That Charming Woman – Grace Atwood of “The Stripe” and “Bad On Paper”

That Charming Woman – Grace Atwood of “The Stripe” and “Bad On Paper”

Welcome to the first “That Charming Woman” feature!

You can read all about this new series in this launch post, but basically That Charming Woman is all about featuring inspirational women who showcase leading a fulfilling life. For a “That Charming Woman”, every moment is a chance to inspire or be inspired. She’s in this life to live it, and from big to small, she creates the charm in her every day. Today, I’m excited to feature Grace Atwood of The Stripe and Bad on Paper.

It’s an honor to introduce you to Grace Atwood of “The Stripe” and “Bad on Paper”

She’s the mastermind behind The Stripe, a lifestyle blog “For the stylish bookworm” that is focused on personal style, DIY projects, book recommendations, beauty, and everything in between.

Grace is also one-half of the duo behind Bad on Paper, a podcast that she runs with her best friend, which dives into conversations about books, has lots of great banter, and interviews with really interesting people. I’ve also personally loved their “Bad on Politics” monthly bonus episodes, which has helped me to make sense of the often-confusing and crazy world of politics. (Thank you, ladies!)

A bit of personal history: Grace is one of the first bloggers I ever followed (even before I personally had a blog!) and I’ve loved watching her journey throughout the years as she’s grown personally and professionally. Fun fact: She used to be the Director of Social Media for Baublebar before she left that role to run The Stripe full time! I’ve always found her to be down to earth, relatable, and that type of internet “bestie” that you feel like you know even though you’ve never met. (LOVE finding people like that!)

Overall, Grace is an incredible example of creating your own charm as she’s tirelessly grown her business throughout the years, has shown amazing devotion and consistency in her work, and showcases incredible amounts of creativity in her life on a daily basis. I’m so excited to feature her and to have us all get some insight into the internal thoughts and workings behind That Charming Woman!

That Charming Woman :: Grace Atwood

What are 5 things that people may not know about you that you feel helps to paint the picture of who you are?

1. I’m a huge introvert. I have to be out and doing things a lot for my blog, but I am happiest at home!
2. I grew up in a restaurant! Food has always been really important to me – I generally eat pretty healthy but will never be a dieter. All of the amazing restaurants in New York are just the best thing ever.
3. My cat Tyrion is the love of my life.
4. I love being crafty and actually started my blog as more of a DIY blog! In fact, I used to find expensive designer costume jewelry and figure out how to make it and teach my readers to do the same.
5. I am old (for an “influencer.”) Prior to doing this I worked in the corporate world for twelve years… working as an assistant buyer for a department store (RIP Filene’s!) then at P&G, Coty, and BaubleBar.

What have you learned most from having a podcast? Do you feel it’s changed how you approach blogging at The Stripe?

I’ve learned the importance of authenticity and keeping it real. That and human connection.  I feel like the podcast has given my readers more of a glimpse of who I am as a person since they’re spending 90 minutes a week listening to me and Becca talk. The podcast has definitely given me the courage to be a bit more real and raw and honest on my blog + social channels.

You post 6x a week on The Stripe, in addition to maintaining Bad On Paper, which is so impressive! Consistency and the pressure to always “be on/creative” be a struggle for creators of every sort — Do you have any tips for content creation and staying both consistent AND creative?

Yes, all the time. It is hard! I think having regular features (Monday is an outfit diary, Saturday is weekend reading) helps a lot. But I keep a running list of post ideas, plan my editorial calendar at least 1-2x out, and shoot ahead of writing, so I always have a backlog of ideas/posts that need to be written. It’s definitely hard. The biggest struggle I face is all the meetings and events etc. And when we were traveling for the live shows. These things are fun but can be really time consuming. If I’m not at my desk for a solid chunk of the week, I’ll fall really behind!

What are your biggest tips for time management?

Staying organized is huge. I am really surgical with my time – I hate wasting time, that’s probably my biggest pet peeve! I keep my calendar blocked… even blocking off writing time, shoots, everything I need to get done! I am naturally pretty type A and pretty organized but I make a ton of lists and am very dependent upon both Google calendar and Dropbox!

It was your 10 year blogging anniversary in January for The Stripe. (Congrats!) You mentioned in a post that you only feel like you recently started to hit your stride. Can you dive into that further?  What did you mean by this, and why do you think it happened only recently? What are your tips for others to “find their stride?”

I think it was really discovering that my readers like my content best when I’m really just “me.” In the early days of blogging I fell prey to doing a lot of things the top bloggers were doing. Constant shopping, staged editorialized photos, wearing too many trends. My audience doesn’t really like that stuff. They want real girl style, and they want to be talked to the way I’d talk to one of my best friends. Which works for me, because that’s what I prefer to do! For anyone else trying to do the same I would say to just be your most authentic self and to focus on creating the content that makes YOU happy and that you would want to see. The rest will follow!

In thinking of your background and upbringing, what are the key elements that helped to shape you and your vision of the world?

My parents were both creative and entrepreneurs and encouraged that from my sisters and I. We were always doing creative things and crafty projects, and I think seeing them run their own business made us want to do the same thing someday!

What’s your “Secret Sauce?” Is there one thing that, no matter what passion you’re exploring, you find helps to drive success?

Honesty! I always keep things real on my blog, the pod, social media and IRL! I never sugar coat things and I think people appreciate that.

What are your biggest tips for building a following as an influencer?

Work hard and be nice to people. And FFS, don’t do loop giveaways!

Who or what are your biggest inspirations?

On Instagram: Katie Sturino and Busy Phillips. On the blog world: Garance Dore and Joanna Goddard. In the podcast space: Girls Gotta Eat and Be There in Five!

Favorite 3 books of all time: Go!

Devil in the White City, Verity, and Save Me The Plums!

You love to travel! What has been your favorite travel destination? Where do you want to go in 2020?

Favorites are probably Cuba, Marrakech, and Southeast Asia. I am going to Japan for a work project next month and I’m ridiculously excited for that!

What does being creative mean to you? How do you harness it aspects of your life, even beyond your job?

I had to think about this one! By definition, creativity is “the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work.” I would say it’s being an original and being one of a kind. There is only one “you” in this world, everyone else is taken. So be yourself, stay original, and use your imagination every day!

Huge thanks to Grace for offering her insight and being a part of the “The Charming Woman” series! Be sure to keep following along with Grace over on Instagram + The Stripe + Bad On Paper Podcast.

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Next up on the That Charming Woman series: I am honored to have one of Detroit’s top radio hosts as a feature here! (Any guesses as to who? If you’re in the metro-Detroit area, I promise you know her name!) Be sure to check back in over the next few weeks for the feature. It’s a really great interview where we talk about the evolving radio (and podcast!) industry, advice on how to break into a tough career field, the “key” to creating engaging content, and more.