The Writer's Ink: Inspired By :: { Camille Styles }

Happy Wednesday my lovelies :) So as I promised in Monday's blog, I have a new friend to introduce to us all today hooray! Super talented, ridiculously creative, and one of the world's most highly sought after stylists, there is pretty much nothing she can't do. She has a fabulous blog, she styles and creates content for major brands such as Kate Spade New York, West Elm, HGTV (and heaps more), annnnd her brand new book is being launched this coming October. Hello! Camille has been a huge source of encouragement and inspiration on my personal journey, and I wanted to thank her by introducing her to you all and telling you all how incredible she is! :) So without further ado, it's my absolute privilege to introduce to you the lovely Camille Styles.

You started Camille Styles Events in 2009, how did this come about and what gave you the courage to chase the dream of starting your own company?

After working as an event planner for other companies, I always dreamed that one day I might own my own… then when I was 25, I had an “aha” moment that I was already equipped with all the skills and experience I needed to do it sooner rather than later! I think that as young women, we often feel like everyone else is the “expert,” when so often, we already have everything we need to go after our dreams. Most things are learned by doing, anyway! We just need the confidence to go out and dive in.

Tell us what does a typical day looks like for you?

I wake up around 6am and start the day with a cappuccino and a quick scan through emails and social media. Then I get my 2-year-old daughter Phoebe up and dressed, and my husband Adam and I take her for a long walk around the neighbourhood. I love starting the day with quality family time — we get caught up on everything that’s happening in each others’ work lives and go over goals and challenges for the day ahead.

After dropping Phoebe off at one of her grandmothers’ houses (we are so lucky to live in the same town as both our parents!), I head to the office, whip up a green smoothie, then spend the next few hours meeting with my team about upcoming stories, working on blog posts, answering press inquiries, or working with brands on upcoming collaborations. If it’s a day where I have a photo shoot scheduled, I’m on location for my entire workday — which is a nice way to shake up the routine and constantly keep me on my toes!

If I don’t have a lunch meeting, I work right through it and eat a big salad at my desk, because at 3pm when Phoebe wakes up from her nap, I’m officially on mommy duty. We spend a couple hours in the afternoon having fun with just the two of us — a trip to the park, swimming in our backyard pool, meeting friends for ice cream, or a long trip through Whole Foods are some of our favourite outings.

In the evening after Phoebe is bathed and in bed, I make dinner for Adam and me, pour a glass of wine and we get to enjoy some “grown-up” time over a nice meal together. Since becoming a mom, I’ve become much better about carving out times when I’m disconnected from my phone and emails, and just focusing on spending time with family. After dinner, I might catch up on emails that came in during the afternoon, do some stretching and a few planks, and wind things down with whatever show we’re watching at the moment (cannot wait until Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey come back on!!)

3. What was your very first project? How did you make your way from there to where you are today with a fabulous team of sixteen contributors?

I launched my blog, Camille Styles, as a creative outlet while I was also running my event planning business. Since so much of my job at the time depended on making other people’s visions a reality, my blog was the place where I could indulge my own aesthetic and explore the things that I loved. Over time, I slowly began building a following and when we reached a certain level of readership and I could start supporting the site through advertising, I took the plunge to make it the company’s full focus.

The Writer's Ink readers are big dreamers, what would be your advice for those who are wanting to step out with a new and creative idea?

When you start a business of any kind, prepare yourself for the fact that there will be a day when you want to give up — I considered throwing in the towel and applying for a more “corporate” job so many times in the early days of my business! But if you start with a clear vision and a true passion for what you’re doing, that will help you push through and hang in there when the going gets tough. You’ll realize that those challenging times are a passing season that your unique vision can withstand. And ultimately, being able to make a living doing what you love is so worth it!

You're about to launch your first book Camille Styles Entertaining which is very exciting :) Congratulations! How that all came about and when will it be released?

Thanks! This book is a longtime dream of mine… I still pinch myself to think that this massive project I’ve been working on for the past 2+ years of my life will finally be released on October 28th! The book is all about inspiring readers through the seasons with ideas for life’s big celebrations, as well as showing them how to infuse beauty into their daily lives through the food they make, the rooms they design and the outfits they wear. It’s packed with simple details and creative shortcuts that make everyday moments feel special (with 75 simple + seasonal recipes woven throughout.)

What other projects are you working on now?

Camille Styles will be launching a big site redesign at the end of the summer. We’ve been working for the past few months to create a new design that will make the site easier to use on every device, and a more accessible and easier-to-navigate resource to readers as they plan their menus, homes and celebrations. I’m so excited for our readers to finally get to see what we’ve been cooking up!

Obviously you're someone who dreams big :) What are some of the other things bubbling away in your heart you'd love to see come to pass?

I am a big believer in taking it one day at a time, and right now, I am so thankful for my family, my friends, and being able to do what I love every day. Right now my focus is really on making Camille Styles the website, and Camille Styles Entertaining, the book, as inspiring and creative as they can be. But who knows? I’m sure that any day now, I’ll suddenly feel the itch to dive headfirst into some new creative endeavour!