Alyssa Garrison is not your typical fashion and lifestyle blogger. She is a pastel loving, social-media savvy, trendsetter. And much more. She describes her style as "fun" and "fairytale meets urban life, sparkle magic meets the everyday".
Alyssa has experienced many things when it comes to fashion such as working in the retail world, blogging, and working as a creative director for a handful of companies in her city. She has had her amazing blog, Random Acts of Pastel, for two whole years now!
I have followed Alyssa on Instagram and on her blog for just over a year now, and have been wanting to chat with her for a while about some of the amazing and fun things she has been able to accomplish and create through fashion and social media. I had the pleasure of getting to ask Alyssa a few questions via email. She is a super sweet girl with a very unique sense of style, that I really admire!
Read the full interview with Alyssa below, and also see the fun and whimsical photos she kindly let me use from her blog!
Mikayla:
How would you describe your personal style?
Alyssa:
Fun! I always like to play dress up when it comes to getting ready each day. Life is short- clothing should be exciting and make you feel happy! My style is always evolving, but in general it's sort of fairytale meets urban life, sparkle magic meets the everyday. I like to play with colour, statement pieces; and novelty items (like my gold horse clutch purse or a glittery pair of sneakers!)
Mikayla:
Talk a bit more about how you landed your job (being a creative director for business' Instagram accounts) and also which companies do you work with?
Alyssa:
My boss came across my Instagram and emailed me right away to set up a meeting. He offered me a job on the spot, and I've been with the agency for just over 6 months! I'm basically a creative director for Instagram accounts, which is pretty cool. Some clients include @hermajestyspleasure and @littlefin, but they are always changing!
Mikayla:
What other jobs have you had (in fashion or other) leading up to this job you have now?
Alyssa:
I worked in retail for most of my life, which I loved and hated. I also did social media for small businesses in-house for awhile, and for years I wrote for an awesome indie fashion magazine called WORN fashion journal. All of these jobs added up to where I am today.
Mikayla:
Where do you find your unique style inspiration?
Alyssa:
For the most part it comes from my own imagination, but I do follow a handful of babe's Instagram accounts that constantly give me ideas and inspiration. @christinawinkelmann, @jengotch, and basically the entire @shop.bando team are big players in my outfit inspiration game!
Mikayla:
What are some tips or advice you would give to someone that wants to go into the fashion and media industry?
Alyssa:
Do your own thing! There's no right or wrong way to get into this field. Personally I think internships and hands on experience are much much more valuable than school courses, but you have to find what works for you.
Mikayla:
What made you decide you did not want to pursue journalism? What was your experience like in the journalism program you had taken, and what school was it at?
Alyssa:
I went to journalism school at Ryerson University, and honestly I wish I'd just stuck to internships. The media world is so fast paced right now, and I think schools have a hard time keeping up with new trends and tech advancements. I learned a lot of outdated information, and not much about social media or marketing yourself, which are such important elements to a career in journalism these days.
In the end I decided not to go into journalism because of all the censorship. Everything is so heavily edited and controlled by what will garner the most clicks and advertiser dollars, which means journalism isn't really all that creative or exciting anymore. I wanted to be my own boss, write what I liked to write, and actually make a difference. None of the jobs I saw my peers applying for really appealed to me, so I chose to go out on my own and create a new job!
Mikayla:
How do you make your Instagram pictures so perfect?! Is there a trick or method you use to capturing such pretty pastel images?
Alyssa:
No tricks! I actually just do a bit of brightening right in the app before I post and that's it. The key to a great Instagram is curation, and I am really hyper aware of that in my feed. Everywhere I go I am looking for pastel magic to snap photos of, which means I always have a bank of photos to use at any moment. I call it "pastel hunting".
Mikayla:
What has been your most proud achievement in your blogging / fashion career?
Alyssa:
I'm getting a city guide feature in the September issue of Fashion magazine this September, so that's pretty high up there!
Mikayla:
What do you think is the best service a blogger can provide to their readers?
Alyssa:
Honesty. I'm so tired of reading blogs that sound the exact same and show nothing about real life. The best bloggers are those who open up and acknowledge all the crazy, hard, confusing and painful bits of life.
Mikayla:
Are there other careers and/or hobbies you would like to explore in fashion and beauty towards the future?
Alyssa:
I'd love to get into styling more, refine my photography skills, and one day turn my blog into a real life pastel shop!
{Photo of Alyssa's current Insta feed! You have got to follow this girl - @randomactsofpastel}
Photos from www.randomactsofpastel.com
© All content is my own. Feel free to use anything you would like, while giving proper credit.
Thank you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For more Fashion and Beauty Inspiration, follow me on Instagram @mikaylakuehn
and/or
NEW videos up EVERY Friday!
Follow the blog by email (located on the right hand side of the post, near the top)
and like the page on facebook for all updates, fun photos and quotes. https://www.facebook.com/PinkSwatchesandGoldWatches
