Today’s guest is our very special and very smart french scientific journalist from Quebec, Canada. Who humbly accepted my request for her interview. Her interview is very informative for us newer or seasoned bloggers both. Read and give yourself a favor. You would learn a lot from her answers. She has a unique name for her blog.

check it out here after you done with her interview reading! So here you go!! 

1-Tell us briefly about you?

My name is Dominique Nancy. In my everyday life, I’m a French scientific journalist from Quebec, Canada. For the blog, I mostly write (both in English and French) about sustainable clothing, trends, and styling. I share my vision of fashion through outfit ideas, DIY, portraits of stylish women & designers and tips to elevate your chic and eco-friendly consumption. I was partly raised by my grandmother from my father’s side. Growing up during the first war she had learned to recycle everything. In my youth, I admit she was driving me nuts but later in my life, it had an impact on my consumption of things. Today, I try to buy my clothes wisely and they have to be made by sustainable brands. I prefer quality over quantity… In everything!

2- How did you start blogging and can you tell us about the meaning behind the name of your blog?

I would like to say it was for helping others but the truth is I started blogging simply for fun. At 49, I felt I needed a new challenge in my life. I wanted to give myself a gift for my fiftieth birthday, which was to gather in one project my three passions: science, writing, and fashion. Hence my blog! It gives me a creative outlet to bring knowledge and facts about clothing and brands as well as styling tips. In my youth, I have studied fashion for a while and even worked in the field for a few years, but my interest in science and writing were stronger at the time so I changed fields. I went back to university and became a scientific journalist, which I have been doing for the last twenty years. I feel the need to tell people that when I suggest ways to wear a piece of clothing it’s from my own experience and love for styling, certainly not because I know best.

The three “C” in 3C Style refers to classic, contemporary and chic. No matter your fashion preferences and budget, it is possible to be stylish. Whatever your age and your look! I’m not perfect but I have a frame that millions of women have and should enjoy. The blog could just as well be called 8C style as it also advocates a “reasonable consumer” and an “ethical conscience” as “creativity”, “curiosity” and “courage” to see fashion differently. My main goal with my blog is to provide Fun, Sustainable Fashion tips, and Good Vibes.

3- When did you start monetizing your blog?

I started earning money for my consulting services as a stylist well before being a blogger. It’s a hobby that has become a way to finance my expenses related to my blog. Originally, my intentions were not meant to monetize my blog. But I spend a lot of time producing quality content and I would like to be able to do it full time. This would require regular income from 1) counseling services; 2) affiliate links or advertising on the site; or else 3) to sell digital products such as ebooks, courses, apps, etc.

Your question is interesting and coincides with the reflection phase I am currently in. I have been working at growing my community for over two years and have developed a trusting relationship with my followers. In my opinion, this is an essential criterion to develop even before thinking of making your blog profitable. You also have to know the needs of your followers in order to be able to serve them effectively.

To answer your question more specifically, let’s emphasize that my blog has no affiliate link yet and I’m not sure I want to venture in that direction. I’m thinking about this possibility right now though. If I opt for this avenue my followers will be warned because I advocate a transparent approach. Moreover, every time I do agree to write about a brand or a product or when companies send me a garment to style and promote on my blog and my social networks my followers are informed whether it is a collaboration or a sponsored post. I only agree to work with companies that share my values ​​and whose products match my interests and those of my followers. My requirements are quite high. Evidenced by the low number of collaborations accepted over the last two years: barely a dozen! Fortunately, I have another job.

 Note that I am currently working with my project partners of When Fashion and Nature Collide to develop an online shop to market the products we create. This is a long-term project as it brings together collaborators from three different countries: Canada, United States, and the United Kingdom.

4- Which social media you prefer the most and how much time you spend on social media.

Social networks are essential tools for promoting the content of a blog. I use Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Bloglovin to promote my blog posts. Each of them has strengths and weaknesses and their relevance may vary depending on the target audience of your blog. The vast majority of my collaboration with brands come directly from Instagram @3cstyle_fashion

I spend about two hours a week on these social media. Communicating via my blog on WordPress is how I prefer to engage with my audience as it brings high levels of interactivity and space for discussion and sharing opinions. However, this requires more time, especially in the preparation of content and in reading people’s blog posts.

5-What was the most challenging moment in your blogging journey so far?

Creating content has never been a challenge for me. Creativity flows in my daily life. My brain is wired that way, I guess. Honestly, the biggest problem is finding the time to write all those ideas into blog posts. Apart from that, I would say I am presently living one BIG challenge with the shop I am trying to put together with my fellow bloggers from the project When Fashion and Nature Collide. The technical and legal aspects of it are a bit overwhelming. But I believe in this project and I am determined to make it work.

6-Tell us about your proudest achievement

Art and nature have both a major influence in my home decor and the way I style my clothing. Eight months ago, I have started a very special project called When Fashion and Nature Collide. It is a monthly collaboration with three of my WP friends: Roda from Indigo Acres Apiary, Lisa from Lismore Paper and Darren from The Arty Plantsman.

The third Wednesday of each month you can see outfits styled by me, and art from Lisa, that was inspired by Roda’s critter pictures and Darren’s flower pictures. With the spirit of protecting nature, I pull together my outfits with clothing already available in my wardrobe. When purchases are to be made, these come from vintage shops and thrift stores or from socio-eco-friendly brands. Click here to see our September Issue.

 Click here to see our September Issue.

This project which now is a great success holds a particular place in my heart since it was initiated with my WordPress friends. Although it represents a lot of work, it is a source of creativity and pleasure constantly renewed.

7-Do you think anyone could be a blogger?

Nope. Sorry, you wanted more? 😀

8- Explain your signature style?

I’m like a mini wheat cereal: there are two sides of me. Fashion-wise, one is minimalism and clean; I prefer to put the accent on details. The other one is sugar coded. I mix & match patterns, textures and bold colors. In both cases, it has to be elegant and comfortable clothing. I guess that makes me a practical maximalism minimalism! That embodies my signature style, which can be translated in three words: Polished, fun and feminine. A mix of Ingrid Bergman, Katharine Hepburn, and Grace Kelly.

9- What would you say that is the greatest satisfaction of being a fashion blogger?

Of course, I imagine being photographed by Phil Oh brings great satisfaction to some fashion bloggers. It certainly would for me as well. But my biggest satisfaction is when people tell me I have provided them with style inspiration, helped them with the styling of a garment or encouraged them to buy less clothing and have a more socio-eco-friendly fashion approach.

10-  How active are you on a weekly basis and how often do you communicate with your followers?

There is a lot going on in my life at the moment so I have been less active in the past month. I take blogging very seriously but family always comes first. Usually, I publish an average of eight blog posts per month, including the rather impressive edition of When Fashion and Nature Collide. Apart from reading blog posts, I’d say I communicate with my followers about 5 hours on a weekly basis.  

11- Who takes your pictures. And what camera do you recommend for blogging photography?

I work with two lady photographers from Montreal, both are good friends of mine. I also take some pictures myself, usually for the flat lays that I like to post on Instagram. In that case, I simply use my iPhone as it is easy to do the photo editing. Recently, a dear friend of mine from the UK, The Arty Plantsman, visited me in Montreal and we took many fashion pictures together. The complicity was magical and you can see the results in our September and October issues of When Fashion and Nature Collide. I can’t wait for him to visit again in Spring. We have already planned a few days of shoot.

12- How have you used SEO keywords to increase blog traffic? Please provide specific examples if you can.

I have created target keyword lists for my blog. I find that staying connected to the news helps generate traffic too. I’m far from being an SEO specialist and I’m not a tech-savvy either. To be honest, I’d rather focus my energy on the content. But SEO is crucial in order to increase visibility via search engines. So I recently called on a specialized firm to help me identify new opportunities. I could tell you about my experience in a few months but for now, I’m still in the experimental phase.

13- What best advice would you like to give to our readers/blogger/new bloggers?

To me, high-quality content is one of the most important things. New bloggers shouldn’t try to imitate others. Be you. Be genuine and show what it is that makes you different. For that to be possible you have to know yourself well enough though. I would also recommend that they write a description of themselves in their About page. Blogging is about meeting new people each day and it is nice to know a little bit about the person from which we are reading blog posts. This encourages giving a positive feedback of their work and to follow them. Would you talk to 20 complete strangers on the street each day? I mean, if they don’t need help, of course not. Finally, I would suggest new bloggers to a team and collaborate with people that add value to their work. Rome wasn’t built on a day or only by one person! To me, this is what blogging is all about.

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I hope you all like the interview and learn at least a few things. Dominique and I both worked hard on it to put our best possible questions to cover so you guys can get a benefit. Now give yourself a favor and read the interview.