Today we’re so excited to feature Jacque of the style, food and travel blog Brunchinista! What we love about the blog? It truly is the perfect combination of food, style and beer & wine adventures. If you’re heading to the Pacific Northwest anytime soon we highly suggest you read through her blog or start scrolling her Instagram to find all the best places to visit! You can visit her blog here!
Can you tell us a bit about you and your background? I’ve been writing for over 15 years now. When I was a teen I wrote mostly poetry and never even considered it as a career. After interning at a magazine in LA, I saw the opportunity to contribute and completely went for it. That inspired me to go to back school for Journalism (I had already gone to fashion school and gotten a degree) and pursuing my career in writing. I’m now the Assistant Editor of a small trade magazine, contribute to a local magazine and manage my blog.
What inspired brunchinista.com? I actually have been obsessed with brunch long before it was the “cool thing” to do. I remember always thinking, who doesn’t want to have brunch at noon on a Sunday. My friends didn’t quite understand why I loved it so much but I made it a point to go every weekend and always try new places. After running a blog for over 5 years that was mostly fashion focused and moving to Oregon I decided to switch gears. My persona was already the girl who knew every place in LA you could brunch at and I wanted that to live on in the PNW. Thus, Brunchinista was born. The perfect combo of style, food, wine and my adventures here in the good old Pacific Northwest.
If you could have brunch with anyone in the world who would it be and why? You know. I’m not one to idolize celebrities or anything like that so I wouldn’t pick someone famous. To be honest, I’d want to brunch with some of the cool bloggers I follow. I started something like this in LA and am trying to bring it to PDX because I love meeting other bloggers. I think it’s important to connect with others and I always feel energized after hanging out with them.
What is your biggest social media advice? Try not to take yourself too seriously. While followers really do matter, comparing your success to another bloggers doesn’t really do anything than make you feel sorry for yourself. We all have our own road to success and sometimes (often) it takes time. So make good content, follow other people who inspire you and connect with them. It’s a small industry. Being kind to others will really matter in the long run. You don’t want to be known as that “mean” blogger. Most importantly don’t try to cheat the system by buying followers. You’re only cheating yourself.
What are your top three phone applications and why? Mashable, cause I have to get my dose of technology and social media news. Instagram because well I live on it and it’s a constant inspiration, and motivation. And Pinterest. I’m always inspired by what others are pinning and it always recharges my creativity.
If you could change your field of work, what would you change to? I would probably become a publicist. I interned at a PR firm in LA years ago and I really loved the idea of building relationships, connecting with others and throwing events for clients. I think it’s always cool to be on the other side of branding.
What do you think it is about your blog that keeps people coming back for more? More often than not I hear people either say they love my recipes or they love seeing where I went to brunch next. That always makes it worth it to me. I love that I can share my love for brunch, style and cocktail recipes with others!
With Spring just beginning, what would you say your staple clothing piece is? Oh my gosh. It’s been raining here in Oregon so it’s been hard to dress up for spring like in other places say LA. Currently rocking this sweater I got from Shein that has choker detailing and a cutout front. It’s the perfect lavender color and I’m totally obsessed with it. Once it gets warmer, 100% going full on maxis, rompers and off the shoulder pieces.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I always think this question is so interesting because 10 years feels so far away but it’s actually not. I honestly see myself having my own business. It’s something I’ve been thinking about long and hard. I love blogging and writing for magazines but eventually I’m going to go the freelance route and have my own clients. There’s nothing like being your own boss. As for the blog, I know I will always be writing for myself. So we’ll see.
In your opinion, what separates a great blog from an unsuccessful blog? 100% content. You have to have good photos and be able to tell a story. There’s so many bloggers right now that it’s hard to stand out. The key is to try to not be like someone else. Be yourself. Be unique. Be you. It’s a lot of work but it shows on your page. You know what they say “quality over quantity.” I think this applies here. Sure anyone can have a blog but not everyone can be successful and make a living out of it. There’s a lot of factors but those are just a few key things to keep in mind.
