We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Belle. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Belle below.
Belle, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
From my parents. My Dad always had the belief that he could do anything that anyone else could do, and was self-taught in many areas of his life. He never shied away from a challenge, even if it was totally new to him in his field. I always admired that and aspired to be the same, and always be willing to learn rather than being intimidated or afraid of something new. My mom was always a hard worker and took being the keeper of her home very seriously. She did not grow up in that environment, and I admire her dedication, similarly to my dad, she’s very self-made in that regard. I didn’t appreciate her homemaking efforts really until having a home of my own.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
What I do? Well first, I’m a wife and mom and I focus on loving and caring for my family and creating a peaceful, smoothly run home. Along with the everyday tasks and responsibilities of a homemaker, health and wellness is a real focus. I’m constantly learning and trying to steward my family’s health as well as I can, without obsessing over it (example: we had Little Caesar’s pizza for dinner tonight). My page, Belle’s Dirty Dishes was born out of a postpartum desire for a creative outlet, as well as an avenue for me to take a shot at creating a business from that presence. I’ve always had the desire to grow something from nothing, and BDD is the culmination of so many of my passions. What started as a faceless food page, has grown into what many have described as “a bright place on the internet” and I couldn’t ask for a much higher compliment. I seek to encourage and help other women who are in the same place as I am: deep in the trenches of motherhood, the most worthy occupation we can have, but messy and hard at times. My stories are always full of snippets and thoughts from everyday life–the good, the bad, and the humorous–, and on my feed you’ll find wholesome recipes that you can make in 30 minutes, iced coffee creations, and sourdough content. I’ve been making most of our bread products for over 2 years now. It’s not always perfect, and I don’t even have a fully functioning oven, but we make it work 😅 If you need a chuckle, head to my reels page, where hopefully you’ll find me as funny as I find myself. As far as products or income from my page, I have few affiliations because I have to really believe in and use things organically to “sell” them. One of these is Young Living products–Ningxia Red has completely changed my life and revived an exhausted anemic mother postpartum, and totally changed the breastfeeding game for me. Before I knew it, I was using and liking more and more of their products and then I found myself a brand partner, because why not get paid for what I was already doing: telling everyone about their stuff. I’m currently working on a digital cookbook, compiling some of my most requested recipes, because Instagram isn’t the best for finding/keeping recipes. So keep an eye out for that!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
– Be willing to start or try something, even when you’ve never done it before. – Be prepared and willing for people not to like what you do or to get negative feedback. I’ve certainly gotten my share along the way, directly or indirectly, and have learned that if it’s something I’m convicted in and my husband is in agreement with, to ignore the rest.
– Learn, learn, learn. Watch the YouTube videos, follow people who do it well. Study what works, and duplicate it in your own way.
– I know this is more than three, but: BE AUTHENTIC. I know it’s hard…I look back and can tell I had my instagram face/voice on when I was new to it, but keep at it, and try as hard as you can to show the realness. Be yourself, and the people who are meant to find you will do just that.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
One of the greatest investments for every area of my life in the last two years was a $50 prayer journal. Having a place to journal, organize, and keep track of prayers has revolutionized and helped me to develop my relationship with God in a way I never experienced. I have begun to see the effect of this trickle into every area of my life.
That is the single most important relationship in my life, and it’s worth investing in.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/bellesdirtydishes
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550580712958
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bellesdirtydishes4600/about
