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Interview With An Influencer || Shaley Ham

Shaley Ham knows a thing or two about personal style. With western roots and a modern edge, Shaley has spent the last 1.5 years building an Instagram audience of over 22k followers, working with name brands, magazines, indie brands and small boutiques alike to achieve an influencer status to dream of!

We took a moment to chat with Shaley about her beginnings, her life behind her blog, and some tips to pass along to those working to build an eye-catching Insta account.

How/why did you start?

After college I was living & working in the city, and it made me miss my country lifestyle, so I started an Instagram for my rodeo fashion inspiration as a creative outlet. I rarely posted photos of myself when I started, and was either posting flat lays of my outfits, or reposting items or products from other businesses that I found interesting. It wasn’t until NFR 2016 when I actually started posting myself in these looks that my page started to take off!

What trend(s) are you most excited to try in Spring/Summer 2018?

I currently have an obsession with jumpsuits, rompers, and two-piece sets! They can be worn alone or layered with jackets, sweaters or a number of accessories. Also, cropped wide leg jeans are becoming a favorite of mine. Since I’m tall, it’s already hard to find pants that are long enough, but with the cropped trend, I don’t have to worry about inseam as much when I’m shopping for them!

What is a typical day like in your life?

I work full time in a professional office setting, so I try to incorporate western flare into my work wardrobe. Depending on the season, I like to spend my weekends traveling to rodeos or hosting photo shoots for my page. I have two dachshunds and a few horses, so most of my spare time throughout the week goes to trail riding and playing with my dogs.

What has been your most fun accomplishment/experience as an influencer?

While I would love to say my greatest accomplishments are with the big name brands that I’ve been lucky to blog/model/work with, at the end of the day, I am happiest when small boutique owners, designers, & makers tell me how they sold out of a product or saw sales sky rocket after I have promoted them! I’m all for empowering my fellow entrepreneurs and helping them reach their goals & making their dreams come true, as they have assisted me with mine.

What is your best tip for maintaining an aesthetically pleasing Instagram?

This is something I have always struggled with, because sometimes my styles and photos are all over the place. But I would say the easiest & cheapest option is to use Lightroom and purchase an editing preset online! I found a preset package from a big name blogger I follow that includes 3 presets for JPEG images (so I’m able to easily edit images I take with my iPhone). I have recently started using professional photographers, so their images are pretty top notch, but I wasn’t always able to afford to pay someone to take my photos! At the end of the day, less is more when it comes to filtering your images, and try to stick with one or two of the same filters/presets on all your images to create the most appealing content that people will start associate with your brand.

What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you?

The most questions I get from followers & people I meet are….

1) Do I blog/influence full time & 2) Is this my real hair?

1) Nope! I’m a full time Tax Accountant currently studying/taking exams to obtain my CPA. (People are most shocked to hear this is what I do for a living). I never plan on quitting my career for West Desperado because I love what I do, so I am constantly adjusting the way I operate my blog for the best work-life balance.

2) Yes, my hair is Au Naturale! I haven’t gotten it trimmed or colored in 15 months & I’ve been growing it long for 7 years. There isn’t a miracle growth pill to take, just time, patience, & not too many heat products!

If you could swap closets with anyone, who would it be?

Ralph Lauren, Blake Lively, and Miranda Lambert. Little pieces from all three of their closets would be a dream!