Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristin Simon.
Kristin, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I went to school for fashion and worked in New York City for over 6 years. I started to feel burnt out and in need of something new and a little more nature. I reached the point one day where I said, “ok I’m done” and planned to quit my job and move to LA. As I was trying to figure out my next move career and apartment-wise, I ended up getting a job working remotely in social media and tech. From there, I had an “a-ha” moment and saw an amazing opportunity to, instead of move to one location like LA, live out of Airbnb’s and travel. So I got rid of my apartment and all of my furniture and that’s just what I did for the next two and half years. Everything just sort of fell perfectly into place.
I then travelled constantly, mostly back and forth solo throughout Europe or Central America for a month or two at a time, then I’d come back and stay in the US for a month or so. I stayed in over 15 different countries and countless cities, making friends and memories all over the world. I found myself living a life I had always wanted, but never imagined I could have for myself.
During this time, I was taking photos and sharing my adventures and explorations on my blog and social media, Pink Neon Lips. I had originally started the blog when I lived in NYC as more of a fashion and beauty blog, but it naturally evolved into a “solo female travel” kind of blog.
I’ve always been creative and found it to be the perfect way to express myself, including writing and photography, which are two of my passions. Once I started more consistently posting and taking it a little more seriously, slowly gathering more followers, I realized I could actually make money off of my blog and Instagram. It’s been mostly through some amazing brand partnerships. It’s been fun partnering with companies I love, usually fashion brands or health-conscious ones or even hotels and restaurants, and creating content for them.
Under a year ago, I officially moved to LA and got an apartment for the first time in almost three years! I’ve since been transitioning more into more of this stable life, but have still been traveling a lot, especially locally, and continue to share my travels online, along with more personal and lifestyle kind of content.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My road has definitely been smooth enough in that, I feel like when we really want something to happen and it’s meant to be, we’ll find that things just naturally tend to fall into place. You meet the people or go to the places that you just needed at that moment. Especially when it came to my desire to have a different lifestyle and travel, I just put it into the universe and it all happened. Not to say all you need to do is wish for something to happen, but if the opportunity is right and the desire and drive is there, it can definitely happen.
As far as the blog, it’s always been a bit of a learning curve, but not in a bad way. Thank goodness for Google, which taught me everything I needed to know, from how to create my own WordPress website to Lightroom for photo editing to using Final Cut Pro to make videos. The Instagram and social media space is a whole other ballgame and learning curve in itself. Overall though, the more you work at something, naturally the better you become. It’s also been a little hard staying motivated, especially in the beginning when it feels like you’re talking to yourself. You just have to keep going. I’m not fully living off of my blog and content money-wise, but I love doing it and I look forward to seeing where it naturally evolves to next.
For anyone starting in blogging or traveling, my biggest advice is to just start. It can seem intimidating, but when you begin, you’re kind of forced to learn about it. For traveling more or blogging about traveling, it’s a great idea to start with more local trips. Just keep documenting and sharing from your point of view.
Please tell us about Pink Neon Lips.
I still work remotely for the social media tech company, and then I do a lot of work with my blog and Instagram. I create content that I love and that I hope to be inspiring for others, including videos and photos. It’s been so great to be able to partner with different companies and brands and get paid for it — I still can’t believe that happens. It’s really rewarding to know someone likes what you’re doing enough that they’re willing to pay you for it.
I’m proud that a lot of what I write about comes from a really honest and vulnerable place. Obviously I love a pretty hotel room and to share a gorgeous photo, but I also want to reach people through the heart. I’ve struggled my whole life on and off with anxiety and depression and I’m trying to write more about that. I’ve found that when I write that kind of content from such a deep space, people resonate with that. And just to just make one person feel less alone in their own mental or life struggles is my goal and what makes my heart smile.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
The Power of Now and A New Earth are my go-to books that I’m always re-reading or listening to. I also LOVE the podcast Your Own Magic. I listen to it religiously every week.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pinkneonlips.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinkneonlips/
Image Credit:
Kristin Simon, Benjamin Morris, Sarah Barnes, Marlinde Eissens, Pegah Kesm
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
