The Urban Umbrella is a Canadian beauty, lifestyle, and style blog. This online destination focuses on helping readers discover their unique sense of style, celebrate their individual beauty, & embrace the joys of simple cooking.
Hey there! I’m Bree, the blogger behind The Urban Umbrella.
I live in Vancouver, BC with my husband, Jeremy, and our two cats – Ollie & Holly. Stop by my Instagram and hit follow to see where we’re at now!
- SO, WHAT'S THE UU'S STORY?
Back in 2012, I began The Urban Umbrella. At the time, I was working a job that looked great on paper, but wasn't fulfilling me at all. I always considered myself a creative person - in school I love projects (shh, nerd alert!), I painted during my free time, and I loved creating comic books.
Once I moved on from school though and jumped into the "real working world" I found myself feeling intensely bored with my day to day life. If I'm being honest, it was a low point in my life. I felt really sad with where I was at, and I felt discouraged about my future.
It was during this time that I discovered blogs. And, I became hooked on them.
After months and months of debating, self-doubting, tossing and turning on the idea of creating my own blog, I finally took the plunge. Since blogging wasn't really a "thing" back then, I didn't really get the concept that you needed a "niche" or that there were beauty focused blog, fashion-centric websites, etc. I just thought blogging was basically an online diary (so with that being said, don't bother reading most of my early 2012 content).
Choosing the name "The Urban Umbrella" actually came surprisingly easy. Since I didn't know what my blog would be about, I thought it would be about an umbrella of topics. The umbrella also resonated with me because I live in Vancouver - also known as the rainy city. And yep, you guessed it, "urban" struck a cord because, well, I live in a city.
Since then, the UU has been my outlet for creativity and to connect with people around the world. It's been an amazing journey.
- IS THIS YOUR FULL-TIME JOB?
Nope - but with the blog, youtube channel, and Instagram... Sometimes it feels like it is! When I am not blogging, I am either working as a Social Media Strategist, or freelance writer. I do love blogging though and would love to see where it takes me.
- ANY ADVICE FOR NEW BLOGGERS?
Absolutely!
First of all, always be yourself. Don't ever feel pressured into changing your personality, your reviews, or your content. That is absolutely the most important thing. Be authentic to who you are, what you like, and what you don't.
Second, focus on the quality of your content. Edit and re-edit your written work, and constantly look to improve your photography (and videography if you're on Youtube). I am completely self-taught when it comes to my photography and videography and I promise you - there are tons of amazing guides out there! I personally love turning to Youtube when I need a bit of guidance. (Also, I do have a blogging category! If you don't find answers there, send me your Q's and I'll be sure to create a post to help you out!)
