by guest writer Erika Renfrew
Lifestyle
blogger and marketing master Kelsey Dundon
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| Photo by Sherry Lu |
Kelsey
Dundon plainly recalls getting snubbed by the elementary school mean
girls. After a soccer game, they went out to eat at Red Robin (or
some kid-friendly restaurant like that). The mean girls all wore Dr.Martens, and too bad for her if she didn't; she was shunned to
another table. If only they could see her now. Dr. Martens recently
invited her to submit a photo to be featured at an exclusive Toronto
event. The total opposite of a mean girl, Dundon has become a
successful entrepreneur and local celebrity by staying sunny and
bright.
It
was a beautiful February afternoon when Dundon and I met outside JJBean on Commercial Drive. Like a born-and-raised Vancouver gal, she
looked casual-chic in jeans, an oversized sweater and black
sunglasses. We couldn’t meet at her home because her living room
was being painted: a lovely shade of grey that was looking a bit too
purple. After five years, Dundon and her husband were finally
renovating. With a dining room painted every colour imaginable, her
interior style is masculine meets mid-century, but bright and
eclectic too. “One day I will have built-in book shelves, of
course by then everything will be on a Kindle,” says Dundon. She
likes to think of herself as working amidst the city: “I've been
on my own for six months now and I think I've spent maybe three
days at my desk”.
“I’m
very much a cheerleader,” explains Dundon, when asked to describe
herself as a brand. Three years ago she created The Anthology, a
blog devoted to fashion, travel, music and design (even snowshoeing
and heli-hiking). It began as a hobby, sharing things she found
interesting from the World Wide Web. After attending the St. George'sSchool fair, Dundon purchased a bunch of grandma dresses: worn to the
floor with absurd shoulder pads. She snapped before photos, took
them to her tailor for some serious remodelling, and shared them with
her readers. This vintage before-and-after became a staple feature
on The Anthology and sparked Dundon’s focus on original content.
The Anthology is humour, entertainment and creativity, and Dundon
hopes readers find it at least slightly informative.
Dundon
never doubted she would be an entrepreneur: “I always felt like
that was what I ultimately wanted to do and the stars were kind of
aligning”. With a degree in English Literature, she assumed
journalism would be her focus. Her interests broadened after
interning for The Tyee, an independent online magazine, and Wasserman+ Partners, a marketing agency. Dundon loved the creative
nine-to-five: the energy and collaboration with designers kept her
happily employed for six years. “I’ve never taken a marketing
class,” says Dundon (although you’d never be able to tell). Last
year, she left the company and founded Northill Creative, a Vancouver
communications and consulting firm. “It’s much less stressful to
be an employee than it is to be an entrepreneur,” explains Dundon.
Despite a warp-speed schedule, she is grateful for every opportunity:
“It’s a good problem to have”.
With a girlfriend’s trip to New York on the agenda for next week, Dundon debates whether to write a travel piece. Travel writing is her favourite, but vacations become less play and more work. “January kicked my ass,” says Dundon. She doesn't call herself an adrenaline junkie, but next on her list is kayaking with whales and rafting through the Grand Canyon.
Sometimes
feeling as though she bounces around, Dundon loves her life.
Answering questions in between bites of scone, she was immediately
heading from one task to another. Tsk-tsked
by her brother for “costume laziness” (she has been Snow White
for Halloween every year since grade eight), she is the opposite of
unimaginative. While you won’t catch her twirling about with
pompoms, Kelsey Dundon proves that nice girls can finish first.
For more information, check out Dundon's website at www.the-anthology.com
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