Name: Elizabeth Hugen

Current Location: Bakersfield, CA

Birth Place: Bakersfield, CA

9 to 5: My blog!

Blog Name: Lizzie in Lace

Side Hustle(s): Teaching guitar & high school tutoring (all subjects)

A brief intro…

Hello! My name is Lizzie and I'm the blogger behind Lizzie in Lace, an online destination that inspires millennial women to embrace soft femininity, everyday elegance, and an adventurous spirit through petite feminine fashion, luxury beauty and dreamy travel posts.

Tell us about your career path. How did you end up where you are?

It's a longggg story but in short, my lifelong dream has always been to become a fashion designer. I've been drawing since I was 5 and starting creating my own clothing at 10. I tried a variety of things to "break into the industry" but there were always obstacles in my way (including being scammed by a college I attended). I found blogging when I was in college (a different one) and decided to start my own blog... a secret blog by the same name haha! At the time, I was engaged, attending school and had just been laid off. I didn't tell anyone about it so when my now-husband found it, I was so embarrassed that I deleted it. But even then, the urge was always in the back of my mind so a few years later, I got up the courage to start again and the rest is history. It completely changed my life. And although, I'm still chasing my fashion dream, I found something that I love just as much and I feel so lucky every single day :-) As far as design, the college I attended did not offer any fashion programs so I created my own. I found sculpture and created wearable dresses out of household items like toilet paper, foil, screen, newspaper, etc. My major was art and minor was marketing and I use both skills today in my business!!

What do you feel has always been your passion and how does it play into your current role?

My love of fashion and design as well as my dream of being a fashion designer has been my biggest drivers. I have gone through SO much to get to where I am. Giving up has never been an option for me, even when it's been tough (and it has). I can't even explain it. I've just always had this inner sense of needing to do this and needing to fulfill my passion and purpose. Even then, I feel like with something like blogging, you absolutely have to be passionate about it otherwise, it's just not going to work. My passion drives me to constantly want to learn, evolve and create. It drives me to want to better my business and share because I have an innate sense to do so and not because I want to increase my financial position. I truly want to help others and that's what I use my platform for. Yes, I share fashion and beauty but I also share deeper subjects like the importance of being yourself, feeling secure with who you are as a person and I always try to encourage those that are still chasing their own dreams.

How and when did you start your blog or side gig? Is blogging full time for you?

I started blogging in February 2015 and I just went full-time late last year.

Proudest moment in your career AND personal life?

My proudest moment in my career was FINALLY going full time! I wanted to for years beforehand but was too scared. Now that I've done it, I haven't looked back! I also had tons of pinch me moments like going to NYFW for the first time, being featured in InStyle magazine, creating product photos exclusively for one of my favorite brands (Too Faced) and designing my own phone case that was later picked up by Best Buy, Lord & Taylor and Walmart.

Personally, I'm proud of myself for finding my confidence. I haven't always been a confident person. In the past, I had a hard time taking compliments, didn't really think that my talents were all that special despite being told they were and as my blog grew, I started to have self doubts and felt like an imposter. It was very hard for me to overcome something that has been ingrained in my mind for so long but with lots of consistent practice, positivity and inner work, I've become more comfortable with myself and proud of my accomplishments. This was the turning point for me in a lot of areas!

What is the hardest decision you've ever had to make?

The hardest decision I've ever had to make was to cut off all of the toxic people in my life, including almost all of my family. This was two years ago and it's a long, painful story so I won't elaborate too much. Although it was incredibly difficult and I grieved as if everyone in my life had died, it was the best decision I could make for my health, well-being and my future.

Lowest point? (Career or Personal)

My lowest point in my career was early on when I was trying every single thing I could to break into the fashion industry and I kept running into obstacle after obstacle. Some obstacles were harder to overcome than others but I'm grateful for them as they helped me to grow, evolve, learn and taught about what I truly wanted in life (and they led to the creation of my blog!).

What's your mantra or a quote you live by?

Be Yourself! Authenticity is so important to me and I think that embracing who you are as a person is one of the most incredible things you could do for yourself. I also love the saying "If not now, then when." I tend to wait for the "perfect time" but as I've gotten older, I've realized that there is no perfect time. That's the beauty of life and part of the journey. It's the very thing I needed in order to feel brave enough to take risks like going full-time with my blog and even starting in the first place.

Why should everyone have a #LadyTribe to lean on? Who's yours?

I think that having support is incredibly important, especially in this industry. There are a lot of people out there that want to use you for information, connections, and to further themselves while trying to bring you down. Because of that, it can be hard to find people you truly connect with but when you do finally find those that like you for who you are and not what you can do for them, it's worth it. Having support and understanding from others is so encouraging!

What passion project are you working on right now?

I just started my newsletter and YouTube channel and I'm having such a blast with both!! I've been wanting to start my YouTube for over 3 years and I finally just got the courage to do it. I wish I would've done it sooner because I feel like this is the thing that I've been missing all these years!

What's your next big move?

So many things! I'm currently at the beginning stages of a handful of other exciting projects but you'll have to follow along to find out.

Rapid Response Questions

Spirit Animal? Hmm... maybe a butterfly!

Why? I think it's a true representation and symbolization of my journey <3

Favorite Color? Pink, of course!

What gets you out of bed in the morning? My business! I love what I do SO MUCH!

Do you love yourself? I do, but it hasn't always been that way. It's been a long, long journey but I'm so proud of how far I've come.

Share one piece of advice that you find most important with all the ladies out there working hard to make their dreams come true.

Just get started! That's honestly the hardest part. A lot of times, we're scared or we beat ourselves up for not knowing how to do something. You absolutely do not have to be perfect when you start out and you don't even have to know what you're doing! To be honest, you learn along the way. And this isn't true just in my industry but in anything you want to accomplish. You just have to TRY. And if it doesn't work, try a different way until it does.