Happy Birthday, LFFG!

My, how you've grown! To be honest, I can't believe I've only been doing this for a year...and at the same time, I can't believe it's been one whole year already! Blogging has quite literally changed my life, and helped to shape the person that I am today. Nothing I have done over the last year would have happened without my blog. So yes, now is my time to brag about the last year of my life, brag about my success via my blog but most importantly of all, be appreciative of every single person who has helped me get to where I am today- this is a bragging post and a thank you post too!

July 31st 2014- The birth of Love from, Florence Grace. 

My first ever blog post is so cringy, and quite different from the posts I do now...here you go. Go on. Read and laugh here!


August 2014.

- I got into the swing of blogging. August 2014 had my most blog posts to date, with a whopping 22 blog posts in one month!
- I discovered a few bloggers via twitter- the two first people I remember following are Hollie and Fi! They're still two of my most favourite bloggers to date!
- I wrote a lot of celebrity based, "gossipy" magazine style posts which people really seemed to like!

- I wrote a really hard piece for one of my friends on eating disorders. I was worried about how people would receive this piece but I needn't have been- it was shared across facebook, twitter and received so many compliments. It felt amazing to be helping people regarding such a relevant but difficult issue! To this day it is still my most viewed blog post. 

- I discovered Go Think Big and began applying for lots of media opportunities.

September 2014.

- I got my accepted into my first media event with Go Think Big- a lunch with journalist and editor (the first ever editor of London's 'The Metro'), Kenny Campbell. It was such an insightful session and I couldn't believe my luck!

- I bonded with the team at Go Think Big and they really took a shine to me- from then on, the media events kept rolling in! I got to meet the Art Director of Q Magazine, followed by a "Breaking into Journalism" session. It was all so exciting!

October 2014.

- Things really started to kick off now. Throughout October, Go Think Big awarded me places at the following events: A Discover Media Day with Carat Media (where I won a competition and received a Google chrome cast!), Grazia Does Social Media Insight Day, Channel 4 Inspiration Event, Insight into the world of Media at Starcom Mediavest, and a Kerrang Q and A. 

I got to meet Mandem on the Wall at Carat Media...

...and play with google glass!

The feedback I received from iProspect and Carat Media after blogging about my day with them! Was really overwhelming and I felt so proud.

                                       

                                          Attending my Channel 4 event!

- I was then contacted by Cision, a media intelligence company, about joining a list that allowed PR and Marketing professionals to approach me in regards to working with my blog and myself. This means I am now sent between 3 and 10 press releases on a daily basis- some I choose to work with and some I do not. It's very exciting being able to pick and choose haha! 

- To round off October in an excellent way, I was selected totally randomly with no warning thanks to a referral from someone at GTB for a work experience placement at Closer magazine. I could not believe my luck, and it was a great opportunity for me! 

- I did my first guest blogger post for Halloween! 

- And I hit 13,000 blog views at my 3 month milestone! 

- I also had my first blog advert hosted on a website in the USA with 3000 daily visitors for absolutely free, which was very lucky! 

- Boohoo sent me the birthday dress I had craved for so long but could not afford for free! 

- And to round the month off, I was recruited as a writer for Girls Talk London!!!

November 2014. 

- More media events, including Radio Networking Event, Getting into radio with Bauer Media, Developing Your Personal Brand, Journalism 101 with Empire Magazine and BBC Communications Event. 

- I started my radio show with my friend, Midweek Mayhem, and it was a real success! I loved being on air, it was such a great feeling!

- I got to help run Boohoo's help account on twitter which was bizarre but cool!

- I published my first piece for Girls Talk London.

- I got to meet my childhood heroin for the third time, novelist Jacqueline Wilson. I left her a very heartfelt letter...and she replied via email! She even read my blog! I cried with happiness, it was a very special moment for me. 

- I was asked by my radio station, Blink FM, to be a presenter at their up coming concert!

- I finished off November with an absolutely incredible opportunity...the chance to train to be a TV Presenter, with ex BBC Journalist Dekan Apajee and SBTV and Whats Up TV presenter Aaron Roach-Bridgeman. I have made some great connections, friends and opportunities from this course, and Youth Media Agency, who hosted the course, stay in touch with me today! 

December 2014.

- Midweek Mayhem was in full swing with Christmas shows.

- I was headhunted by 4music to be a video contributor! This was u n r e a l and is still something I do now, sending off required videos of really random things! To be spotted on the telly so often by friends and myself is a totally surreal feeling! 

- I attended another Go Think Big event, GTB does Digital, and got to meet one of my inspirations, Gemma Cairney from Radio 1!

- Rounding off December was one of my biggest achievements to date; becoming a columinst for local magazine, Vale Life. To know my writing was good enough to be printed in a magazine was absolutely incredible, and it's one of the things I am most proud of since starting this blog! 

- At the end of December, I left Midweek Mayhem due to professional differences...but it was not the end...

- I also began emailing Mummy Felstead, of MIC, when I needed some worldly advice! She's a wonderful lady and I'm very happy to be able to converse with her in my times of need! 

January 2015.

- I started my own radio show! Friday's with Florence Grace started as soon as 2015 did and it went down so well, I was totally in my element! Planning upcoming shows took up a huge portion of my January, and I was totally focused on this!

- I did some more video work with 4music, helping them with various campaigns for different programs. You can see me on face the fans with Charli XCX here.

- I helped my boyfriend to launch his business, Stoke Skate Company, using the audience I had built through blogging to help grow his own audience- the friends I made through blogging were oh so supportive and really helped both him and myself out!

- Nervously, I booked myself a place at my first ever bloggers event, hosted during London Fashion Week! It was Gossip Girl themed, so for the next few weeks, GG consumed my life!

- Back in November, my radio station had asked me to be a presenter at a concert in March. Polls now opened to build up excitement for the concert, and people were asked to vote for who they were most excited to see...guess who won with a whopping 257 votes? 

- January ended with the announcement of my stationery line! I started this as a sideline to my blog, in order to use my creative skills to design cute products I loved that linked back to my blog! 

February 2015.

- February started with the launch of my stationery line! 

- My first column was published! I cried when I held my first piece of published work in my hands, the feeling was unreal.

- I was headhunted to be "press" at a charity fashion show as part of London Fashion Week. The experience was totally amazing, I had never been to a fashion show before, let alone as press in the front row, receiving V.I.P treatment! It was such a good night! 

- I started a YouTube channel, to broaden my social media platforms and grow an audience! You can watch my first ever video here...

- I attended my first every bloggers event...it turned out to be a total flop, but I got to meet one of the first bloggers I ever followed on Twitter, the lovely Fi! 

March 2015.

- I was one of the presenters at the concert hosted by my radio station, and also in charge of stage door interviews. I was buzzing all night and had such a good time! My boyfriend also got to have his first ever stall to sell his products for his new business and did so well for himself, so it was a successful night for both of us! You can watch my vlog from the night here.

- My feminist side was stronger than ever, and I became a writer for Fem-tellectual!

Bit of an ironic post, I know...

- At the end of March I had the best day of my life so far, and got to go to The Sun's HQ to participate in a Q and A with the one and only Katie Hopkins! And I got to meet her! And yes...I did cry. She was amazing, she was lovely to me and I was over the moon!

April 2015.

- April was a bit of a quiet month for me! I had my Easter break from college so was out and about doing things with friends and family, so really it was just about blogging, my radio show and writing my column! I did have something exciting in the works for a future project though...

- I recorded my most exciting video for 4music, one for one of my favourite artists, Beyonce! I was supporting the Beyhive and explaining why we were the best fan group in the world! Unfortunately we didn't win, but it was still a cool thing to have taken part in!

May 2015.

- I appeared on 4music adverts and programs throughout May...almost every day I got a message saying "Did I just see you on TV screaming...?" Why yes. Yes, you did. You can watch the video here. 

- I was given the position of Vice Station Controller and Social Media Manager at Blink FM, which was an absolute honour.

- I was given the opportunity to broadcast my radio shows on Blink FM across Marlow FM too!

- I signed myself up to study an NCTJ Diploma in Magazine Journalism, studying long distance, for two reasons: 1, a lot of journalism jobs require an NCTJ Journalism qualification and prefer it over a journalism degree and 2...well, read my next point to see why I chose to specify in Magazine Journalism specifically!

- I also announced my exciting project that I had been working on...a magazine! That's right, Love from, Florence Grace was becoming a magazine, 'Love from...' magazine! I have always wanted my own magazine and to see this dream become a reality would be the best thing ever! 

June 2015. 

- I released 'Love from...' magazine! I cried when I got them, I was so happy, and after so much hard work, it was amazing to hold the finished product in my hand! 

- I bought my own domain name, so there was no longer 'blogspot' in my address! Love from, Florence Grace became www.lovefromflorencegrace.co.uk yay!

- I was approached via LinkedIn and asked to apply for a journalism job in my local town for a company I didn't know existed! I couldn't believe it and applied, feeling very positive!

- I participated in my college trade show, where I was able to promote both my blog and my magazine, and I made a few sales which was positive, as well as networking and getting my name out there! 

July 2015. 

- I continued making sales for Issue 1 of LFMag, as well as starting work on Issue 2! 

- I did not get the job, or even an interview for the job I was asked to apply for. I felt very down about myself and my blogging suffered, with very few posts being seen. However, I was accepted as a writer for another magazine, covering Relationships for Amor Magazine. 

- I got myself tickets to an exclusive V.I.P event at Topshop with Fleur de Force for the launch of her new Festival beauty range!

- I was then approached by someone from Youth Media Agency with a job vacancy in social media and blogging, which sounded perfect, so I applied. This time I was offered an interview, yay! Attending the interview was so nervewracking, as I was sure I was kidding myself and that I wasn't good enough, didn't have enough experience etc.. I went to the interview feeling very nervous and doubting my skills...but I got the job! So, just under a year worth of blogging paid off, as I am now in charge of the blog and social media for a clothes company in bloody London! I felt so accomplished and happy!!!! 

So there you have it, my first year of blogging and of creating "Love from, Florence Grace" as a brand! It's been an incredible year, just writing this post has reminded me of all the opportunities that I have had and how lucky I have been- incredibly, incredibly lucky. 

I'm so blessed that I now have a career in the field I love, my own magazine and radio show, the opportunity to have my writing published in not one, but two magazines, alongside everything else, but it really would not have been possible without everyone else. Without you, my readers, who motivate me and encourage me to keep writing. Without the people who contribute to my magazine, purchase my magazine and stationery, without the people who share my blog posts...well. None of this would be possible without you. I'd love to thank you all individually but this blog post would be never ending! Just know that I love and appreciate every single one of you, every single one. 

I'd also like to thanks Go Think Big, Youth Media Agency, Girls Talk London and 4Music for the incredible opportunities they have consistently provided me with over the last year. 

Here's to a second year thats just as successful as the last! I can't wait to see what's in store for me!

Love from,

Florence Grace 

I adore every single person who has supported me, read my blog, shared links and so on but ESPECIALLY big love and thanks to Hollie, Katy, Abbie, Ffion, Rachel, Sophie, Kayleigh, Hannah, Danielle, Vix, Tara, Lauren, Faye, Adele and Kirsty. Not only am I grateful to you all, but you all inspire me to be a better blogger too! Love you all xxx

All images used are my own.