Blogcadette Recap: Latanya Rene, International Party Girl

Photo by Mike Falzone.

Latanya Rene of Sprinkles And Booze is a true Blogcademy success story.  When she attended our very first class, she didn’t even have a blog… And eight months later, she is blogging fulltime!  Yes, fulltime… As in, the girl makes her living from her blog alone!  What a champ!

Of course, we had to dip in and find out her secrets.  Here’s what she had to say…

Latanya, we are so proud of you! We were delighted to have you in our very first class in NYC, and in the eight months that have passed, so much has changed! What, in your mind, have been the biggest and most positive changes?

When I signed up for The Blogcademy, I actually didn’t have a blog. At all. I had a static page, a lot of ideas, and was livin’ on a prayer. Before venturing into professional blogging, I blogged on and off for over 10 years and never took it seriously. My idea of a blog was bitching about men on LiveJournal and posting photos from the party that took place the weekend before.

Following many bloggers over the years and having an idea of how blogging worked wasn’t enough for me to take my blogging to the next level. I had so many questions, fears, and needed something to push me out of my safe zone.

One day while I was working my 9 to 5 job, I decided to take a break from my regular office duties to see what Gala Darling was up to. She had just posted an announcement about The Blogcademy and it was like everything froze in time and baby glitter angels started singing. It was one of the most perfect moments ever. The workshop would not only teach me the business end of blogging but it was the proper investment to force me into actually following through with being the blogger superheroine I’ve wanted to be for years.

With all of this said, Blogcademy has given me the confidence and know-how to properly operate my blog as a business. There have been many things that have changed over the last 8 months since the birth of Sprinkles and Booze and it will continue to change. My blog helped me figure out how to use my passions and I thank Blogcademy for teaching me on how to properly market myself.

I have been schooled on how to be a master blogging Goddess and I have no fear when moving forward and growing. It’s sort of crazy to think about how my mental state has changed since I’ve attended the workshop.

What did you learn at The Blogcademy that inspired you to make such massive shifts?

The biggest shift I’ve made overall has been my thought process. I stopped being afraid of going after what I feel my calling is. I used to have many excuses like “Everyone has a blog!” to “Why would anyone care about what I have to say?”. The fact of the matter is we all have a unique voice and it’s our job to showcase what makes us different and to do this without fear.

Blogcademy taught me that there is something out there for all of us, and don’t let the negative thoughts prevent you from following something you know is right in your heart.

A little birdie told us that you are now blogging fulltime! GO GIRL! How were you able to make the jump?

The jump was more of a skip than a full-on launch. I was laid off from my 9 to 5 desk job shortly after attending Blogcademy. I had the tricky task of figuring out if I should get another 9 to 5 or if I should try to move forward and make my blog my fulltime gig. Being let go from my job forced me into moving forward with making my blogger dreams a reality. I am nowhere near where I want to be as a blogger but I can say I am proud of where it has taken me.

Sprinkles And Booze is all about the best things in life. Do you have an overall vision for your blog?

Since starting Sprinkles and Booze many concepts and ideas were born. Something that I fell into because of blogging has been event planning. I want Sprinkles and Booze to be all about celebrating life and showing the world how to enjoy every millisecond that we have on this planet.

My goal is to be a international Professional Party Planner and take over the world one unique themed event at a time. I want to showcase people celebrating in their own way to remind people that life is in fact a celebration.

Sprinkles and Booze will be an event and lifestyle blog that reminds people it’s okay to dance like no one is watching and it’s okay to build pillow forts. I’m all about making more happy moments and memories and reminding people that laughter is love.

When it comes to your blog, what are you most proud of?

I am proud that I can inspire people. So many people have told me I am an inspiration and it’s probably the biggest thing I can take from blogging. I am proud that I can be myself and have people respond positively to it and take something from my crazy rants about lip gloss and superheroes. Any moment you can inspire someone is a moment well spent and you’re living your purpose.

What’s the most valuable thing you took away from The Blogcademy? Would you recommend it to your best friend?

The most valuable thing I took from Blogcademy is the friendships that I have made. I have never met so many kickass women in all of my life. You can be the most seasoned blogger ever and I would recommend going to The Blogcademy to get involved with the best of the blogger community and share warmth and knowledge. The community within Blogcademy is so strong and so positive it is beyond worth the time, energy, and money to attend.

Most definitely I would recommend The Blogcademy to my bestie! Hell, I recommended it to one of my close friends Holly Danger and she flew across country to attend. Some might think it’s insane to travel for a workshop, but I call it brilliant.

How would you like to expand or improve your blog in the next 12 months? In your wildest dreams, how would your blog look and feel this time next year?

Wow, the next 12 months seems like forever away but I know that it will definitely fly right by. I will work towards adding more content to engage new readers. I want to get my readers more engaged and involved in what is featured on my blog. Even though I am blogging full time, I tend to forget it is a job. I love what I do so it is easy to get distracted by everything that is fun. Because of this, I want to improve my business sense a bit more to where I can work hard while playing hard.

I want my blog to manifest into a geeky-glam party that people look forward to sharing, viewing, and being a part of. I want to continue to make people laugh and be helpful and hope to expand on this within the next year.

My biggest goal is to have David Bowie read my blog on the regular while drinking his morning tea and being fabulous. This is what you meant by my wildest dreams, right?