As I sit hear listening to the baby monitor going off signalling its the end of nap time and my (laptop) work comes to an close for another day, I look at my saved ‘Posts’ box on my blog.  There are so many started yet unfinished blog posts from the past year or two.  Wondering why I never posted them, I read some.  Maybe I feel they might not be taken well, perhaps I feel I’m being too honest or sweary, or some I feel that are great memories to me but might bore others.  Why would others care to see a another photo of me: at a lake, at the beach, in a yoga pose, in a gym, in a winter wetsuit, in a bikini… cue the athletic gear lifestyle shot.

But I’ve just remembered that this is the age we live in now.  Its not the same as 10 years ago, or five years ago, or even last year.  I have never relied so much on my phone for work, information, contact, camera or goggling.  Everything is done via an app, I even use pinterest to get new outfit ideas instead of buying a magazine to see whats on-trend.  Apart from the September and March Issues of Vogue.  Obvs.  I like to think that I sit quietly and read it while drinking my vanilla latte in Starbucks.  I never do.

I got to thinking about how social media has changed our lives.  You never switch off because you can access all your work just on your phone.  Where does the work stop and the time off start?  Cue the I’m working in my on-trend office space shot.

After noticing that I spent a ridiculous amount of time on my phone a couple of years ago, I try to leave it until certain times.  Times when it doesn’t affect others, like during nap time.  I try not to ‘play’ (AKA Social Media, but Soc Media is actually part of my work so I shouldn’t call it ‘playing’) on my phone in front of the kids.  Obviously work calls come in and some need to be dealt with immediately, but have you tried to be on a work call with a one and three year old fighting for your attention?

What has social media done for me?  Its allowed me to make quite a smooth transition from being a Pro Wakeboarder into being a Wake Ambassador. Cue the wake lifestyle shot.

After popping out a couple of kids and having all the pregnancy and recovery time off from riding, the wake standard has naturally evolved (to a ridiculous level I might add) and without having the same amount of time to dedicate to riding that I used to, I have not progressed how I’d imagined it to.  I still have fun though.  Cue the riding shot.

Photo: Toby Oliver

Social Media has given me the platform to promote myself and my sponsors.  

How do you do this I hear you ask!  Well first, you must have your own Soc Media channels.  Over time you start to build up your following.  Do this by picking the theme, brand or image you want to portray to people.  I cleaned up my Soc Media outlets about a year ago when I finally realised that mixed photos of my kids, selfies and wakeboarding weren’t really doing it.  Then over time as you get more established, brands, companies or agencies approach you for various things whether its shooting product for them, doing a blog or instagram post, or becoming a Brand Ambassador.  And sometimes it works the other way, if you love a brand you might want to contact them for a collaboration.

There are so many blurred lines now with jobs when it comes to Social Media. People ask me what I do.. I find it hard to give them an answer most of the time.  I do so many different things: I’m full time Mum (to two boys, absolute effing nutters), I’m a Housewife, I’m in Property Management, I’m a Wakeboard Coach, I’m a Wake Ambassador and I work on my Social Media, Blogging and Instagramming.

I guess what I’m trying to get across is that Social Media has helped me develop and still developing where I’m trying to get to.  I have an image or a goal in my mind where I want to be and without Social Media, it would never happen.

And why on earth did I write this blog?  I guess because I’m at a point where I can get back into blogging more regularly again and I didn’t know where to start.  Like I said before, I have so many unfinished or unpublished posts, this one is to blow off the cobwebs. Enjoy xx