Seattle Lifestyle & Travel Blogger: Aly | The Wandering Creatives
If you have had the privilege of meeting Aly in person, you know first hand how genuine, kind, and fun she is. She has always been one of those people who I always thought should have her own blog, so obviously when she launched The Wandering Creatives we were pretty dang excited.
Aly is one of the first brides to tell me she knew we would be a good fit by the scripture I had posted on my website. I don't do well when people attack something close to my heart, so I've always been a tad intimidated about meshing that part of me (publicly) with my professional life. However, to find hearts who share the same connection is well worth the "risk"! Thanks Aly, for showing me that, whether you knew it or not!
~Elizabeth
Aly Sanky
| The Wandering Creatives |
I'm Aly, the voice and creativity behind, The Wandering Creatives blog. I am a graphic designer by day, blogger by night and adventure seeker on the weekends.
I was inspired to start this blog because of the mutual love for travel, design and culture I share with my husband, who is also a graphic designer. Our honeymoon was the first time we had traveled together, and we instantly fell in love with exploring side by side. When we got back from our vacation, we began making a list of places we want to go, restaurants we want to try, and accomplishments we would like to make before having kids. We called this our "baby bucket list." I use The Wandering Creatives as a visual journal for people to follow along as we check these items off our list. As I share our experiences, I hope to be an inspiration for the globe trotters who always seek new experiences, pursue an active lifestyle and enjoy all things design.
Another reason I started this blog was because of my constant need for creativity and growth. I design during the day, but having a blog forces me to think outside of my daily design skills. It pushes me to make time for my first love of photography, be intentional with my content, and gain opportunities that I wouldn't otherwise be able to grasp. I love collaborating with other creatives and art directing photoshoots, so the blog gives me the perfect outlet to channel that creative need. I am loving it and have learned so much already!
How do you balance being a #bosslady with having a life?
Since my blog is fairly new, I am still figuring out when and how much I should be posting. For now, I am posting as opportunities for content arise - letting it be as organic and natural as possible.
As a working design professional, a young wife, someone with a huge family, and now a blogger; I had to learn quickly to be smart with my time. I work 9-5, commute 2 hours a day, go to yoga, attend a bible study, have family dinners with my in-laws, go to church, and take on the occasional freelance design gig. There are a ton of obligations I choose to say "yes" to, but I have also learned there are times where it's ok to say "no." There may be a week that I can't make a family dinner, turn down some extra freelance cash, or don't get a blog post out - and that's ok, because that doesn't define who I am.
I used to be so hard on my "perfectionist, do-everything" self if I didn't say yes to absolutely everything. I would stress myself out to the point of anxiety, because in my mind that meant I wasn't doing everything to look my best for others. As I've grown, I've learned that my identity is not in what I do or how much I do, but in who I am in Christ. It's okay to say "no" so I can have a date night with Zach, get a mani/pedi with a friend, sit down for coffee with my mom, or get some extra quiet time in with God. It took me years to realize this, and I am still growing in this area today!
What is one moment you were really proud of in this blogging #bosslady journey?
Making the time to sit down and actually start it! I had been talking about doing it for 2 years and finally made the jump! It wasn't a huge launch, I didn't have a big announcement planned, and I was scared what people would think of it. After it was said and done, out in the world, I was so proud that I sat down and took the time for it. It's definitely been worth it and so much fun!
For anyone reading this who has been thinking about starting one, DO IT TODAY! Hit me up if you need help with a logo design or help setting up a Squarespace! I'm your girl <3
If you could give someone starting their own blog any advice what would it be?
Do it for yourself above anything else. Don't care what your friends might think of you, or worried about the competition that might be out there. If you are true to who you are, that will show and ultimately resonate with your followers. I am quickly finding out that the Seattle blogging community as a whole is very supportive and kind. Ask as many questions as you can, and reach out to people! They will more than likely be happy to respond or even meet for a cup of coffee!
Last of All! If you could grab coffee with ANY Fellow #BossLady, who would it be?
This is a tough one... I would say Sophia Amoruso because I just finished watching GirlBoss on Netflix. But I have so many other female role models too...
