Before I start, I want to get it out there that I am SO NEW at this, and am by no stretch of the imagination an expert, qualified to give advice, or anything more than a total newb.

That being said, I’ve gotten a lot of questions lately from friends + family about what I’m doing and how I’m doing it. (And since I need content for said new blog, here we are haha.)

Okay, now for some transparency.

1. Why I started - I started my blog for a few reasons: I’ve talked about blogging for foreverrrr, and Colin finally talked me into just doing it (plus if he’s always trying to find new ways to make money, entrepreneur probs, and if by some miracle I am actually good at this and get a real sponsorship, that would be legittttt.)

Our move to KC prompted some of it too - I now have all types of trendy things to take pictures in front of. Lol.

And lastly but most importantly, I decided that my body type didn’t have the representation it should on social media. Pretty simple. Even if I never get any type of platform, and it’s just my former students who now have representation of a body that’s not what is usually all over the internet, I’m totally cool with that. (You may have noticed that before I didn’t post many full body shots, and now I’m trying to make sure that I’m intentional about that. Baby steps.)

2.  The hardest part - I don’t consider myself a people pleaser, but I’ve felt really self-conscious about “putting myself out there.”

I’ve been worried about annoying people, who I like in real life, by this change in my online presence. I’ve been worried that people will think it’s weird. I’ve been worried that I come off as “trying too hard.” I’ve been worried that people will be judgmental, because some people are just like that. But at the end of the day, none of that really matters, and I’ll never be able to please everyone. (I feel like you can really see my 7w8 enneagram shining through there haha.)

And if I’m able to make someone else feel better in their own skin because I’m confident in mine, I think it’s worth it.

I think it’s important to note that so. many. people. have been genuinely supportive. While I know there are people who don’t approve, there are people who have taken the time to offer encouragement, and ultimately, have shown me that there are amazing individuals who want to see others succeed. It’s been really cool. And really eye-opening. (I can be a little too cynical about human nature sometimes haha.)

I guess I’m saying this because I don’t want you to let your fear of others keep you from trying something new. I think you’ll be surprised by the number of people who cheer you on.

3. The Website - I use SquareSpace, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is thinking about blogging. Their site is very user-friendly; they have numerous templates to choose from, all of which are customizable. I picked a template that I liked the general layout and aesthetics of, and tweaked it to make it work for me. I’m not what most people would consider technologically savvy, so, if I can do it, anyone can. (But really.)

I was also able to buy my domain name through SquareSpace. I think it was between $50-$70 for the year.

4. My blog name - I really don’t know why I picked “That Gal Han” other than just because I liked it. I didn’t feel like it was too restricting. Colin and I talked about names like “Han in KC”, but that type of name felt too specific - especially if we move. Names that include something about style / fashion / travel are pretty popular too, but at the end of the day, I just didn’t want to be limited because of my blog name.

P.S. - One of my brothers teases me about it sounding like “that gallon” hahaha. Whatever. Brothers are dumb. (Even if they’re right. Lol.)

5. The Pictures - So far, all of my pictures have been shot on either my iPhone X or Colin’s iPhone XS. As far as editing goes, I edit them in Adobe Lightroom on my Macbook. I have the Lightroom app on my phone, but I don’t use it. I just prefer to edit them on my computer.

6. Management - No, I do not pay for anyone else to manage my Instagram or blog. Yes, I know that there are plenty of people who run social media / gain followers for other people who are willing to pay them, I just don’t. (But maybe I should haha.)

No, in all seriousness, I’m doing this because I enjoy it, and I think some of that would be lost if I paid someone else to manage my blog for me. I don’t have any problems at all if you want to pay someone to help you manage yours, there’s no shame in that game. It’s just not what I’m doing right now.

Plus, I’m reallyyyy picky about what I write / what I post / how I present myself, and I wouldn’t do well with someone else telling me what / when / how to post. Haha.

At the end of the day, you have to do what you think is best for you. If you need help creating content or writing, hire someone. Support your local economy and small business owners. I’m cool with that.

7. Apps - I do use 2 different apps to monitor my feed.

Squarespace has a free analytics app that shows you how many people visit your blog, where they’re from, what time they look at your website, etc. (I never know who exactly reads my blogs. It’s not that Big Brother. Lol.) It just lets me see which of my posts people like the most.

Preview is also a free app, and it shows me what my feed will look like with certain pictures / filters without having to actually post them. You know, that curation game. (You’re also able to schedule posts with it, but I haven’t used it for that.)

8. Advice - I don’t think there is ever going to be the perfect time to start. So if you’re thinking about starting, just do it. Talk to friends who hype you up (or feel free to message me, I’ll be your hype woman alllll dayyyyy), and then commit to the thing.

I think what finally pushed me over to the blogging dark side was when I read a quote (I’m going to butcher this, so sorry) about how everyone is terrible at blogging when they start, but that no one can ever improve without posting that first time. I just accepted that my first posts would suck, but that I would *hopefully* improve with time + experience.

So here I am, flying by the seat of my pants, and hoping for the best. If you have any questions, I’m always happy to answer them, from one newbie to another.

xx