SURPRISE!

My new blog name is Her Hashtag Life! #TRUTHBOMB: I totally changed my mind since my blog post when I announced primarily because I kept getting asked if I enjoyed wine a little bit too much. <insert eyeroll> So this name change had me feeling all sorts of weird things… kinda like I renamed my kid… because ya know this blog is like my baby! So let me first start off by telling y’all about the process of changing my blog name, working with the talented Mel Volkman and then I’ll spill the beans and go into detail about what Her Hashtag Life means to me.

The Process of Rebranding, slowly.

Let’s back up

So rebranding is a pretty generic word these days. It can mean getting your whole site revamped, a new logo, new branding colors, a new brand direction etc. For instance, I had a complete rebrand overhaul last year which included an updated logo, new branding colors, mood board… the whole nine.  But this time, I felt a huge push to completely change my blog name and “grow” my blog up. My biggest issue: I was fitting into a niche I didn’t want to be fitting into: Mommy Blogger. Even though I am a Mom, I felt as though I was constantly having to say “HEY GUYS BRIANNE IS STILL HERE YA KNOW!” “It’s me! The lady behind the camera!” “No I don’t only take pictures of my kid!” Anytime I would introduce myself while out networking, I would have to follow-up with “well I blog more than just about Mom things.” I just feel that having “mama” tied into my blog name insinuates that I am a Mommy blogger and I fit into a specialized niche.

Help Me Rhonda

When I came to terms with the fact that I had to change the name of my blog, I thought it was simple as just… changing it. Ehhhh Nothing in my life is ever that easy I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN. I reached out to many friends in the blogging realm including two of my mentors. All provided great feedback but I was still so stumped. This was seriously like naming my birthed child. I came up with #SendWine and I was set. That’s IT! Until….

#SendWine = I’m an Alcoholic apparently

Argh. So when I announced my name change, I started to introduce myself as such throughout other networking gatherings. Remember above how I was fitting into a niche I didn’t want to fit into any more? Well the same thing happened with #SendWine. Apparently anything with the word wine in the title immediately signals that I am an alcoholic when in fact it had been MONTHS that I had a glass. I really wanted to use #SendWine because my life is seriously a bunch of #SendWine moments. But wrong. Lets start over. #SCRATCHTHAT

Got a name, now what?

After I finally settled on Her Hashtag Life it was time to get the process going… slowly. I wanted to begin a rebrand with baby steps. First a logo, then website updates, maybe a mood board and some updated textures. But I didn’t want to go into a full-blown rebrand like I did last year especially with the holidays approaching. I tinkered around with the thought that maybe this time around I should just create my own logo.

Then the magician showed up

Mel Volkman. Let me count the ways. She’s magical, yet I’ve never seen her in person. She’s patient and understanding, yet I’ve never heard her voice. She’s thorough. Detailed. I can go on but I will save that for a future blog post.

My design process is the alchemy of a thoughtful discovery process, market research, strategy, and visual storytelling.

The process with Mel Volkman started out purposefully slow. I filled out a very verrrrry detailed questionnaire – probably the most precise questionnaire I have ever filled out – which I was very thankful for. As a multi-passionate creative, I like a LOT of things. A lot of different design aspects, which makes me incredibly difficult to work with when it comes to graphic design. With this detailed questionnaire, I felt as though she was peeking into my soul to find out what I REALLY wanted in a new brand. Mel Volkman showed up, took the reigns and nailed it.

Without further ado… My new “Her Hashtag Life” branding by Mel Volkman!

Her Hashtag Life Brand Style Guide

by Mel Volkman

So what’s next?

This site will be evolving and changing over the next couple of months. It will be a process – a process that I don’t want to rush. New pages on the blog will be added such as “#Portfolio” “#HireMe” and even a glossary of terms that will be frequently used around these parts. 🙂 Additionally, the design of this website will evolve and change which I’m really pumped about. Lastly, you can expect some more interviews of some of my favorite brands, starting out with Mel Volkman of course. I have over 30 blog posts in my pipeline that I will also finally feel free to write about. It’s an exciting time around here and I am so glad you are coming with me for the ride.

The long detailed story about where the name “Her Hashtag Life” came from

mIRC + ICQ

Back in the late 1990s (yeah I’m going WAY BACK), I tried to hack the AOL server in order to get free dial-up internet and failed. I started to beg ask my friends to ever-so-carefully allow me to use their parents computer while I was at their home. It was one of those junior high days that I stumbled across ChatFamily and the rest is history. I began creating chat rooms on mIRC for ChatFamily and then bouncing over to tinker around on ICQ. Now… I have either completely confused you or I gave you a blast from the past.

Yup, I was that “internet nerd”

My internet curiosity didn’t end there. I was frequently on internet sites such as FaceTheJury.com, MySpace, Xanga and AIM. Throughout high school, I was the odd one out when it came to understanding the internet and how “social media” worked before the term was ever created. My peers and even most of my friends didn’t understand my strange obsession with the internet and hearing that beautiful dial-up tone in order to reach it.

…I mean I still am an “internet nerd”

As the internet progressed, morphed and became what it is today, I always seem to be right there along with it. I was one of the first to move over from MySpace to Facebook but reluctantly avoided joining the Instagram crowd because what could possibly be better than Facebook? Alas, I joined… all social media platforms and continued my passion for understanding things like algorithms, program updates, new features and how to navigate differently on all platforms.

My life has revolved around all things social media since I can remember

When I became a Mom in 2013, I decided to unearth an ancient blog I had kinda-not-really kept active over the years. The blog started out named “Cashmere Haven” then morphed to “The Sentimental Bride” when I got engaged. That is where when I became a Mom, I dusted off the old URL and changed it over to “The Sentimental Mama”. As a new Mama, I used this blog as my way of connecting with other Moms who were similar to me in the sense that they were lonely, needed insight on what other Moms were doing vs getting a bunch of unwanted advice from those near them. I felt an immense privilege to be able to have a platform in order to do just that, connect with these Moms.

Reclaiming my blog

Yes, I’m still a Mom. But that’s not all that I am. I’m many things. And as I said at the beginning of this post, I fit into a “Mommy Blog” niche that I didn’t want to be a part of any more. This space needed to encompass all that I am – all of the 5,000 things I like to be a part of and share that with the world. I also wanted a more sophisticated yet still playful feel to my blog. I know I pushed #GetTheTissues quite often her but it came to a point where I didn’t just want my readers to come to my blog expecting to bring a box of kleenex with them each time they wanted to read my posts. Yes, I’m emotional but that’s not all that I am.

 Her Hashtag Life is a lifestyle blog by Bre. Geiger

Since social media and the internet has always been a part of me, I wanted to include something catchy that I can relate that to. After mulling over many MANY adjectives, I finally worked out Her Hashtag Life. And it was like a lightbulb went off. Thats it. Thats it.

bye bye The Sentimental Mama & hello Her Hashtag Life

Are you a Mommy blogger or Lifestyle blogger looking for a name change? Are you stuck as much as I was? Sign up below to receive my FREE printable of helpful tips to change your own blog name including a list of trendy, unique and thought-provoking adjectives to help you do just that!