What It’s Like Having a Side Hustle

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Even though I’ve been blogging four years, it took me two years to make any money from my blog or Instagram. Now it’s turned into a full-blown side hustle. So what’s a side hustle? A side hustle is when you work full-time but have a gig on the side, typically unrelated to your full-time job, that brings in extra money. Today I thought I’d take you a little behind-the-scenes about what it’s like to have a side hustle.

Top: A New Day // Crop flares: Old Navy // Mules: Universal Thread // Camera bag: Express // Necklace: Kendra Scott // Earrings: Baublebar

As many of you know, I work full-time as an in-house attorney. That means that instead of having a typical law firm job, I work directly for a group of related companies, and I only do work for them. My blog is my side hustle.

Now, some people scoff when you say something is a side-hustle (insert eye roll). Just because it’s side hustle doesn’t mean that I don’t take it seriously or that I don’t make money doing it. In fact, I made five figures with my blog last year as a side hustle.

Having a side hustle is the equivalent of having a part-time job. I take my blogging seriously–I have deadlines to meet and I have to constantly produce content. I have to plan organic (non-sponsored content), apply for opportunities, pitch to brands, and respond to brands that pitch to me, That means I work a lot of late nights and weekends to get things done. Since I work full-time, I do most all of my photos on the weekends and post drafting on the weeknights. This past weekend, I had to shoot this post in the rain because I needed content for this week.

I have to make decisions about how to invest in my business, like by purchasing new camera equipment or attending a blogging conference. Then there’s making time to network and attend events. At the end of the day, I really enjoy blogging and connecting, so it doesn’t feel like work.

Sometimes it’s hard to juggle a side hustle, but it’s worth it. Blogging is my passion. I derive a lot of personal satisfaction from blogging and take pride in what I do. It can also be fun to get creative and switch gears from my every day job.

So how does my side hustle work into my family life? For us, it’s a whole family affair. Chauncey shoots 95% of my content. That means Kane and Karoline come with us. Kane always wants to know how many pictures we’re taking (by pictures, he really wants to know how many shoots we have to do, not actual number of pictures). When he gets frustrated, I remind him that this is how mommy makes money for things he likes to do. And I make sure to invest in my family. I’m not always great at balancing everything, but I’m constantly working to get better.

Speaking of Chauncey, when I stepped out of the car to shoot this outfit, he looked at me and said, “You look like a pumpkin space latte, or pumpkin pie.” So y’all, I present to you the pumpkin pants. Cropped flares are in, and this rust color is amazing for fall. I kept my top a little casual with this utility top. It’s so comfy, like an upgraded basic tee. Since the pants are such an attention getter (thanks Chauncey), I kept my accessories neutral and mixed up some brown and black.