the Kraus House turns 1!

Wow! I can’t believe its already been a year! The Kraus House turns 1 this month! This first year of blogging has flown by and I can’t believe what memories I’ve made! To celebrate this past year, I want to take a trip down memory lane and share what I’ve learned!

Memory Lane

It’s crazy to think if I didn’t take the leap of faith last February, I wouldn’t have met all of y’all and been able to share so many fun experiences! I’m so thankful to every single one of y’all who keep up to date with my life and constantly encourage me to do more. If you would’ve asked me last year when I started thekraus-house.com where I saw myself in a year, I most likely would guess the blog didn’t work out, and I was just working on my licensure as an Architect. Here I am, 100x more followers than I ever could’ve guessed and doing more events, working with brands I could only dream of, and getting to talk with so many of y’all on a daily basis!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

To kick this memory lane journey off, I would love for y’all to check out the first post I published here! Fun fact, the only reason this was my first post, is credited to our engagement photos!! At this point, Nathan and I were taking photos occasionally and I was only posting here and there, so I really didn’t have enough photos for blog posts, hence this post! When starting my blog in Feb, I knew it’d be the perfect time to share a little more about myself and Nathan and chose to tell our story!

Then came March, and I felt like a real blogger! Nathan and I were shooting every weekend, I was writing once a week and I felt really on top of things. I got some huge brand deals that I NEVER could’ve expected within one month of blogging, and even got invited to my first event. This month was really when I knew I made the right choice and that blogging was everything I had hoped for! Its crazy how only one month made me realize this really was a dream of mine that was coming true all thanks to you!!

A few more months passed and this small dream of mine was finally a real business. I was meeting local Nashville girlies, attending brand events, and getting to work with brands that I’ve shopped my whole life! I wrote so many fun posts that I still look back on today loving, like this one. Also, I started a few fun things like #workwearwednesday and found out who I am, and what I love to a whole new extent. After sharing countless Instagram posts, and writing more than Y’all probably ever wanted to hear, I felt like I had found my voice!

What I’ve Learned!

Whew! Where do we start!! Since last Feb, I’ve learned 1000xxx things but want to focus on the biggest takeaways that I still use on the daily basis today!

Know who you are and what you want to say

This is my biggest lesson learned from everything over the past year! When I first started blogging, I was doing anything and everything I could to create content. I realized within a month, I was being somewhat edgy, super girly, sharing flatlays, daily OOTD, and not being true to myself because I never asked the question: WHO AM I & WHAT CAN I SHARE? This question came up while reading one of the countless blog posts on how to start a successful blog, and had to pause because I wasn’t doing my part.

If I wanted to become a full time blogger one day, how could I expect to have people listening to me if I didn’t know what I wanted to say? I sat down, and realized I have a totally different life than so many of y’all, because lets be honest, we are each our own person!

As y’all learned, I am a recent college graduate from the University of Tennessee, work full time as an Architect in Brentwood, TN and am super super girly, oh and I smile a little too often! Even while sometimes I do wear an outfit that may be edgy for me, or like looking at flay lays and creating graphics; at the end of the day that’s not really who I am. As soon as I figured that out, and what I wanted to focus on sharing with y’all (my life), the skies opened and I felt like I was running a marathon!

Know your worth!

When starting my blog a year ago, I wasn’t sure what to ask for when working with brands and if I should be paid, gifted product or wasn’t even good enough to work with them. This one took a lot longer for me to learn, and is still something I sometimes struggle with today. At the end of the day, I have a lot of skills I bring to the table, and there is plenty of money in the blogging world to go around and around to everyone!

Back then, as soon as I heard from a brand, I was beyond thrilled and would jump at the opportunity to work with them. Now, I take a step back, make sure it really is a brand I want to work with, and that what they’re looking for is something I am comfortable with. Being able to say NO, is definitely a problem I have when it comes to my blogging world, but occasionally saying NO has landed me 1. better deals and 2. a happier life.

Don’t be afraid to know what value you bring to a team and never put yourself in positions where you feel so overwhelmed you don’t enjoy it. Unfortunately, I learn the hard way, and was in situations like that a time or two before I realized my joy for creating was getting lost and I needed to take a step back!

Thank your supporters!

At the end of the day, I never would’ve been able to start thekraus-house.com or create all the fun content I’ve been able too without this one! Nathan is not only a huge part of the blog, behind the scenes, but a constant support system for me. I couldn’t ask for more in a partner. Not only does he take 99% of my photos and has become a legitimate photographer getting work on his own, but his constant love for me gives me confidence I never knew I had in me!

My family and friends have also been so supportive beyond belief! The Christmas before I started the blog, I actually asked for one thing only, a DSLR camera from my parents. My parents went above and beyond and got me exactly what I asked for which made starting this journey a reality. My mom, dad and two brothers think it’s the craziest thing ever that I have become mildly successful in this industry and are constantly calling me to say, “Those pictures were so cool, you got to do that?!” It keeps me excited about the content I create and gives me reassurance that my family loves what I’m doing!

Last but definitely not least, are all of you! None, and I mean NONE of this would be possible without your constant support. While I already said this; I never could’ve imagined having the following I currently have after one year. Getting sweet comments and dm’s makes all the long nights and hard work worth everything.

After moving to Nashville a little over a year ago, I felt so lonely and really had no friends here. Now, because of all of y’all, some which I haven’t met in person, feel like I have an army of gal pals who I can chat with no matter what it’s about. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for making this small dream of mine come true!!

Let’s cheers to this amazing year and hope for bigger and better things for 2019!

XOXO HANNAH K.