I am so honored to be writing about Miss An'Drea Hall aka "Drea." She is the CEO of the oh so fabulous website TheRealMissDrea-Daily. Drea and I met via Twitter and have been supporting each other every since. I am so proud of her growth and happy to see her pursing her Master's degree. She inspires me to go further by always updating her site's style and content. Drea is not only a sweet lady, but her site is simply amazing! She always has the hottest fashion trends and celebrity gossip. So keep reading to learn more about "The Real Miss Drea."
What college or university do you attend? What are you studying?
I attend Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and I’m working towards a Master’s degree in sociology. In the spring of 2012, I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in Criminology & Criminal Justice and Sociology (double major – not double degree) from SIUC. After graduation, I intend to relocate to another city within a year to work as either a professor at a community college or at a government agency that deals with any of the following: criminology, social welfare, race relations, or social change. Along with a nine-to-five job, I will be furthering the business of TheRealMissDrea-Daily.com and strategizing more options for it to become a sizable stream of income for me.
Where do you see your career in 5 years?
In five years, I foresee myself in a career that has to do with TheRealMissDrea-Daily.com. If I plan and strategize accordingly, I can see it becoming a highly sought after online lifestyle magazine with several contributors aboard to assist in curating content. Aside from blogging, I intend to do more freelance writing, get published in some magazines, and work towards starting up some non-profit programs for African American teen girls.
Ideally, I’d love to work with up-and-coming female bloggers and writers of color on building a stronger coalition for us. Now that blogging has become such a trendy thing to do, the industry has become largely oversaturated, making it extremely difficult to be successful in terms of gaining visibility among big brands and companies and garnering a large following/readership. Additionally, there are not many ways for emerging bloggers to even seek a spot at the top and I don’t see many Black bloggers who’ve reached a high level of success (none of which I will resort to naming) reaching down to pull any of us up.
To that point, I also feel that there’s really no way to reach the bloggers at the top because they’ve gained so much acclaim that they have little to no consideration for the little budding bloggers at the bottom. This is a problem.
To that point, I also feel that there’s really no way to reach the bloggers at the top because they’ve gained so much acclaim that they have little to no consideration for the little budding bloggers at the bottom. This is a problem.
How would you describe your fashion story?
My fashion story includes an oversized blouse paired with dark denim or black skinny jeans, embellished flats, a blazer, statement necklace, gold watch, and my beloved Louis Vuitton bag.
Name your favorite pair of shoes.
Right now, I’m totally infatuated with combat boots! They pair fabulously with almost everything in my closet.
What does confidence mean to you?
Confidence is nothing more than self-worth. Decide who you are, what you want, what you deserve, and then you’ve defined your self-worth.
Describe your style in 3 words.
Feminine. Functional. Minimal.
Where do you find inspiration?
I mostly find inspiration in everyday people making extraordinary things happen. I also read (and reread) memoirs penned by iconic figures of the slavery era for inspiration. Reading about how my ancestors navigated through deliberate injustice awakens my spirit and makes me want to work harder to achieve my goals. But if we’re talking about inspiration for personal style, magazines and fashion blogs mostly inspire me.
What do you want people to gain from your work?
From my work, I hope that people gain that it is necessary to take on challenges and do things that scare you. These days, you’ve got to have an entrepreneurial spirit because we’re living among a generation of hustlers and people who wear multiple hats and have multiple hustles. Not only that, but we’re living in the digital age where a plethora of information is available on the Internet. Hence, there’s really is no excuse not to pursue your dreams and desires. If you don’t know how to push the envelope and challenge your creative will, you’ll find yourself being stagnant.
What career advice do you have for TheeFashionStories.com readers?
First and foremost, my advice would be to know who you are. By that I mean, know your limits, know what you will and will not tolerate, and know your worth. Second, study your craft. If being a writer, or mathematician, or nail technician, etc., is really what you want to do, study the people who’ve blazed that trail already. Find out who they are and what they did to earn their acclaim in the business. Finally, write down what you want to do, why you want to do it, and how you plan to do it, then, do it.
What makes your work or brand different from your peers?
In my humble opinion, I think my work and brand is different from my peers for a few reasons. First, I’m authentic when I write and that’s mostly because I never had any intent on being a famous blogger. I’m an everyday girl with a penchant for all things fabulous and an opinion on most things. I write about what I want, so you’re never going to log on to my site and read about something that I have no interest in. Another thing that markedly separates my brand is the fact that I publish quality content. I spell check often, I do thorough research before publishing a post if it falls outside my purview of knowledge, and I always, always source my ideas. Collectively, these processes give my writing a journalistic vibe and readers appreciate that. Lastly, I make sure to inject my own tone and opinion into whatever or whomever I’m writing about, as this allows readers to get to know how I think, feel, and react to different subjects. After all, the site is titled TheRealMissDrea-Daily.com, so it has to be an accurate representation of who I am.
What is your biggest dream or aspiration?
I have a few but my top two are becoming a published author and make it on a best-seller’s list, and the other is to buy my mother and Nana (grandmother) a home of their choice.
If you could relocate, where would you move? Why?
If you could relocate, where would you move? Why?
If I could relocate, I would move to Texas or New York because I want to be a lively area that’s welcoming to young people of color. I want to be in a place where I am challenged to be more creative on a daily basis, my business can flourish, and I can meet likeminded others.
Do you have any upcoming events or projects that TheeFashionStories.com readers should be on the lookout for?
At this time, I don’t have any events/projects that readers should keep their eyes peeled for. However, I strongly urge your readers to check out TheRealMissDrea-Daily.com and subscribe to the site.What was your motivation behind starting your blog, business, career, etc.?I started my blog back in 2012 because I wanted to have an online space where I could document and share all things that I found worthy of discussion, from outfits I’ve worn, entertaining or empowering celebrity news, fashion trends, relationships, social justice matters, etc. I have an opinion about almost everything and felt the need to have a space where I could express myself.
What mark do you want to leave on this world?
I would want to be remembered as a Black woman who was a decent person with a good heart; the rest would be purely subjective and speculative among those who knew me personally.How can TheeFashionStories.com readers contact you?
TFS readers can easily contact me by tweeting me via Twitter, @TheRealMissDrea or sending me an email to therealmissdrea@gmail.com.
It is so great to see someone following their dreams. I can truly say that Drea's interview responses have inspired me even more to follow my dreams. Thanks for a great interview and I look forward to seeing more from you young lady!
Much Love,
Jas
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