could be "fruit sisters" in a sense. It was cute & it's stuck with me ever since. When I decided to start blogging, the title "apricot tea" was the first thing that popped into my mind, & I kept it. 

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3. When did you start blogging and why?
    I've been blogging since before "blog" was a household name. My very first blog was started in early 2003, & it basically just documented my high school days, & personal relationships. (It was really dramatic & I'd be so embarrassed if anyone found it today.) I stopped blogging after a bad break-up, but kept writing in paper diaries. It wasn't until I saw how much cooler blogs could be that I started to want to do it again, just differently & with more personality. & Apricot Tea was born! It started out as being my own personal space on the internet, documenting my journey through my blossoming relationship in LA, while trying to find my niche in life. I never expected to gain readership, nor did I expect to take a "fashion" approach with my blog. The fashion thing was just an idea I came up with one day, when I was unemployed & bored. Since then, I've been hooked.

4. You always look so chic and put together in your pictures. How would you best describe your look?
   My style is always changing, especially as of lately. In the beginning, I dressed very girly. I wore a lot of dresses, a lot of whimsical prints, & light colors. If you look back at my older entries, you'll see what I mean. These days, though, I've been more into greys, blacks, & whites, & minimalistic styles. I like to mix feminine with masculine here & there, creating interesting silhouettes & such. I would describe my style as minimalistic, slightly androgynous, comfortable, laid-back, with my own unique flair to it. But I'm sure that description will change in a few months. I'm always experimenting.

5. What is your fashion staple?
   A good pair of sandals. I've been known to wear sandals in the pouring rain. I just feel very comfortable barefoot, & wearing sandals are about as close as it gets.

6. I must say, I love your hair. Who does it?
   Thanks! I do my hair, believe it or not. I cut, style & color it myself. It helps a lot that I have a license in Cosmetology, otherwise I wouldn't know a thing about hair! It also helps that my hair is so short; I don't have to much with it.

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7. Your blog is about so much more than fashion. It is also about your relationship with your husband, your must-have beauty products, and your love for writing. Tell us how you try to set yourself apart from the millions of other "fashion bloggers"?
    I always try to remind myself just why I have a blog in the first place, & it has always been to express myself & show the world who I am. I love a lot of things, & I want to let people get a glimpse of my world, in every aspect. I don't think I could ever just have my blog be devoted to one topic, because I'm passionate about so many things. & because of that, I really try not to call myself one thing, like a fashion blogger, for instance. Not just because I don't feel I am one, but because I'm truly not into fashion as some would think. I don't follow the who's-who in the industry, I don't like big name brands, I hate wearing heels & reading fashion magazines. I just like to express myself through the clothing that I wear. Fashion is just a small tip on a very big iceberg, for me.

8. You also just started an advice site "Ask Apricot". It seems to be very successful so far. Tell us more about the site.
   Ask Apricot is my budding advice column. It's where people can submit advice about love, beauty, fashion, life, or whatever else they're having trouble with, & I'll do my best to give them guidance. Simple as that. It's been a great experience for me so far. I'm really passionate about the site; probably more than I am about Apricot Tea! But only a little bit. Apricot Tea will always be my first love.

9. You tend to get a lot of questions concerning your marriage. What is your response to people curious about your decision to marry young? 
   When people ask me about it, I tell them the truth! Which is that I met & fell in love with my very best friend. To dumb down my feelings for him because we were seemingly "too young" would have been so silly! It was definitely a decision I made with my heart. If I would have made it with my head, we certainly wouldn't have gotten married; we may have not even been together! I don't regret my decision to get married as young as I did. To me, age doesn't matter. I often feel older than I am, anyway. I think one reason people are so curious is because they would never, ever get married as young as I did... & that's okay. It's certainly not for everyone.

10. What does your husband do?
   Jonathan (my husband) is a kick ass, unconventional personal development blogger at his blog, 
illuminatedmind.net. He is a life-coach, a writer, & a graphic designer. He is also a weekly contributer at zenhabits.net, which is one of the top self-improvement blogs on the internet. He's so passionate about what he does, which is helping people & bringing them peace with words of wisdom. Truthfully, seeing his dedication to making a difference in other people's lives helped me make the decision to be an advice columnist. He's very inspirational to me.

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11. What do you see yourself doing in 5 years?
   I always hate answering this question, because I just know I'll disappoint people with my answer. But honestly, I try not to think about what my life would be like in 5 years, or 5 days, or 5 minutes. I'm really trying to practice living in the moment, & stayed mindful in the present. Thinking about the future causes us to worry & be fearful, because we feel like it's out of our control. By looking at right now being the only time there is, I feel so much more at peace. Boring answer, I know, but it's the truth!

12. Who are some of your fashion/style inspirations?
    I am very moved by music. Portishead, Air, Radiohead, Beck, Third Eye Blind, Mogwai, & Dntel influence my styles a great deal. Also, I love Zoe Kravitz. Her style is effortless & so casual.

13. I think it's great that your readers feel comfortable asking you some very personal questions. When did you first realize you wanted to start a site dedicated to helping others solve their problems/concerns? 
   I've always had a passion for giving people advice. In high school, I was the one people would go to for advice & guidance, & often times, their problems surpassed my experience, but I was able to offer them comfort & a listening ear. I've been fascinated with the advice sections in magazines & in newspapers for as long as I could remember, & at one point, I dreamed of being an advice columnist. Several months ago, Jonathan & I were talking about what I felt my purpose in life was, & I blurted out how I wished I could give people advice & be a listening ear to those who needed it. We started talking about the idea of making a blog into it, & here I am now... doing what I've always wanted to do but never had the opportunity because people didn't know who I was. & now they do, & I'm so grateful.

14. And last, but not least, tell me a little about your tattoos.
   The first tattoo I ever got was of a dragonfly, & it's right on my inner hip. It was done very amateurly, so I don't brag about that one too much. But it's very sentimental to me. I got it when I turned 18, to prove that I had the balls to put something permanent on my body. The second tattoo I got is on my inner right wrist, which says the word "breathe" in Sanskrit. It's a great reminder to me, because sometimes I forget to breathe. Breathing is the easiest way to gain clarity & peace in any situation. So I wanted to always remember that, & what better way than to put it on my wrist. & my third tattoo -- which was done about a month ago -- is an ampersand (the '&') on the back of my neck. I got it because not only do I have this thing with ampersands, but I use it a lot in my writing. I got it as sort of a symbol to the writer in me.

Oh, and one more. . .

15. What advice would you give to other bloggers?
    Be yourself. Do your own thing. Follow your heart & stay true to it. But most importantly, network with other bloggers. It's easy to think that if you're a good enough blogger, people will find you automatically, but that's not often the case. So introduce yourself to some of your favorite bloggers; write them an email & tell them how much you admire their work. A little introduction can go a long way & create friendships for a lifetime. & don't get discouraged if you're not getting enough traffic. Stay diligent, continue to be friendly to other bloggers, & I promise, things will go your way. Just be patient, & have fun with it!

16 comments:

  1. Great interview!
    Sure I'd love to swap links. :)
    Romany
    xx

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  2. she's such a cool pers, great interview :)

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  3. Aw, this is so nice Sophie! Thank you so much for the feature. =] I love it!

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  4. great interview i enjoyed redaing it and gettin to know you better

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  5. she seems so interesting, i'm gonna check her blog daily now.
    great interview.

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  6. This is a wonderful interview. Ev'Yan is a total sweetheart and most worthy interview subject. =)

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  7. Great interview!!!!!!!!
    Amazing outfits,
    thanks for your comment dear,

    xxx

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  8. lovely interview and great pics!

    camille x

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  9. Great interview! I went to her blog and it's so cute! She has great style. Nice work :)

    xox, mavi

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  10. this is a fantastic read, very enjoyable, she has very lovely style, i like.

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  11. great interview!

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  12. Loved the interview, I also put you in my blog roll dear. Kisses!

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  13. Love the first and second outfit! Great!
    X, www.fashion-nerdic.blogspot.com

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  14. she has a great style. yeahh <3

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  15. Hello from Nouméa
    Thanks for sharing

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