If you haven’t noticed already, a good aesthetic is something I am just obsessed with. I could talk about branding/aesthetics all day. I am very OCD about All Gussied Up’s aesthetic – but this is not something that has always been the case.

If I could go back and delete the majority of my posts, I would. But I’m not going to (at least not right now) because that would be SEO suicide. I look back and CRINGE. That outfit? That color scheme? Yikes, yikes, yikes. But we all start somewhere. Jeff always tells me, “it shows growth, don’t delete it”. And he’s right.

I admit that before, I was maybe a little too inspired by others’ styles and color schemes and I wasn’t listening to myself. The post that really sticks out in my mind was my birthday a couple of years ago. I wore a boho-ish maxi dress and a big braid, and shot a photo in a field. All of this was and is just so not me. We’ll get more into this in a minute.

Okay, let’s get into how to find your aesthetic…

What is your personality like and what is your personal style?

Your look should represent YOU. Regardless of if you’re posting fashion photos, beauty photos, food photos…it doesn’t matter. Defining who you are and developing a ‘look’ based on this is so important. Some questions to ask yourself when developing a color scheme and vibe: am I energetic and fun? Am I serious and want to portray my professional side? Am I a minimalist? Write down all of the words that you want to portray yourself as, and then brainstorm colors and synonyms to accompany each. You will see a pattern. Some of my descriptive words include: cheeky, bold, and feminine.

What do you want people to experience with your brand?

For example, do you want people who look at your brand to feel happy, creative, inspired, or pensive? The list could go on, but you catch my drift here. The feeling should align with what you’re putting out into the world, of course.

A great way to start, if you’re stumped, is to look at other brands/blogs/Instagram accounts, and ask yourself how you feel when you look at them.

Edit Away!

Editing plays a HUGE role in how your aesthetic looks. I edit 100% of the photos that are used on my blog, Instagram, Pinterest etc. I like to reduce the saturation of certain colors that I like to stay away from (green and yellow), and I add a slight pink hue to the majority of my photos.

My favorite editing apps:

+ Snapseed

+ Lightroom

+ VSCO

+ Lens Light (for sun flares)

What is your theme? I would love to know and stalk your page!

xo, Lynn