Hello Rebel Girls, today I'm introducing Hannah to the girl gang, which feels like a serious #rebelgirlmoment for me!
I have admired the lovely Hannah, Founder of Make Do and Push from afar and now I get to introduce and feature her as a REBEL GIRL. Good times!
Hannah is the self-confessed 'Mother of Explorers & Chaos Coordinator', as well as being an award-winning Blogger and Photographer. Everything she posts is so full of warmth and has a rare open and honest feel to it that is sometimes hard to find in a world of reality vs insta-reality.
I'm not a parent, but I love my day job working with children and through Make Do and Push, I am reminded that we all have the strength inside of us to do what makes us feel happy and fulfilled. Hannah runs her own business and juggles being a Photographer, Writer and Mother, so yeh, it's official - She is a total GIRLBOSS!
Read her interview with The Rebel Girls Club below...
Hi Hannah! Firstly, as a reader I just wanted to say how uplifting and lovely your blog is... I’d love to know what inspired you to set up Make Do and Push? Was it a lightning bolt moment or a project that basically evolved over time?
Hello! Thank you so much!
I started Make, Do & Push when I was pregnant with my first daughter, six years ago now. I wanted a way to document my journey into the wilderness of Motherhood, and also wanted a creative outlet as I was working for the NHS as a business manager at that point, and felt very stifled in that role. I thought starting a blog would be a good way to get me writing again (my degree is in English and Drama) - turns out it was!
Society can put a lot of pressure on women. Not only do we have the ordinary pressures of life and work, but our bodies come under enormous strain and scrutiny as well. What do you hope your female readers take away with them after visiting Make Do and Push?
I always try to be as honest as I can on the blog (and on Instagram), and I hope that my female readers and followers come away feeling less alone, having related to something I’ve written. Be it realising that postpartum bodies are jiggly, bloody and don’t bounce back immediately (as some celebrities would have us believe). Or that miscarriage is something that we can and should discuss as women. I want us to be open as women, as there are so many things we’ve been conditioned to repress, gloss over and change about ourselves to make us more pleasing to men and society as a whole.
I love how you’ve documented ‘baking a (baby) bun’ on your blog. I can imagine it gets pretty hectic running your blog, photography business, take care of yourself and parenting… Do you have any advice for other mums who are juggling pregnancy, motherhood and building up a business like yourself?
Make time for ‘you’. I’m struggling with this a lot now our youngest has arrived, as I want to soak up as much of her newborn-ness as I can because she’s our final baby, but I didn’t take maternity leave (social media never sleeps!) so I also have clients to communicate with, deadlines to complete and photos to shoot. But making sure you take time out and take care of yourself is so important.
Also, communicate with your partner. My husband is incredibly supportive, and will help take some of the load when I’m feeling overwhelmed or burnt out. You can’t pour from an empty cup, so making sure you look after yourself as well as your family is imperative.
Some of the brands you’ve worked with are fab and I love how you photograph their products whilst going about ordinary family life, it’s really refreshing! I know you run a photography business, alongside blogging full-time. What kind of methods did you use to promote yourself and keep followers of your blog engaged?
Thank you so much!
Instagram is probably my key place for promotion. In fact, I’m over there more than I am my blog at the moment because I love Stories and my brain is rather sleep deprived, so writing has taken a back seat for a few weeks.
Also, Facebook and Twitter are great places for promotion. I also attended a number of blogging conferences when I first started, so I could network and meet other bloggers.
And finally, Hull is evolving every day and new places keep popping up! Here at The Rebel Girls Club we love to support local… So I was wondering where in Hull you like to relax or explore with your family at the moment? #motherofexplorers
Oh goodness! There are SO many places! My husband and I love our coffee, so Two Gingers is a firm favourite of ours right now (although I’m sad that Donut Friday has been paused because Bea (Hello Baker Girl)’s donuts are incredible!). I also adore Marla’s for yummy lunches, and of course Trinity Market for a whole plethora of amazing food.
My son has a milk allergy, so we love vegan coffee shop Blondes in Cottingham, which is also dog friendly!
In terms of exploring, we LOVE going to the beach as a family - especially in winter/spring when it’s colder and less busy. Fraisthorpe, Wilsthorpe and Danes Dyke are favourites of ours for dog walks.
Thank you so much Hannah for agreeing to be featured on The Rebel Girls Club. Welcome to YOUR LOCAL GIRL GANG.
Hannah's Social Media Links
www.makedoandpush.co.uk
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