PAULITICS: What It's Really Like being married to a blogger
Hey guys, Paul here (NOT Richard). It’s taken me almost a decade to make my official appearance on Sivan’s site but after lots of attitude and pressure from Sivan, here I am. In all seriousness, I’m really excited to be writing! In fact, this is the first of many articles to come in my series dubbed ‘Paulatics’ by the secret Facebook group.
As some of you know, I left my job as an attorney last year to be more involved with the blog and our other businesses and to give advice on things Sivan isn’t the best at (pretty much all things finance). Other than money management, I’m going to be sharing my thoughts on dating, planning vacations, men’s style, buying your first home, adulting, and what it’s really like being married to a blogger – which I’m starting with today. Since I tend to ramble, one of Sivan’s team members came up with questions for me to answer for my first post. I hope you guys enjoy. Let me know what else you’d like me to write about in the comments! For now, though, the truth of being an #InstaHusband…
+ Best part of being married to a blogger?
Travel/Experiences – Being married to a blogger has a lot of great perks, but the best has to be all the amazing travel opportunities/experiences we are presented with that we otherwise would not be able to afford or have access to.
+ Worst?
#Richard. If anyone has been following Sivan for some time, they know the origin of “Richard” – a pet peeve of mine that is caused by people confusing my last name (Richards) for my first name which Sivan has now exploited as a way to annoy me when I annoy her. Chances are when we run into one of Sivan’s readers, they will refer to me as Richard!
#Instahusband. A close second would be the amount of time I sometimes have to spend to take an “in the moment” iPhone photo. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem dedicating time to getting a good outfit shot when that is the purpose of what we are trying to do but, sometimes, when we are out and having fun and come across a cute spot, the amount of time it takes to capture the perfect shot can take you out of the moment (at least temporarily).
+ Do you like the attention that comes with it?
I don’t like nor dislike the attention. Sivan will say I am just giving the correct “political” answer, but I sincerely appreciate all the people that take an interest in our lives and I love meeting everyone. It also doesn’t hurt that (i) I am confident in who we are; (ii) have nothing to hide; (iii) have an IDGF attitude; and (iv) strongly believe in ‘live and let live.’
+ What have Sivan influenced you on?
All things style, including my haircut, fashion, and home decor. Not that I claim to be great of any of the three, but you should of seen me before!
+ What have you influenced Sivan on?
I definitely have influenced Sivan’s financial habits. Although I feel there is still room for improvement, she has come a long way from the time we re-connected and was brand obsessed, had a shopping addiction, and did not understand the importance of saving/investing.
+ Do you have to take her photos all the time?
YES. Well for the first 6 years or so, I had to take her picture ALL the time. Over the past couple years, I have been lucky enough that Sivan has found other (more willing) photographers to take on some of it.
+ Do you have to go to events? Are they fun or horrible?
Most of the time they are great, but I do think that Sivan and I can make almost any set of circumstances fun. That being said, there is the occasional event that is done poorly and Sivan and I can’t help but point out all the shortfalls to each other (which actually can turn out to be pretty fun in itself!).
+ Is Sivan always on her phone?
It depends on the day and time. She really does like to put the phone away during dinner (unless we are doing a live) and for a few hours after (until she starts answering DMs before bed). Considering that she takes most of her photos and edits on the phone, I am actually surprised she doesn’t spend more time on it. Little known fact – she is a terrible texter so that probably cuts down on the screen time as well.
+ How do you feel about Capri being shared with so many ppl?
Sivan and I were really torn on it at first but we made the collective decision that we have nothing to hide and that Capri is SO “Angel” that we could not not share her with everyone. At the end of the day, I feel what makes Sivan (and myself) relatable is that we share everything. It would be a different story if we didn’t share SUCH a large part of our life to begin with.
+ Do you wish Sivan had a more traditional career/work life?
Not at all. I am extremely grateful that Sivan was given this opportunity and I think she flourishes in chaos. There is no way she could hang with a traditional 9-5 job for a long period of time. It also has given us an opportunity to spend more time as a family (even if a lot of it is still considered “working”).
+ What’s the favorite thing Sivan produces content-wise?
Blog posts where Sivan shares a strong opinion about something or insight in the way she thinks/feels. There have been times where I learn about how Sivan feels about things for the first time from reading a blog post. Examples here:
- If I Were President of the United States
- Why I Don’t Have Mom Guilt
- Postpartum Realness
- Why You Should Never Settle
+ What advice for Sivan do you have as a blogger?
Just to keep sharing! It definitely has gotten harder (and understandably so) for Sivan to capture everything and to always be sharing since we had Capri. I do think it is important that she continue to capture/share EVERYTHING though: the good, the bad, and the beautiful.