Whim Talks to Style / Travel Blogger, TV Host + Published Author La Carmina

Have you ever wanted to become an established fashion blogger? Or even a famous travel blogger turned presenter for companies such as NBC and Travel Channel? Perhaps you've always dreamt of becoming a published author?

I've got some great news for you, because today on the blog you can read an interview with a super-talented individual who's achieved all three of these (and more). Her name is La Carmina!

I've been pretty excited about this post for a little while now - after all, it's not everyday that you get to interview a famous blogger / journalist / author / travel T.V presenter! Before being introduced to La Carmina, I had even unknowingly flicked through her books about pop-culture at Dymocks - what a coincidence!

Before we launch into our interview, here's some more fun facts: La Carmina's own travel video series receives over 500,000 views per episode, while she also runs a TV coordination business that recently got attention for their Bagelheads forehead episode. She also has a travel series filmed worldwide for Business Insider, receiving hundreds of thousands of views per episode. In 2015 alone, she filmed with NBC and Travel Channel, plus did various collaborations on location in Bali, Iceland, Hong Kong, Japan, England, Morocco and Singapore.

Intrigued to find out more? La Carmina sheds more light on her daily life, what she attributes to her incredible success, the process of becoming a published author, and so very much more!

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Q: Hi La Carmina! Firstly, congratulations on your incredibly impressive success. Although you are only in your twenties, you have already achieved so much! What inspires and motivates you to strive towards your goals each day?

A: Hi, thanks for your kind words! The truth is that it was all a gradual, step by step process. When I started out, I put up posts regularly and kept trying to improve the quality of the content. Over time, my La Carmina blog (www.lacarmina.com/blog) and readership grew (as did blogging in general). This led to the diversity of projects in writing, travel and TV I do today. My social networks may be filled with glam-looking travel photos, but that’s only one part of my life. Much of my time is spent writing and working!

Q: We love your travel and fashion blog - it makes us feel such wanderlust for all of the exotic locations you visit! When did you begin your blog and what elements would you attribute to its huge success over the years?

A: I’m so happy to hear! I started blogging in 2007 without any plans or expectations. I think in any field, hard work and consistency are important – but people should also be willing to experiment and diversify. For example, many fashion bloggers are now doing very similar types of outfit posts and “curated” Instagrams. I feel it's imporatant to base my blog on my passions; initially, I was all about Japanese street style. Today, the focus is on travels (especially to fascinating cultural sites like Cambodia, Morocco, Iceland), subcultures, alternative expression, adventures with friends, and of course my Scottish Fold cat! Recently, I’ve put a stronger focus on underground cultures and overlooked voices – as I feel these types of stories can have the most meaningful impact.

Q: We understand that you have also released 3 popular books about pop culture with Penguin USA and Random House - How exciting! Please tell us a little more about the process you went through to become a published author?

A: Once again, it was an opportunity that arose though blogging, and one I never anticipated. I wrote some blog posts about odd Japanese theme restaurants, and the trend of cute food decoration. These got a lot of views, and I spoke to a literary agent in NYC about expanding these topics into books. With her representation, both of these pitches got picked up by publishers. The process takes a lot of time – from multiple drafts, to book tours – but you learn and grow so much.

Q: Most bloggers dream of one day being able to travel the world as part of their job, but you have been able to take this several steps further by becoming a travel / fashion / culture TV host for multiple big companies such as Business Insider, NBC and Travel Channel. We'd love to know, what does an average day in your life look like when you are in the process of travelling and filming for these TV series?

A: Life is either in travel-frenzy mode, or hermit mode! I average at least one destination a month (I was in 14 countries last year), meaning that I may spend 2 weeks on the road, and then 2 weeks at home working. When I’m traveling, I can’t just explore like a tourist – I’m with my film crew and photographers, and we have responsibilities to our clients. We might be in production mode for 12 hours a day, shooting travel stories in multiple cities and countries over the course of 1-2 weeks. The projects vary; they may be influencer collaborations with hotels and tourism boards, or TV shoots where I'm the host and sometimes local producer (last year, I filmed with NBC and Travel Channel).

When I’m at home, I catch up on all the writing and business matters, edit photos, and schedule posts (I don’t blog in real-time, since I prefer to write in-depth stories after each trip). I also have to plan all the logistics for the next travels and projects. There are a lot of different balls to juggle, but I love what I do and each day is interesting and challenging in its own way.

Q: Lastly, many bloggers would agree that it's quite hard to make a successful and full-time career from their blog. What helpful advice would you like to share with those who have similar dreams of making it big with their blogging / writing career?

A: I encourage people to dive in and give blogging and writing a try. These early works will not be masterpieces, but don’t worry! Taking action is the only way to improve, find your voice and niche, and see what works. Focus on the topics that rivet you, and don’t try to copy the paths of others or compare yourself to them. Technology changes all the time; for example, when I started out, people were using MySpace – and now, Snapchat is the new social network. I hope this is helpful, and thanks again for featuring me on Whim!

I want to thank La Carmina for taking the time to chat to Whim (especially with her hectic schedule!) and encourage you to check out her website and follow the talented creative on her social media channels: Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / YouTube / Snapchat: lacarmina.

**All images credited to La Carmina