BritAsia TV is proud to launch a new project where we work with British Asian bloggers/influencers in the industry to give them a platform to showcase their work and a chance for them to meet other bloggers in the industry.
BritAsia TV spoke with Aftab, a lifestyle blogger, who runs the blog ‘Fresh and Fearless’.
Hey Aftab, at 19 you set up your blog. How did you decide on what content you wanted on your blog or was it the case of letting It develop along the way?
When I first started, ‘Fresh and Fearless’ was mainly a lifestyle blog. I used to write about things that interested me and was quite passionate about, this included fashion, male grooming and fine dining.
I always had an interest in luxury travel having grown up with my jet setting parents. I was told by my mum that I went on my first flight whilst she was pregnant with me – it was inevitable that I was going to become a real traveller.
After I graduated, I took a chance and put my lifestyle section on hold and focused on luxury travel, which is now the focus of my blog, so it has broadened from when it first started.
You are one of the few British Asian males who blog, why do you think there is a minority?
I think race aside, there are very few male bloggers in the blogosphere. I think many males focus their time on playing sports, where I was never one of those guys. I was an equestrian from a very early age and was fortunate to have horses of my own as I grew up.
As I left behind my equestrian lifestyle as I headed to London to study, I knew I needed something else to focus my spare time on. Writing a blog was always something I wanted to do, but never got around to it until I left Bournemouth.
You’ve been running your blog for around four years now, how did you manage to stay on top of your blog as well as studying for a degree?
My studies weren’t something that I was overly passionate about. If there was something that could take my mind off my studies, it was my blog that did that.
I often spent most of my university life between lectures, practices, blog events and content writing. I would go into university dressed appropriately for the event I had to attend in the evening, finish lectures at 5pm and hop into a tube to make my events before 6pm.
I would stay up late or spent my early mornings creating content, before going back to university and repeating the process. I think the key was that I was passionate about my blog but I was also keen on having a decent education too and I wasn’t willing to let either one slip, so I had to make it work.
You mentioned in your blog that you lacked confidence as a child, what has changed for you to become ‘fearless’.
Low self-esteem and confidence was a real issue during my childhood. I spent most of my childhood behind my parent’s legs, hiding from anyone that tried to talk to me.
When I started my blog and moved to London, it was an aspect of myself that I vowed I would change, I would become fearless. It was a major factor of my blog too and still is! My blog encouraged me to break out of my shell and truly embrace myself for who I am.
Beyond that point, my fearlessness had also been tested through my travels. It was difficult but it made me realise that I was more fearless than I let myself believe. I now find myself travelling with various people that I have not met before on various press trips and it makes me proud of the social butterfly I have become.
Check out Aftab’s blog here- freshandfearless.co.uk
