“Live what you love” is the motto style blogger Mattie James of Mattieologie lives by. A woman with drive, style, and passion, Mattie has been in the blogging game for almost 5 years. When I first started, I found Mattie on Twitter and I was instantly intrigued by her colorful tweets about life, style and pop culture. I clicked the follow button and I’ve been hooked ever since!
Residing in Atlanta, Georgia, Mattie has spent the last few months preparing to be a new Mommy! Due in just a few short weeks, Mattie and her husband are patiently waiting for #Babyologie’s arrival. Read more to find out Mattie’s take on style and blogging, as well as her advice on finding your passion in life. Enjoy and be sure to stop by Mattieologie to say hello!
ABOUT MATTIE & HER STYLE
Where are you from and where do you currently reside?
I kind of grew up everywhere from Huntsville, AL (where I was born) to Saudi Arabia (where I attended preschool) to Pittsburgh, PA (high school and college), but I currently live in Atlanta where I spent part of my childhood as well.
How do you define your personal style?
Actively feminine. It’s on trend and on the go!
What are your top shopping destinations for…
Clothes – Obsessed with ZARA. Their pieces are on trend and don’t break your pockets.
Shoes – If not ZARA, then I love Piperlime and Zappos. Online shopping tends to give me more variety.
Jewelry & Accessories – I’m a little more flexible in this department because I love statement and costume jewelry. I get them from Neiman Marcus, BaubleBar, Macy’s, Forever 21 or even small, independent shops (online and in store). I tend to keep it name brand when it comes to sunglasses though. I’m a sucker for Ray Ban aviators.
Name 5 must have wardrobe staples every woman should own.
- A trench coat
- A killer little black dress
- Sneaker alternatives
- The perfect denim (for your shape)
- A crisp button up
ABOUT MATTIEOLOGIE
How long have you been blogging?
January will make it 5 years.
What inspired you to start Mattieologie?
I was in retail management at the time and it was draining me. I didn’t get to be creative or myself really. The blog became a source of escape.
What’s the best and toughest thing about being a blogger?
The best part is that I dictate what content I produce. If I love it, I’ll usually blog about it. I’m the say so. I’m the standard. That’s also the tough part. In an internet world of millions of blogs, how do you stay consistently yourself and still be authentic? 5 years ago I was just about to get married and I was an intern. Now, I’m a homeowner, wife and soon to be mom. My taste has changed. My style and perspective as well. So you don’t want to throw your reader off and say “Hey I’m a new person now. I’m no longer interested in X, Y and Z.” But it’s important to me to be consistent and truthful. That’s the only way Mattieologie will what it’s supposed to as a blog: inspire.
What’s your ultimate goal for Mattieologie?
It’s the overall foundation for my personal brand. It’s been my resume for my freelancing gigs and the bridge to my brand partnerships. As I get bigger and better, I want it to be reflected in my blog to show my growth as a blogger and a person.
ABOUT YOUR LIFESTYLE
What makes you happy & what inspires you?
Believe it or not, I make me happy and it took awhile for me to get there. Because if you’re not happy with yourself, how can you be happy with anything or anyone else? So, my happiness starts from within and everything else is a bonus…the cherry on top. I’m inspired by people and things that challenge me. Most things come easy to me, so when something doesn’t, I know it’s really worth it. Blogging is one of those things. Also, I’m obsessed with fashion magazines and beautiful photographs. I love pretty things. They inspire me to create.
As a wife, mommy-to-be, and an entrepreneur, how do you find balance in your everyday life?
I read an interview where Gwen Stefani said, “You’re going to fail at one thing a day.” Once I came to that realization, I found balance. Perfection is very fragile so it’s not something I aim for in my life. I aim for progress. The house may get cleaned, dinner might have gotten cooked and I may have called that family member I’ve been meaning to catch up with for months now. But then that means, I didn’t get to film a YouTube video like I wanted to. And you know what? That’s ok. Tomorrow, I’ll just aim to be better. Which is fine by me because I never want to stop striving.
What are 3 things you do to maintain a healthy lifestyle?
Prayer, water and giving. In that order. LOL. I’m a Christian, so I go to God for guidance through prayer. It’s not just about what He’s saving you from, but what he’s taking you to. Water is important because it solves everything. Dehydration, dry skin, headaches…everything. A lot of times we’re not sick, we’re just thirsty. As someone who can be very self involved, I’ve learned that giving is one of the most fulfilling things you can do in life. Especially giving with no expectation of a return. That type of selflessness is reward in itself. And if you ask me, great for your skin.
How did you find your passion and purpose in life? What was you “ah-ha” moment?
You have to be explicitly honest with yourself: WHAT DO YOU WANT? Answer that question honestly and boldly regardless of judgement of yourself. A couple of years ago I realized that I wanted to make a living off of being myself. Not to be rich or even famous. But to make a living – a respectable income – by being me. So whether I’m making a YouTube video, writing a style post, teaching a workshop or simply Instagramming my vacation, I want to make a living off of ALL OF THAT. You cannot get what you want until you DECIDE what you want. Once I became decisive, things in my life started to go more my way and that was the “aha” moment.
BONUS QUESTION
What advice do you have for someone who’s trying to find their passion and purpose in life?
Be decisive. That’s really a lot of our problem. We haven’t decided who we wanted to be yet. And if we don’t make that decision, someone else will make it for us. And it’s usually not in our favor. Ask yourself what do you love? What kind of life do you want to have? And make the decision to live what you love. It’s honestly that simple.
How can we keep up with you?
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