Say Hello: Mermaid Gossip

Earlier this year, we welcomed Mermaid Gossip to her studio in Bristol. Emily is a personal style blogger, YouTuber, and Instagrammer. She also runs her own online boutique and photo booth company – wheew! There isn’t anything she can’t do. We were super keen to hear her story, so popped in to Lincoln Street Warehouse for a catch-up.

Where are you from and what bought you to Bristol?

“I lived in Bournemouth before I moved to Bristol, although I’m from a small town in Northamptonshire. Bournemouth was always the dream for me, until I met Brad. He’s from Bristol and we spent three years in a long distance relationship until we finally decided to move in together and being self employed I was able to move to Bristol and I fell in love with this colourful city!”

How did you get into YouTube and blogging, and how did it progress?

“I’ve run The Gossip Booth for seven years now and it was a wedding blogger that inspired me to start blogging. My blog has evolved over the years, I used to blog about my weddings I attended with the photo booth and I’ve always had a passion for quirky fashion and photography so I started Mermaid Gossip as a side blog, sharing outfit posts, which quickly grew in readership. Youtube seemed like the natural progression which has really taken over from the blog sharing hair tutorials and fashion hauls.”

When did you start and at what point did you decide to go freelance?

“I started my photo booth business in 2010 whilst I was still working as an event manager for a large wholesale company whilst living in Bournemouth. I gave up the job about a year in to focus on that and I have had part time jobs along the way. I’ve been running both The Gossip Booth and Mermaid Gossip full time since I moved to Bristol four years ago.”

Looking back at your journey, is there any advice you’d give yourself at the beginning?

“Be yourself because everyone else is taken. Stay true to yourself.”

What’s a typical day or week like for you?

“I spend a couple of days in the studio taking photos and filming and the rest of the week is usual spent on the sofa at home editing and doing admin work.”

What’s the best thing about your job?

“I love having the flexibility to do what I want when I want. I love inspiring other like minded women to own their bodies and imperfections and enjoy life.”

Is there anything you would change about your job if you could?

“Working online can cause a lot of anxiety and comparison and I wouldn’t change my job at all, more the way I deal with having the confidence to put myself out there.”

Can you tell us about your vlogging setup?

“I use a canon G7x to capture all my footage. I upload two weekly diary vlogs and two proper videos. I use lighting in the studio when I’m filming a haul but it’s all pretty basic. I use Final Cut Pro to edit all my videos.”

What’s awesome about working in Bristol?

“Bristol is full of creative people and I’ve met some awesome people along the way and I love to collaborate.”

Is this your first studio and what has it meant for you?

“I’ve worked from home for 5 years and it was taking over our home and I was limited on what I could film at home so having a studio has been a huge step for me to be able to expand and grow my content creation.”

Did it take you long to decorate?

“I got stuck in straight away and got most of it done in the first week but it really took me a couple of months to get it to this standard it’s at now. Working out how I would use the space was a big factor but I’m so pleased with the styling now, it’s been so much fun styling the space!”

We found both Emily’s story and studio design super inspiring! Don’t forget to check out the Mermaid Gossip website, where you’ll find links to all areas of her business.

You can keep up with the latest Meanwhile Creative happenings and tenant interviews via our Facebook page.