Work It Wedneday - Jazzmine Raine

With the holidays approaching quickly and 2017 coming to an end, life is a little crazy for us all! We were grateful to have the chance to chat with blogger extraordinaire, Jazzmine Raine, this week. You won't want to miss all the things this multifaceted lady has been up to.. so get reading!

1. First off, share a little about YOU. Who is Jazzmine Raine?

I am a young entrepreneur - which is so exciting to say out loud (or in text). I am content creator, health and wellness entrepreneur and social innovator. I run my own blog, Sunshine & Raine, focused on responsible travel, conscious living and girl power initiatives, and am the Director of Content at Causeartist. I have a massive passion for fusing my work with my advocacy topics of responsible travel, conscious consumerism, youth empowerment and women's empowerment. My spare time is mostly spent volunteering for causes such as leading the Toronto Hub for Impact Travel Alliance.

2. How do you drive traffic to your blog? Share some tips with us!

I started blogging entirely for myself, and suddenly people were reading and commenting and asking questions - it was crazy! I didn't really know what I was doing at first because I didn't think many people were reading, now I'm using social media to drive traffic to my blog, specifically Pinterest. I think people really underestimate the power of Pinterest, looking at hundreds of images per minute that link directly to various websites is a massive asset. I've also been working more with ethical fashion brands and jumping on board for affiliate programs to create traffic and revenue.

3. As a growing influencer, you probably get requests for collaborations all the time. How do you decide who to collaborate with?

I only work with brands that jive with my advocacy topics. If not, it's not for me and not for my audience. To me, partnering with brands I don't support would be like "selling out" in the influencer world.

4. What’s been one of the biggest challenges in building your personal brand so far?

There's a lot of noise out there. I think the biggest challenge is constantly comparing myself to other bloggers similar to me. This causes me to overthink my content all the time, but I always stay true to how I started: storytelling. I've always been a storyteller and a good story is what you'll always find on Sunshine & Raine. I try to stay away from some of the mainstream blog posts, like list posts, but in the end, that's what the market wants so it's a game of tug-o-war.

5. We love your focus on promoting conscious living and responsible travel! What’s ONE thing we can do today to live a more conscious lifestyle?

Stop buying things made of or wrapped in plastic.

6. Let’s share the love! Tell us about a few of your favourite brands right now.

Right now, I'm all about milo + nicki, Moderation Shop and Mara Hoffman. I actually just purchased a few pieces from milo + nicki's Bandhari collection that launched this month. Every gorgeous item is made from banana waste!

7. Which project are you most excited about right now?

I'm working on a green hostel project in Bikaner, India with the community of Gajner, a village I lived in for about a year. I don't have many details to share yet but I will in the new year. Stay tuned!

8. How do you #workit everyday?

I am obnoxiously organized. I write down every little thing I need to do in a day, especially laundry and cleaning. Working from home can be super distracting, so scheduling everything in is a must. I stretch every morning, get a walk in (with the dog) three times of a day for fresh air, and remember to take a mental break. I try to balance my day by ending by 7 p.m. (when I can!) Headshot Cred: Simply Kenda