Welcome to our peek behind the scenes at Blogshop New York! Half the bloggers we know are finding a seat inside these fun and quirky Photoshop classes taught (and DJ’ed) by two girls who know what they’re talking about. Friends Bri Emery of Designlovefest and Angela Kohler, the commercial photographer behind angela + ithyle, are photo and graphics magicians, as evidenced by their own amazing work. Instead of hoarding all the blogging loveliness for themselves, they’re lending their skills to these pop-up classes for bloggers around the country. We love the idea, but even more so, we love Bri and Angela’s take on just how fun a class can be.
Blogshop is not your mama’s computer class. Hosted in variously cool spaces, like this one at the Green Building in Brooklyn and here in LA at Unique Space, Bri and Angela keep classes rocking with custom soundtracks, mid-morning mimosas and killer goodie bags. Find out where Blogshop will be next, book a class and, until then, enjoy this sneak peek with Bri and Angela as they spend the morning prepping for their recent Brooklyn gathering…
Who we are:
Bri Emery and Angela Kohler.
Where we are:
The amazing space here in the The Green Building in Brooklyn for Blogshop NYC
Favorite classroom elements today:
Beautiful simple/modern decor from Tinsel & Twine; delicious gourmet and organic food from Saucy By Nature and juices from Pressed Juicery.
First thing we do on a Blogshop morning...
We change our minds about breakfast. We always say we’re going to go out and get a great breakfast in whatever city we go to…but usually sleep in instead. Hotel beds are comfortable!
Breakfast pre-shop is normally…
Wishful thinking (see above).
Can't have Blogshop without...
Our voices! Once Bri lost her voice for class, it was a squeaky day.
Amazing goodie bag items:
Mini projectors and photo wheels from Projecto, adorable soaps from Caru Skin Care, soft pink poster calendars from Snug Studio, a variety of new york centric greeting cards from Johnna West, cute mini notebooks from Dozi, Simple//modern tea towels from Little Korboose, mini concrete planters with air plants from Concrete Geometric, small treasure baskets from Baba Souk, Black and White Plus sign totes from Pencil Me In Stationery, BKR bottles
…and two prizes: “Green Square Print” by Jenny Brillhart of Gretel Home, and hand-painted fern patterned clutch from Jessica Ulrich!
The blogshop uniform:
We accidentally match sometimes! We have very different styles, but somehow we wind up in matching clothes…and we pack really light so we just have to go with looking like a twin set! When we first started teaching the class, we wore vintage dresses and heels. After three years of teaching, we realized that comfort is key for this environment. Black pants, a cute blouse, a patterned sweater, and some simple flats do the trick. The lip color is usually the fancy detail these days.
We're usually listening to...
Our blogshop Spotify playlist. We try to see the energy level of the students, and match that. Anything from Nancy Sinatra to Feist to Sam Cooke to Beyonce. We like to keep the crew energized and inspired to be creative. After lunch we always notice the food coma setting in, so we like to keep it upbeat then.
The blogshop vibe in three words:
Can we do more than three? Creative, educational, colorful, intense, social, inspiring, idea-generating and just FUN.
The one most important blogshop secret:
We announced the first class before we actually knew what we were going to teach. Oh… do you mean a Photoshop trick? You’re gonna have to come to class for that!
We'll be munching on/drinking:
Bri likes salty things and Angela likes sweets, so we can polish off a well-rounded snack plate together. We love Pressed Juicery’s Citrus 3 first thing. And morning mimosas! The students love that part.
Blogger whose blogshop results on their blog most impressed you:
We are always amazed at all of our students. They grow so much and by day two they are doing such creative things, and thinking outside the basic practice exercises that we do. We love to watch the students grow their blog traffic and social media using the tricks they learned in class. We’re like proud moms.
The blogshop mantra:
Everyone has something original to show the world. We want to help you find it and put it out there in the most beautiful way. Also, don’t be an Internet DJ.
