2019 was intense and in many ways, I’m still recovering from it. It was the first time that I’d experienced burn out. And not the type where you scream “burn out” but really it’s just procrastination. It was the real kind where I literally just didn’t have the energy, love, work ethic, and care to give to creativity and creating for this blog. Someone needed to through me some wellness tips.
It sort of crept up on me because I started off the year razor-sharp and focused but about halfway through I started to feel it. In hindsight, I can say that the build-up to it definitely came from a heavier workload and a lot more personal and professional responsibilities. But more than that it came from a build-up of not taking off ever since I started this blog in 2015 till now.
Polo – & Other Stories / Skirt – French Connection / Boots – Missguided / Earrings – Storets / Socks – Allbirds
In 2019 I was adamant about going harder and being more disciplined but I didn’t realize that rest and reflection are just as important. I placed so much emphasis on getting it done that my balance suffered because there was literally none. All I was concerned about was trying to be disciplined, pushing out content, and moving onto the next to the point where blogging began to feel more like a job than a passion. Creating content began to feel more like keeping up with a schedule versus creating art from my soul that actually excited me.
In this fast-pasted social media world, it’s easy to get sucked into the pressure of “I need to post” ” I need to get this out.” And while consistency is really important especially in media, I just realize that my wellbeing is way more important. And I shouldn’t put myself last for the sake of “getting ahead.” Because it just doesn’t work that way. You have to take care of yourself.
Having to create constantly takes a lot out of you. And if you don’t take time to replenish you’ll find yourself irritable, uninspired and exhausted, which is where I was. The constant churning out content just for the sake of churning out content / being consistent took the feeling out of my work and the love I have for it. And I don’t know if it was apparent to you guys but it was to me.
I just realized that I had to do things differently. And that’s why this year I’m prioritizing going with the flow. I’m prioritizing resting and working from my soul again. Creating content that actually makes me happy before it does anyone else. And this is not to say that I haven’t loved my work this past year. But most of it was sort of compromised because I didn’t execute it exactly the way I saw it in my head in real life. When you’re constantly compromising your art, no matter the medium, it takes the life out of it and leaves you feeling uninspired. At least that’s been my experience.
This year I want to have fun again creating, exploring, being. Caring less about a schedule, and more about the feeling of what I make. Because nothing makes me happier than seeing the vision in my head come to life just the way I imagined it.
So with that said, I’d like IN THING to be way for expansive and creative for 2020. I want to show more of who I am holistically outside of fashion/style and explore different mediums. Have more open dialogue and share with you guys my experiences and lessons I’m learning along the way starting with this post. I’ll also be dabbling in video a lot more too, which has been a great creative outlet for me to engage in lately.
I guess my whole message here is just to remind you to remember and know that you come first before anything. It’s okay to go at your own pace. And to listen to your body and the feelings and signs it’s sending you every day. It’s especially important if you may be in a creative rut, feeling overwhelmed, or experiencing burn out. So here’s a quote that stuck with me from an interview I was watching the other day that sums this all up. “Follow your feeling. Your feeling is the guide. Don’t force the guide.”
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