We were lucky to catch up with Elizabeth Emery recently and have shared our conversation below.

Elizabeth, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

The thing no one tells you about earning a full time living as a blogger is that it’s totally possible, but a lot of people give up early on. If you keep showing up each day and always aim to improve a little bit as a business owner, you will figure out a way to run your business profitably.

Also, I’ve learned from being in this industry for five years now that a big Instagram following doesn’t necessarily equal financial success! I know colleagues who have several hundred thousand followers who aren’t monetizing their accounts at all. Don’t be swayed by the numbers and dopamine hit! You can make good money doing sponsored posts with a smaller following. And there are other ways to earn a good income aside from sponsored work (ad revenue, freelance works, products etc.).

Elizabeth, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a plant-based blogger, content creator and recipe developer who’s been doing this for 5 years+. I was made redundant from my job as a historical researcher so it seemed like the perfect time to take a leap and do something more with my (until then) hobby blog! I’d always loved food and have been vegetarian since I was 4 (vegan for 10+ years) so sharing plant-based recipes comes very naturally to me.

I work in several ways: I create recipes and content for my website which brings in ad revenue, I do freelance recipe development for clients, and I am lucky enough to work with brands on sponsored social media content that I share with my Instagram audience.

I love my work and am passionate about sharing plant-based living with as many people as possible, but it hasn’t always been easy! The thing I’m actually most proud of is having the courage to keep showing up each day even when seasons have been slow. Running your own business is decidedly unglamorous and can be quite solitary at time. I’ve created a business out of thin air, and I feel like that’s something to be proud of!

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Honestly, I wish someone had grabbed me by the collar and told me how important ad revenue could be for a food blogger! I stayed away from applying to an ad agency for years because I thought ads on blogs looked awful, but little did I know almost every blog would start running them and how lucrative they could be as a source of income.

As bloggers who provide free content, we have to make money somehow and I have a new-found understanding now whenever I see ads on recipe sites – a LOT of work goes into those recipes that you’re not being paid to create!

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think there’s a belief that influencers and bloggers have an easy life and that it’s all glamour. I often find friends who aren’t in this industry can’t understand why I charge what I do for sponsored content – as far as they’re concerned, I just whip up a recipe and snap a quick photo or video!

I’ve definitely had some uncomfortable moments as they don’t really appreciate the amount of work that goes into these campaigns – emailing, planning, shopping, shooting, editing, engaging, analyzing etc. – and the amount of work that you DON’T get paid for as a creative – and it can be hurtful sometimes when people think you’re just being greedy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vancouverwithlove.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vancouverwithlove/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vancouverwithlove
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-emery-09936438/
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/vancouverwithlove/

Image Credits
All taken by me, Elizabeth Emery