Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Thorp.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Andrea. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I caught the horse bug from my grandpa when I was about five years old, which only took a few years to turn into a full-blown rodeo obsession. I grew up around bright white arena lights and sold out performances where we’d watch cowboys ride broncs and gals run barrels. While a lot of girls grow out of the horse phase, I went the opposite way.
My whole life was consumed with barrel racing and competing around the country on a national level. And when I graduated high school, I knew I had to work in the industry in one way or another.
When I was seventeen, I called up a photographer friend to take headshots for my LinkedIn profile, which we did in a high school photo lab. I made business cards and handed them out at every rodeo I went to, trying to get my foot in the door working in rodeo production. My persistence paid off, providing me with four rodeo industry-based internships in three years. During this time, I was also competing on rodeo team for Iowa State University.
After returning to school from a Texas-based internship my senior year, I was sitting in a communications class wondering where I was going to go next. I wasn’t sure I wanted to be tied to one specific rodeo, and I wanted to explore my options. After reading my work, the professor of that class suggested I make a blog to write about the western industry. She told me, she thought I could grow it into a business over time.
I had started blogs before, and always ran out of things to talk about, but this time, it was different. I loved the western lifestyle and the fashion that was always present around it, so I decided to combine my love for both and share the western traditions I grew up with, with others. Once I started brainstorming, the ideas didn’t stop coming. Before I knew it, I had a full content calendar for the next six months, and a heart full of joy.
I called my same photographer friend who took my headshots four years earlier and set up a photo shoot on the family farm. I put together fifteen outfits to model, which would be pictured in my first blog posts.
I remember being ecstatic to see five people had read my first blog post. It was amazing to me that people would listen to what I had to say online. It was even crazier to me when people I barely knew told me they were reading, and it grew even further until I was being sent messages from people I’d never met saying they loved my blog. It felt like fate to have people enjoy something I was so passionate about doing.
After starting social media to go along with my website, I started being contacted by western brands to work together. I met western influencers and was invited to attend fashion shows and season previews, and the dream began to take shape. I knew the western industry was always supposed to be a home for me, and now I felt like I was part of a family.
Fast forward to now, I just moved to Texas to continue growing my career in the western industry, and I’m starting a new chapter of content on my blog, featuring western artists and more of a look into my real life, outside of fashion.
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?
This journey has put me through so many ups and downs, but I’ve made a point to be thankful for both. There are always lessons to be learned, it’s all about how you handle the hand you’re dealt at that moment.
My biggest piece of advice for women wanting to start into the blogging world or really any adventure is to dig your roots deep.
When the hard moments find you – and they will – you need to have something to lean back on. Live in your core values and memorize your why.
Why do you want to do this?
What is the purpose of this?
What are the most important things to you?
No matter what obstacle gets thrown in your way, you can navigate it by meditating on the why. You may have to change your approach or try different things on the way, but it should always align with your core values and what you believe in. The easiest way to get burnt out in this industry is to build a career on things that don’t reflect you and who you are.
The other piece of advice I have for those getting into the online world of blogging and social media is to take care of yourself first. For a while, I got so sucked into staying relevant that I was posting multiple times a day according to my Google analytics, but my passion was draining faster with each update.
I really thought that if I took a break, I would be forgotten and lose out on everything I had worked so hard for. It got to the point a few months ago that I was forced to step away for a while, and it was the best thing that could’ve happened to me. When I came back, everyone was still supporting what I was putting out. I had time in my own space to reconnect with my values and my true self and came back better at what I do.
Don’t be afraid to step away when it feels like you’re drowning or the social media algorithms are hurting your likes or whatever insecurities arise. No good content comes from a place of worry, comparison or stress. Be kind to yourself, and know your true audience will be in it for the ups and downs.
What should we know about The Rodeo Mrs.? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My blog and social media revolve around the western lifestyle.
I love to capture the essence of a way of life that most of the world will never get to experience first hand. When people think of cowboys, they are imagining the Wild West the way it existed a century ago, thinking that vision doesn’t exist in our modern world. However, it does, and we have a huge opportunity to share this lifestyle that’s been handed down for generations.
Whether they are ranchers in Montana, jewelry artisans in New Mexico or rodeo cowboys in Texas, we all share a bond over this history we’ve preserved and made modern in our daily lives.
I’m considered a western influencer, as I have mostly written about fashion and spend much of my work time collaborating with western brands in the industry. I love to bring style to my followers that bring a modern take to western tradition, with a twist of rock and roll.
In pursuit of covering fashion, I also write about my travels to professional rodeos around the country and share my adventures while visiting some of the most historic western destinations. I’m very invested in preserving the western history and telling the stories to anyone willing to listen.
As of late, I’ve also been very passionate about featuring western artists and makers. I’ve profiled Native American jewelry artists and am gearing up to expand into handmade decor, pottery as well as silver and leather work. There are so many incredible people turning out one-of-a-kind creations, and as a blogger, it’s my responsibility to help them show their art to the world.
As a brand, I’m most proud of my roots and where I came from. The start of my journey into the industry was very humble and I’ve always held my underdog flag high, having pride in coming from a place most can’t point out on a map. I’ve been able to write about Iowan western history and covered the rodeos that made me fall in love with this life in the first place. It’s kept me very in line with my values, even after this recent move to Fort Worth, which is the mecca of cowboy culture.
It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
I totally geek out over organizing my life, so I have a few different apps I use religiously to keep my projects together:
Asana – an awesome organizational tool you can use from your laptop or phone. You can organize projects into lists or boards, collaborate with others and create a full content calendar. It even keeps my daily to-do lists together.
Canva – the easiest way to create graphics for social media and your website, especially if you’re a novice or someone who doesn’t know photoshop. You can create a brand concept that saves your colors, fonts, logos and more for easy editing. You can also design graphics specific to fit a certain platform or layout, which is handy on the go.
I love listening to podcasts while I work out, clean, cook or am on the road. Here are a few of my favorites:
The Gary Vee Audio Experience – I’m obsessed with Gary Vee. He’s a brilliant businessman and just a down to earth person with great advice. He also puts up new episodes every day. I also recommend all of his books.
Stylish – A former Miss Rodeo South Dakota, Tara Trask, interviews people in the western industry and covers the ever-changing fashion landscape that’s relevant to our corner of the style world. She’s so well spoken and always has top-notch guests. If you’re interested in western fashion, this is your podcast.
Also, a random productivity favorite of mine – Amy Landino on YouTube. She’s an author and an incredibly talented video specialist who gives awesome tips on being organized, productive and successful in business and life. Plus, her sense of humor is totally relatable.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.therodeomrs.com
- Email: andrea@therodeomrs.com
- Instagram: the_rodeo_mrs
- Twitter: TheRodeoMrs
Image Credit:
“Captured by K” Photography
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