Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Michelle Nyberg. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Michelle, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

I’ve always been an active member of some kind of beauty community. In the days of dial up I logged onto my computer after work every day and scoured the pages of online communities like MakeupAlley. Later beauty blogs and YouTube became available for consumption. I tended to stick to blog or non-video format as I really enjoy writing myself, so I just prefered that format. I started thinking about creating a blog to share ideas and my thoughts like others. Though it took at least five years past that initial idea to really start to look into it, come up with my name and figure out which direction I wanted to go. I knew it was going to take a big commitment to create and run a blog. I’ve always been passionate about the beauty world so it was really exciting thinking of creating my own contribution to it. Eventually I started with a basic name just to launch it. I figured I would make sure it was something I could and wanted to keep up with before I went really in depth. I looked into web hosting and blogging sites then ended up going with Blogger as it was free and easy for the beginner. After six months I realized I loved it and started to look at WordPress. I changed my blog with a new image and created a new name. I even registered as an LLC. After that I decided on a paid web hosting service using WordPress as a template. The rest was easy, now it’s just maintenance.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I moved to Houston over seven years ago, have a six year old daughter, two Great Danes and work locally as a full time nurse. I originally went to college for illustration but eventually moved into the medical field. For eight years I’ve owned and run a beauty blog plus related social media accounts on different platforms. I was always fascinated by the beauty industry, worked at a counter when I was young and as an avid beauty consumer wanted to create a space where I could share my beauty endeavors and connect with other like minded people. I wanted to show an authentic experience with the beauty products I try. I tend to be more analytical and like to compare products to others. I like in depth reviews and at this point I’ve tried thousands of products. I want to be the one you come to for honest reviews without hype or worrying that I have financial investments in brands clouding my reviews. I’m in my mid forties and very much about a well aging perspective over anti aging. I like to showcase real skin and real results. I pride myself over thorough testing. I write blog reviews and have a full Instagram channel with videos and different styles of posts.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me the most rewarding part of being creative is expressing yourself, having fun with what you do and looking forward to someone else enjoying what you created. There’s immense satisfaction just in the creative process itself. I love taking photos. I love setting the stage, I love the execution, I love editing. I’ve always loved the whole conception to execution process. It makes me happy. Coming up with the concept, setting up a shoot and executing it are the best part for me. I’ve always loved writing as well, they go well together for blogging.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

In all honesty I just wanted to start a blog for fun. I don’t know who I expected to read it. It was really just for me, It gave me a place to express myself. I love taking photos–the planning, set up, execution and end result. I’ve done art my whole life so I love the creative process in general. Two years after blogging online I decided I should start Instagram. I figured, why not. That was a whole different direction. I liked the slightly shorter level of content and then things like stories showed up which made such an integral part of growing. It was an easy, better look into the person behind the account. Stories showed us, all of us, for the first time to our audience. Social media shows our vulnerabilities. That resonates with your audience. People don’t want to see perfect, they want to see someone relatable, someone like them. That’s what relates, not a perfect face or house. None of us are perfect, normalize that and show it. The biggest thing I can say is be authentic, don’t follow trends. Trends will come and go. Yeah sure you can join the trend, gain extra followers. But as soon as the trend is over they’ll leave or move onto the next trend. Your core followers come from being true to yourself. They will be there through thick and thin. They will be there for you. The other parts are extra fluff. Invest in your core. Don’t change to fit what’s trendy. Be consistent, be present, engage with your core. Be you.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://thebeautyendeavor.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeautyendeavor/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebeautyendeavor
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/michellenyberg1/the-beauty-endeavor/