Nurse by Night, Lifestyle Blogger by Day.

Your Name: Miraynda Salinas
Age: 27
Current Location: Naperville, Illinois
Name of Blog: Soul on Fire
Nine to 5 : Registered Nurse
Website: Soulonfireblog.com

Tell us a little about your blog and how it got started.

My blog, Soul on Fire, is a lifestyle blog that I created last March. Starting a blog has been something that I’ve dreamed about for years but I was always too scared to take that initial leap of faith! I’ve always loved writing and the fact that it gives you an outlet to express yourself in a raw and vulnerable way. Last March I turned twenty-seven and I decided that I was going to make 27 my best year yet. I knew I wanted to take control of the year and do things that I had been holding back on due to fear of failing. At the top of my list was of course, creating Soul on Fire. I knew I wanted it to be a lifestyle blog where I could feature a variety of topics that are relevant to my everyday life and passions including: beauty, fashion, health, and faith.

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You named your blog, Soul on Fire.  Tell us what that name means to you.

Soul on Fire was all about me deciding to be brave and pursue what sets my soul on fire. To find what gets me out of bed everyday, what brings me joy, what takes my breath away, what gives my life meaning, what creates a fire in my soul. And bringing this blog to life was just one way of igniting that fire. By sharing my thoughts on my lifestyle blog, my hope is that it will encourage others to find what it is that sets their soul on fire. Just imagine what the world could look like if everyone found their fire and was letting it burn bright.  

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What is your favorite aspect of being a lifestyle blogger?

My favorite aspect about being a lifestyle blogger is being able to share my story and the things that I’m most passionate about with not only friends and family but to complete strangers that without this platform, I would never be able to reach.  I love connecting with my readers and there’s something really special about sharing something personal and having people message me with their own stories. And at the end of the day, it’s just really exciting to be able to express myself creatively and it’s something that truly makes me happy!

Do you have a LEAST favorite part about blogging?

To be honest, there isn’t anything about blogging that I dislike but I would say one of the hardest aspects of it would be posting consistently. At any given time, I usually have many different ideas that I would like to write about but each blog post takes a lot more time than I think most people would think. Especially with taking photos, editing, etc. I think that’s definitely my biggest struggle is not posting enough, but it’s one of my main goals for 2018! ​

How do you stay motivated in your work?  ​​

I’ve been really trying to focus on consistency lately and my goal at the moment is to do at least one blog per week. Moving into next year, I’ve made some goals to help me stay organized and maintain a schedule. To help me, I bought the cutest planner and I’m going to start creating a deadline for each blog post. That way I already know what I’m going to write about and I can keep myself accountable for posting on that day. I feel like each time I post a blog, it’s so fun and exciting to me that it gives me motivation to post more! ​

Soul on Fire, is your passion project, meaning you don’t make money doing it.  I know that you have a career as a nurse, are you passionate about that too?  How did you decide to become a nurse?

I’ve been a nurse now for just a little over four years and I’ve always had a passion for helping others! Throughout my nursing career, I have mainly worked on a Mother-Baby unit and I also worked in an OB clinic for a short time. Growing up, I have always had a special place in my heart for babies and used to volunteer in the nursery at our church. During nursing school I quickly realized that I was most passionate about women’s health and specifically obstetrics. Nursing is a very challenging profession but one that often is rewarding!

Tell us about some of your other passions!

Does binge watching Netflix shows count? Ha, kidding, but not really! I’ve always been passionate about photography and recently have been trying to learn more about it, especially with regards to editing. Anyone that knows me, knows that I’m passionate about all things beauty related! I just think makeup is a fun way to express your creativity and I enjoy doing other people’s makeup as well! But when it comes down to it, the things I’m truly most passionate about are Jesus and my family/friends. There really is nothing more important to me than my faith and spending time loving the most important people in my life. ​

So, dream BIG here, what are your hopes for the future of your blog, Soul on Fire? ​

If the sky's the limit then my hope for Soul on Fire is that one day it becomes my full time job! That my initial leap of faith flourished into something greater and more meaningful than I ever imagined. I see it being not just a blog but also a platform for women all over the world being able to connect on all things that set our souls on fire! I would love to be able to spend more time working on the blog and posting more than just once a week. I would also like to be able to continue to grow the blog with new topics as I continue to grow as a woman and go through different seasons of life! ​

THANKS MIRYANDA!

Curated by: Kathleen Simkins
Thoughts and Photos by: Miryanda Salinas