Tuesday 24 May 2016

Other Bloggers Lives Featuring Faded Spring

Welcome to another week of my guest post series Other Bloggers Lives, I normally post these interviews on a Wednesday but as it is my daughters 3rd birthday tomorrow and we have lots of lovely plans for the next few days I have decided to post this today instead. This week I am featuring the very lovely Ana from Faded Spring, a blog I have been reading for a few months now. If you have not heard of her fashion and lifestyle blog before then go check it out as it is amazing!

Ana is not a parent so a few of the questions are slightly different but her answers are so inspiring and refreshing to read. So lets find out a bit more about the blogger behind Faded Spring.



1.) Tell me a bit about yourself ? 

I am a fashion and lifestyle blogger with a passion for exploring social issues and advocating the rights of social minorities. I speak candidly about my struggles with depression and anxiety and have spoke about personal issues such as abuse, bullying and social issues like the perception of body image, social media and feminism. I also freelance as a journalist and currently in the last stages of being a nanny and a private tutor as the mum is leaving work to stay at home with her kids. Growing up I knew I was different, I looked different and I certainly thought differently to what was considered the social norm. I would be teased endlessly but it made me the person I am today and has seen me graduate from university with a first and given me the drive to be a bigger and better person than my bullies and tormentors. I am stubborn and resilient but I also have the ability to listen and empathise with others, with many of my friends calling me the agony aunt of the group. I campaign to free political prisoners and support child abuse charities as well as writing political and biographical prose and poems in my free time. Words are a form of art and we can harness the artistic expression to formulate a thousand thoughts. I have been through a lot to get to where I am and I am still pushing to be the very best version of myself that I can be. I started from nothing and here I am 22 years later ready to show the world what I am made of. 

2.) Where do you live ? 

I have moved 5 times in the last 4 years and I am about to move a 5th time but I do want to love closer to London as I spend a lot of money on travel. I can't give you the exact name of where I live due to confidential reasons but its about 50 minutes from Oxford Circus and London is my second home anyway. If you want to find me I will either be on central London, Hackney or Shoreditch the latter two being because that is where all the cool street art is and readers of my blog will know that I am obsessed. I find street art liberating and it moves me in a way that surprises me. 

3.) What is your favourite thing to do where you live ? 

I am rarely ever at home - due to travelling and work commitments but what I like about where I live is the direct links to Central London that leaves enough distance between the hustle and bustle of London and the normality of home. I can hop on a train and be in London (depending which part) in an hour and be transported into a whole new world. Being closer than I previously was to London means that I am able to have a wider range of opportunities that I did not have when I was living in the countryside and be able to attend blog events, even late ones which I would have not been able to do before. At the moment I live in a small village but I am moving soon and hopefully I will be closer to London and my beloved street art. If I was living in London I would say that my favourite things to do would be eat and sample new cuisines, network, attend events, meet new people and brands and of course shop. But I also like that even though London is such an expensive city there is so much that you can do for free. Where else could you go to a museum (or two) attend exhibitions, breathe in the surprising tranquillity of a London park and be taken around a tour of an alternative London where murals. sculptures and paintings all form a part of the London scene. 

4.) If you could live anywhere where would you ? 

I am such a homebody that despite wanting to travel I don't think I could ever move to somewhere other then near or in London. That being said I was the only child at school who wouldn't get homesick when I went on a school trip and I have travelled on my own before. If I wasn't living in London I think that Paris or New York would be a great move blogging wise and has some wonderful cultural hotspots that would be exciting to see. However if you had asked which country I would most like to visit it would be Greece or Egypt because I am a huge history geek and adore ancient Egyptian and ancient Grecian mythology.

5.) Did you grow up close to where you live now and what are your favourite childhood memories ? 

I don't live close to where I used to live and since I was born I have moved 8 times and am moving again next month. I can still travel to where I used to live so it is accessible but the journey is so tiring and I have so many work commitments that I don't go back very often. I actually went in the Easter Holidays and it was lovely seeing my aunty and my cousins. My aunt is my rock and if I had to call anyone mum it would be her. She is the bravest woman I know and will do anything for you, despite the hardship she has faced in her lifetime. Having beaten cancer and won my aunty is my biggest inspiration and in my eye she helped me become the person I am today. As my readers know I was abused by my stepmother and taken into care by the age of 10. I have been bullied most of my life but instead of making me bitter it made me determined to be a bigger and stronger person. It is hard to pinpoint an exact favourite childhood memory especially when so much of it is tainted in sadness and the memories are now hazy. I think I would say that my favourite memories were going to Stagecoach for seven years where I trained in acting, singing and dancing and it helped me gain so much more confidence. Partly the self-esteem building exercises allowed me to stand up to the bullies and show that I was worth far more than they could ever expect and for the first time I fought back. I was no longer a pushover but a warrior and I wore my battle stripes with pride. 

6.) Have you got any exciting plans for the year ahead ? 

I really hope so! I have some exciting top secret projects coming up with some major brands that I am gobsmacked about, especially since I am still a relatively new blogger and I am hoping that I can become a full time blogger. At the moment I work 3 different jobs alongside my blog and am building upon my blog income to be one step closer to achieving my dream. It has been a whirlwind journey so far and I have got to work with some brands and meet new people that I truly admire and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for me. Normally I would be a little more talkative when asked this question but as mentioned there are top secret collaborations coming up on the blog so I can't disclose too much information. Last month was a fantastic month and I hope next month replicates the same success. However I would like to disclose what I plan and hope to do in the future. As a social justice advocate I want to start creating my own campaigns against inequality, social injustice and child abuse by becoming a spokesperson and someone who survivors can rely on to fight for their rights. Everyday men and women's rights are taken for granted and so many minority voices are oppressed. I want to change that and show that there is a world that exists outside the chaos and despair and inject positivity into their lives. As bloggers and influenced we have the power to highlight the oppression of minorities and join the social revolution against social corruption. Together our voices will unite as one. On the blogging and fashion side of things eventually I want to start a webzine and dedicate chapters to an alternative version of fashion. This will include but not limited to the perception of body image in the catwalk industry, feminism and the struggle for female independence as well as social media trends and the growth of web blogs. I want to create my own inclusive fashion line that caters for women from size 4 to 32, which although might not be a realistic dream I do feel that both plus size and petite women should be able to wear the same clothes and adopt the same trends. My style is eclectic so it varies from floral prints to colourvlocking right to my signature accessories that include polarized cat-eye sunglasses and floppy hats. Another issue I would like to address is hat sizing; most shops and retailers stock one size hats which do not cater to my small head size and is not suitable for bigger hat sizes either. In the next five years I would like to go on some coding and SEO workshops and be offered chances to travel abroad doing the job I love. Blogging is rewarding even at this early stage of my career but I know there is so much more to come that I could not even imagine. I want to increase my social media projects and draw upon my knowledge to help others which I have been doing in the two groups I co-manage 'Bloggers United' and 'Instagram For Bloggers'. I also want to work with even more start-ups and develop long lasting relationships that will make the growth of both my brand and theirs a joy to watch.

7.) What is your favourite thing about life at the moment ?

I love having freedom to write without needing to confer with someone else and being able to play by my own rules. Freedom of speech is essential but sadly to many of us are to afraid to speak up because of the backlash we might get as a result. I have spoken about taboo topics, some to mixed applause but I feel like it needs to get spoken about otherwise we will never be free from judgement, injustice and mistreatment. So many men and women are abused online yet how many of those tell someone about it ? The answer is too many and we need to change that.

Thank you so much for taking part Ana I have loved reading your answers, you sound so busy and have so many wonderful ideas and plans for the future. I am sure that your aunty is just as proud of you as you are of her.

To find out more about Ana visit her blog

www.fadedspring.co.uk

Or follow her on social media

Twitter Faded_Spring
Facebook FadedSpring
Instagram faded_spring
Pinterest anadejesus92

Don't forget to check out last week's post featuring List Of Lovely Things if you missed it. If you would like to take part in Other Bloggers Lives then please just e-mail me at newcastlefamilylife@gmail.com. 


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38 comments

  1. I love your blog am like Anna such a home girl xxx

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  2. I loved reading this, Ana's blog is really inspirational and it's nice to hear more about the girl behind the blog. And she does so much more than just blogging - wow! X

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    1. She really does do so much doesn't she ? I don't know how she juggles it all. xx

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  3. Really enjoyed reading this post. I'm a huge fan of Ana's blog and it's really lovely to find out a bit more about her work and life. This was a great interview with interesting questions, Ana is definitely one of my blogging inspirations.

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  4. It's so great to read more about Ana's background and what drives her - very inspiring!

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  5. It's so nice to learn more about Anna....
    Such an inspirational person with fantastic style x

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  6. I love Ana's blog and really enjoyed finding out more about the lady behind it x

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    1. Me to such a wonderful writer and such a lovely girl too xx

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  7. Lovely to read about Ana and her blogging career. I follow her blog.

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  8. I love Ana's blog, she is an inspiration and a role model who never shy's away from discussing difficult topics

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    1. She really is, I love the variety of topics she covers x

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  9. I hate moving and like you moved several times when I was younger. It really does uproot you. I love London but don't think I could live there now

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    1. I have only ever moved twice in my life and I am in my 30s. xx

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  10. Ana is such a great blogger love that she is this week's other bloggers lives.

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  11. I love her blog too, and I really like those others bloggers lives posts, there's so much more about the people behind their blogs.

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  12. Aw thank you everyone for all your lovely comments, a lovely surprise to come home to after working since 4 AM! Thanks for featuring me hun xxx

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    1. Thank you so much for taking part Ana, all of the comments have been so lovely xx

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  13. I am also such a home girl, a choice between a night out and one at home, home wins x

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    1. I am exactly the same, I use to love being out but now I am older I have changed and love lazy nights at home xx

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  14. Ana's blog is so well rounded, covering everything from fashion to social commentary and equal rights issues. A worthy blog!

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    1. It really is, such a diverse selection of topics. xx

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  15. What a lovely interview. It is always so interesting to reads about other bloggers. Ana is such a lovely girl x

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    1. Thank you Aby glad that you enjoyed it. Ana really is so lovely xx

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  16. Lovely interview, and really very humbling.

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    1. I am glad that you enjoyed reading it Helen, I agree very humbling indeed x

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  17. Ana seems like such a lovely person and I always love her fashion choice too, I wish I was as stylish! Like her I'm a home bird too.

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    1. Her fashion sense is amazing, such gorgeous photography too. xx

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  18. This is quite the insight into Ana's life. Love her blog.

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  19. This was a great interview to share. I've been following Ana for a while now and she is such a lovely lady. Her photo's are stunning and she is truly inspirational

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    1. I am glad that you enjoyed it Zena. Ana really is so lovely, I too think her photos are amazing x

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