my pop's arm & my opinions.

i'm a daddy's girl. my pop has always been a source of entertainment and humor, and i stand by the proclamation i made years and years ago (although, i guess now it's been decades) that my pop is the funniest person i know. he taught me that it is totally acceptable, no matter the occasion or crowd, to add, "my underwear are on fire" to any conversation; he taught me that it's okay to walk with a pretend and overly-exaggerated limp through a busy store if regular walking has become boring; and he taught me that people should always be greeted and bid farewell with a big, GENUINE hug (none of that half, loose, fake hug stuff). sounds like a pretty awesome guy, right?

my pop doesn't actually look like this now, although he still wears that suit to weddings. i kid. or do i? i just really like that picture (and the tux reminds me of the movie dumb & dumber). so, last week my pop got hurt. he was standing in my aunt's backyard - which, truth be told, is more like a cliff than a yard - and he said he started to feel his feet slip out from under him, so he grabbed the nearest thing to keep from falling hard, which was a low tree branch, and when he slipped and his body weight was being supported by his right arm, his bicep tore. he has an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon today to get a definitive answer on whether or not he needs surgery, and i won't lie, i've been so worried about him. you know how when you love someone so much you wish you could take their pain and make it yours just so they wouldn't have to feel it? that's how i've been feeling, because dammit, i don't want my pop to have any pain! i'm curious to find out what the doctor says, and i'm just hoping for a quick recovery.

now, my opinions. maybe i shouldn't even be sharing this, but i feel it needs to be addressed. i've been told several times by several people that i should contact some big name style bloggers about having them choose a piece of jewelry to incorporate into an outfit post on their blog. i know that plenty of people do this, i know it's a great way to gain more exposure, and i think it's a great idea in theory. in practice, however, i guess it's sort of a luck of the draw type deal. i talked with one of my good friends before who sent an expensive item from her line to one of these big bloggers, only to find that the blogger never wore it or even mentioned it. i thought that was a one in a million chance dealing with a disrespectful blogger and anyone else would surely appreciate and share an item they received for FREE, right? so i decided that since sales had dropped off on my website, and i needed to reach a new group of people, i'd contact two big bloggers whose style i really liked. i didn't expect them to wear the item they chose in the first post after they received their new jewelry, but i kind of thought i'd see it within a few weeks at least. now, coming up on two months later, after outfit posts on nearly a daily basis, i still haven't seen them in their dinosaur toes jewelry. i know that i can be a little impatient at times, but like i said, it's been almost two months, and i'm starting to feel like it's kind of shitty for anyone to take something for free, agreeing to incorporate it into a post, only to flake on their end of the deal. i mean, if it was forever 21 sending out free things, well, they make billions, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad, but whether it's my friend, myself, or any other small handmade business, it's kind of a big deal to send out freebies, so to feel like your gesture has gone unappreciated, well, it's like a smack in the face, or "i'm too cool for your stuff with my 4,000 followers."

hopefully i don't come off like too much of a jerk, but i just feel like it's a matter of having manners. or maybe i've just been in the south for too long and expect too much from people.

13 comments:

  1. First and foremost, I hope your dad feels better. I am sending out lots of positive vibes your way. I mean it.
    I know exactly how you feel, you just want him to feel better. It hurts to see someone you love in pain:( And I know how much your dad means to you.
    The guy is my hero by proxy!
    On another note, I am really really disappointed that those bloggers still haven't worn your stuff. If they don't plan on wearing the item then they should never say YES! It's absolutely inconsiderate. And, let's face it, they're not Vogue magazine. They're self-starters, just like us. You'd think that would make them more considerate.
    Oh, well, but for those few bloggers, I believe there are many great ones that actually respect the hard work of others. The tough part is that it is costly for us to try to find them! Why do we support them? Follow their blogs? Follow them on twitter? if they don't play nice.
    And that's my two cents.

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  2. And by "we" I meant the blogging community:)

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  3. ahhh as a fellow Daddy's girl, I can empathize with you. I'll say a little prayer for your dad's arm :)

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  4. I agree with you about the freebies... and I love the new things you've been doing, the ones that you posted previously.

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  5. Seeing someone you love in pain really fucking sucks, especially when it's a parent. <3 My mom was pretty sick before I got home and just there after and I didn't realize how bad it was until I actually saw her, and that made me feel awful. I hope your dad gets good news about his arm!

    Dude, you need to e-mail those people and be like "WHAT'S UP?" Maybe do it in a nice, passive aggressive way: "Hey, I've been pretty busy and I was just wondering if I missed that post you did with that piece of jewelry I sent you. Ya know, that FREE piece of jewelry that you didn't have to do anything but sit and look pretty for? Yeah. . ." Okay, maybe not those exact words, but dude, I think you should say something. You don't have much to lose, in my opinion. They haven't posted it, and if they get pissed, maybe the won't post it. No harm, no foul.

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  6. carla, thank you so much :) i know you want to borrow that suit. i'm with you, if you won't wear it, just say NO! it would save me the trouble!

    thank you, anna!

    jaza, thank you so much! it's nice comments like that that get me motivated!

    thank you april, and i'm sorry to hear about your mom. i hope she's well now! also, i'm hiring you as my PR/bodyguard.

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  7. ugh, i'm really sorry that you're going through both of these things. first off, i hope your pop feels better, that sounds so painful..i totally know how it feels to want to take away pain from a loved one... it's the worst most helpless feeling in the whole world!!

    secondly...about the people not posting outfits with your jewelry, i'm sorry but that just pisses me off...i don't like it and I don't think it's cool at all. I would send them an email asking for an explanation...i don't like when people are inconsiderate towards my friends..i don't like it one bit.

    I read Carla's message and I couldn't agree more...it sucks and i'm sorry you have to deal with people like that.

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  8. I really hope your dad feels better soon and hopefully he won't require surgery. About bloggers not wearing your jewelry on their outfit posts after nearly two months, well that is just plain rude. If they said they were going to wear your jewelry then they should have stayed true to their word.

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  9. Oh no. First off, I hope your dad is ok!

    Secondly, I'm sorry to hear about how it went with your jewelry. Perhaps you need to contact them? Might be a bit awkward, but I'd probably do it. I really get turned off when "big bloggers" don't reach out to their "smaller" followers - as if the only people worth communicating with are other "biggies". It makes fashion blogging feel a bit like high school in that regard, but I try not to let it get to me. In your case, I would be totally bothered. I'm sorry :( I'd totally rock your jewelry with pride! You've got some great pieces.

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  10. I hate it when people don't acknowledge things or carry through on promises. In this technological age, it just blows my mind when people don't send a quick follow-up thank you or, in your case, even an email confirming when they'll be blogging about your (gorgeous) jewels. (We can all tell if you're online every day! Hello!) I definitely agree with everyone else, though. You need to contact them and ask them (in a polite way) what's up. After that, I would just write it off as lesson learned (and stop following them/supporting them if I was before). That super sucks, but what else can you do?

    Fingers crossed your pop gets some good news at his appointment! (I love how you call him pop! No one uses that here.)

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  11. First thing's first. I cannot stand fake, half-way hugs. My SIL does that & it just kills me! I swear, I don't bite...well, not you at least!
    I really hope your dad is doing well. I have a very protective instinct over my dad as well & I can only imagine how you feel. Being a daddy's girl is the best though.
    As for those big name bloggers who straight up ignored your deal, well that is by far the shittiest, shadiest thing I could think of doing to another blogger. First off, they should know what it's like being a small business owner. Someone who is making a name for themselves. They could at least have the respect of sending it back if it doesn't fit with any outfits of theirs. Or, take a few minutes to wear the jewelry & snap a few shots. I mean, how hard is this, anyway?
    I am so sorry that you are going through this. I agree with what Carla said about taking the time to find these people. It's just not cool.

    I hope you had a delicious new year my old buddy old pall.

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  12. I hope your dad is feeling better. its only natural to worry about the ones we love. im sure he will heal quickly!

    secondly, you know how I feel about it all, but I'll say it again. Danielle, it is a big old sea of free goods and its just so sad when the small biz artists slip through the cracks. its so sad. I have ranted about this for hours to you, but im with you friend and im sorry that it even had to enter your world.

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  13. Sorry to hear about the bloggers that did that. It's ridiculous that they can't help out an artist, especially when the item is FREE!

    Everything I buy myself on Etsy, I feature on my blog in an etsy review. I want to help out fellow artists, because I'd like to think they'd do the same for me. We're all in the same boat, fighting for exposure, traffic, and sales. I've linked my outfits posts back to your etsy shop when I've worn your necklace. :)

    Hope your sales pick up, I love your work! (My boyfriend bought me an amethyst bullet necklace)

    Sally
    sallyannk.com

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