An Afternoon with Natonya

My blog post this week is so much fun! I have a guest blogger for the day. Natonya is such a freaking amazing person… I met her on twitter recently after I started up my personal twitter for my blog. We hit it off immediately and I feel like I’ve known her for so much longer than just a few months. She is such a positive light and always so supportive so I wanted to have her share a bit about herself so you could all get to know her as well! xo

 

Q: So would you like to give a brief introduction of yourself, your name, some basic stuff about you…

 

A: My full name is Natonya Medford and I’m from Texas with a big appetite for style, southern meals and becoming the best version of myself. I graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations and a minor in Business Administration. My main focal point in the public relations field is fashion.

 

I grew up cutting my own clothes to give my Barbie dolls extra stuff to wear, talk about commitment to being stylish. Lol! I have yet to find a job in this area. It’s really hard breaking into the fashion industry but I feel my blog provides a fashion platform for my stilettos.

 

Q: What got you into blogging? Why did you start? And what is the theme of your blog to you?

 

A: I fell into blogging by accident. In 2016, I was on Twitter and I guess I was sounding philosophical with my quotes because someone from this website called Nimume (no longer exists) asked me to join their community and share my writing. I noticed my poetry and self-help posts on their website were weekly featured on the front page, with 500+ likes each and 1.5+ profile followers all in one month. I figured the stats weren’t coincidental but nevertheless I kept sharing on the site until someone suggested I should start a blog.

 

So here I am today with my blog JustNatonya, which is lifestyle vibes of a fashion enthusiast carving her way through life in style. My intentions are to encourage others in becoming the best versions of themselves while sharing my personal lifestyle and fashion experiences.

Q: Do you find that writing is super therapeutic for you as well? Something you have grown to love to do or have you always loved writing?

 

A: Absolutely Mikaela! I write poetry because it’s my way of expressing my thoughts indirectly. I grew up shy and had a hard time voicing my opinion to others. Poetry was a safety zone for me, no one knew what I was talking about except for me and that was a cool secret to have for myself. Although I hid behind my poetry, it has made me a comfortable writer. I enjoy writing so much, especially when I know it touches the hearts of others. Maybe one day I’ll publish a poetry book! lol

 

Q: You semi recently started the brand/page Sheiconic. What would you classify that page as? And what inspired you to make that page and what is the main message you want to get across with Sheiconic.

 

A: After getting into blogging in 2016, I started an instagram page in 2017 to connect with my audience more. The more I became involved in Instagram, the more self-conscious I was about my weight. I started comparing my body to other bloggers and knew this was not healthy. Immediately, I had to change my social media habits to less is more and rebuild confidence in my beauty.

 

I’ve accepted the fact that I don’t look like your typical fashion blogger, it’s ok to be different. That’s when an idea clicked in my head. Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a page catering to ALL stylish woman on Instagram? Not just a page for one body type but something that supports ALL body types?

 

SheIconic promotes body positivity be celebrating ALL stylish women! No discrimination, just a celebration! I think it’s cool to unite everyone together and show how similar yet different we are in fashion. All the pictures and captions are tag with each instagrammer’s name and the captions are inspiring quotes created by me to encourage women to feel beautiful and strong.

 

SheIconic is a community to help women connect on the concept that there is beauty in diversity. It’s ok we all don’t look alike, that’s what makes us beautiful… Did anyone catch that One Direction reference? Lol! SheIconic features ALL women on Instagram but only with their permission so if you want your pic on the feed, tag or DM your black outfits so we all match! https://www.instagram.com/sheiconic/

Q: What are some of your favorite attributes about yourself?

 

A: I like that I’m faithful in positive outcomes, I never give up, always sharing with others, I’m not afraid to take risks and try something new.

 

Q: If you could have dinner with one person dead or alive who would it be and why?

A: Good question Mikaela!! I’m going to say Fashion Blogger Camila Coelho because she was the first blogger I ever discovered and I want to learn more about her journey in this industry.

 

Q: Where do you hope your blog will go and grow down the road? Do you have bigger plans in the future for your blog?

 

A: I’m hoping my blog is the internship to my dreams. I always wanted to write for a professional fashion publication like VOGUE or PORTER Magazine…but…my ultimate goal is to launch my own body positive/style magazine accompanied by a clothing line.

And then just a couple fun ones too!

 

Q: What is your favorite comfort food hands down and why?

 

A: hmmm…I feel like this always changes for me but I’m a Texan with soul food vibes, you just can’t go wrong with a homemade meal of fried chicken, mac ‘n cheese and collard greens!

 

Q: If airplane tickets where super cheap and you could travel anywhere in the world right away where would you go?

 

A: AH!! My dream destination places are Italy for the food, Spain for the culture and Greece for the atmosphere!

RANDOM FACTS/INFO

 

If I wasn’t blogging about fashion and lifestyle advice, I would probably be a food blogger because I’m always trying new restaurants.

 

My favorite color is green. My favorite TV series is Stranger Things. My top favorite fashion bloggers/content creators are Camila Coelho, Natasha Ndlovu, Latecia Thomas, Mariano Di Vaio, Victoria from Inthefrow and Brittany Xavier because they’re endless in creativity and style.

 

I’m currently on a journey growing out my natural hair and investing more time into wearing curlier hairstyles that show off my texture. It’s fun to discover new parts about yourself and share that journey with others to inspire them to do the same.

 

One helpful piece of advice, in the past two years, I’ve been rejected from 55 jobs. Sure it played with my self-esteem but rejection is protection and a direction to something better. I had to learn how to find the positive out of every situation because it makes me a stronger person. I’m grateful for those rejections because if I was working, I wouldn’t have been home to help with family emergencies or build my blogging journey and the SheIconic platform, which both have left a healthy impact on others. Everything happens for a reason, so no matter what you go through, seek the positive out of EVERY situation.

 

You can find Natonya at these links!

https://www.instagram.com/sheiconic/ 

https://www.instagram.com/justnatonya/

and her blog is justnatonya.wordpress.com