Today we’d like to introduce you to Malloree Gray.
Malloree, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My story… let’s see. My blogging journey began back as a high schooler & college student. I’ve always had a blog that I wrote in to document different seasons of my life, experiences, & memories. They are so fun & interesting to look back on now as I’m an adult, with a husband, & three children.
Because of the hustle & bustle that comes with starting a family & also working, I let the blog fall by the waist side as I struggled to balance all that I had on my plate at the time. I used Instagram & social media as a sort of a “vocal platform,” if you will, & many people encouraged me to start blogging again. I put it off for a while, around 1-2 years because I struggled with what to speak about. Did people really care what I had to share? Why was my life more interesting than anyone else’s? What did I have to offer? Especially in today’s world, having an online voice can be a little scary. I was hesitant to put myself out there & to have my children be involved as well.
I prayed about it & took a very long time to decide. I came to the conclusion that it didn’t matter if anyone found my life interesting or really cared much about what I had to say. I felt like God had given me a voice that others heard, whether they agreed with me or not and that I had a responsibility to use it positively, truthfully, & lovingly. I wasn’t sure what it was going to look like. I wasn’t sure of the time commitment I could realistically give, but I knew I had to take the plunge.
So, in February of 2018, Shades of Gray was born. I still had no idea what to do with it. Was I going to be a fashion blogger? A mommy blogger? Was I going to cover things like politics? Travel? Food? I had no idea. I knew I loved clothes. I had always been the go-to gal for my friends on style. I loved a good bargain, I loved an outfit that was attainable for me on the go, busy mama lifestyle, & I loved when I could help someone feel confident in their outfit choices & their body. I also loved being a mother to my kids & so appreciated when friends & women who mothered before me shared their tips & their wisdom. I decided that is where my starting point would begin.
I am primarily on Instagram these days. I show up to engage on my Instastories every single day & I try to post outfit inspiration photos three-four times a week. It’s such a special space & fun community. The women who follow along have really been such a positive perk of social media. They’re encouraging, funny, & always giving great feedback. I have so enjoyed our little corner of the internet!
My blog went through a revamp back in July & I accidentally lost all of the content on my blog prior to that date. I was so discouraged about it as I had things that were special to me as the birth story of my daughter. But, we’ve pressed on & powered through. My goal for 2019 is to dedicate more time to the blog!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
For me, it’s been amazing. I’ve been slower to grow than others & have really felt the weight of that at times & let myself get in my head, but it’s truly not about that & that’s not why I started. It’s not about the number of followers you have. It’s about the authenticity of the followers you have. Are they engaging with you? Do they like what you’re putting out there?
There is also this pressure that I think many of us unknowingly put on ourselves to look like everyone else, to share the things everyone else is doing. I bought into that lie for a long time & while I liked all the things I was sharing, I wasn’t necessarily sharing items I loved & I was spending so much money on things that I may wear one time. Once I got out of that headspace, I am so much more content & excited about the things I put on my feed. I now only buy things I love & that make sense for my lifestyle.
My advice would be just to be authentically you. People are smart & they know when someone isn’t being real. Be honest, be positive, be yourself.
What should we know about Shades of Gray? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Shades of Gray is a creative outlet for outfit & lifestyle inspiration on Instagram & my blog platform.
On my Instagram feed, I share outfit inspiration for women that is affordable, attainable, & that could be easily re-created with items they already have in their closet. My style is easy for busy moms to emulate but not just for moms.
As far as lifestyle goes, I share a lot of lifestyle inspiration & tips to funny things my kids have said to just random real-life snippets on my stories. Some things that I get asked about a lot are easy meal ideas, hair and makeup tutorials, essential items to stock up on at the grocery store, what supplements I give my kids, travel tips, my fitness routine, etc. I try to keep it versatile & light-hearted. Sometimes, we talk about how hysterical reality TV is, sometimes I’m having a rough day at home with my kids, some days we are traveling & just capturing our fun, crazy days! It’s one of my favorite things about social media.
I’ve been so honored to work with so many amazing small businesses, boutiques, & even recently partnered with a major skin care line. I’m proud of the growth I’ve made in this last year & also what I have learned about myself.
I’m most proud of being honest & relatable on the internet. That is something I get a frequent “thank you” for. It is not easy to be real online. There can be so many critics when you put yourself out there like that. I know that when someone is open, honest, & vulnerable with me, it makes me feel free & safe to be the same with them. That is what I always aim to do on Shades of Gray. I’m certainly not perfect & I have bad days just like everyone else. When we share about more than just the rainbows & sunshine, it draws people in & frees them up to do the same. I love that so much & I’m so thankful for the raw, authentic community that has been cultivated!
It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
One of my all-time favorite bloggers is Brighton Keller of “Brighton the Day.” She’s one of the OG’s of blogging & both her Instagram & blog are so full of positivity, helpful tips on organizing your life, simplifying, wardrobe tips, etc. I find her media outlets so encouraging & relatable. She’s one of the most inspiring people to follow & is also located in Dallas. Check her out!
I also recommend for my followers & friends to download & use the LIKEtoKNOW.it app. It makes what we do so much easier for anyone who follows along! It’s your one stop shop for all of your favorite fashion influencers looks! I use it a lot to share all of the outfit inspiration that you’ll see on my feed. LIKEtoKNOW.it makes things so easy so that followers don’t have to ask where something is from and wait for a response. They can go directly to the app, follow me there, click on the photo of the item/items they’re wanting, & all of the outfit details are right there! It’s so easy & it’s free! It definitely makes finding items so much easier for bloggers & makes shopping so much easier for followers!
I know it sounds cliche, but I’m absolutely going to have to say my Bible. I try not to read too many self-help books as I can get very much in my head & overwhelmed when I read them. The Bible is where I find peace, purpose, & all the help I could ever need.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.malloreegray.com
- Email: shadesofmalloreegray@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/malloreemgray
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/malloreegrayblog/
Image Credit:
Aly Renee Photography, Felicity Suzanne Photography, Joanna Miriam Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
