Thoughts on Living More Sustainably

I’ve always been kind of a geek for planet Earth. I blame the little trailer trips and hikes we took throughout my childhood, and all the veggies my mom made me eat. Okay, and I blame the mountains, the feeling of sunshine on my back, and all the flowers everywhere all the time.

Anyway, I do love my planet, and was even the little kid in middle school who bought WWF t-shirts and begged her parents to build her a compost pile. (TBH, I would not have taken care of it, so no hard feelings.) And recently, in a semester-long environmental health class, some of that love was reawakened, and I even joined an organization that has a literal farm right on my college campus. So as I embrace my tree-hugger nature once again, (no pun intended) I wanted to write a little about some of the things I learned from that class and that organization, and some of the ways I’ve been thinking about changing things up to help this floating green and blue orb I am living on!

1) Environmental health is a reciprocating interaction

If I had to pick a single big idea from my environmental health class, it would be that caring for the environment is not a one-way street. I honestly expected 4 months of lessons on reducing, reusing, and recycling, but environmental health is a lot more than that because our environment affects our health too. I suppose that I always saw helping that planet as just not littering or polluting because it preserves biodiversity. But living cleaner, greener lives is good for our individual health as well. By reducing resource consumption, waste, and pollution, we also work at reducing risks of respiratory and heart problems, as well as cancer. By preserving our forests we leave a slice of serenity in our lives. And actions such as greener transportation and vegetarianism can even increase our fitness and overall well-being. When you think about it, living green is better for us, and the lazy way we treat our earth backfires on more than just endangered animals.

2) Loving your planet is good for your psyche

In one of the most interesting topics we covered last semester was environmental psychology, which basically explains the great effects the natural environment has on your mental and therefore physical health. For example, natural light increases productivity, and having greenery in or viewed from a hospital room shows a decrease in the recovery time of patients. I may be a geek here, but I just think that is the coolest thing.

Personally, I can also speak to the stress reducing effects of working in and walking through nature, especially though my brief experience with Howdy Farm (that “literal farm on campus” organization). Whether it was taking some extra time to meander to my car after class, or weeding, or harvesting, I always walked away from an outdoor session feeling just plain better. I seem to remember that from my childhood too, that some of my brightest, happiest memories involved being out in nature, and I can’t think of a single time I went hiking or biking without smiling at the end of it all, even if I was dead tired.

3) Locally grown food is actually really awesome

In addition to chilling out and gardening, being a part of Howdy Farm was a super cool way to learn about (and eat a lot of) local food! A lot of the time, local food is grown more sustainably and not necessarily for the organic mark-up you would find in the grocery store. Although pesticides are extremely targeted, do a lot of good, and have an ever-decreasing environmental impact, at a location like Howdy Farm we used no pesticides whatsoever.

Pesticides and organic products aside though, the simple truth is that local, fresh food actually tastes pretty freaking amazing. You can debate all you want about nutritional benefit of GMO’s and pesticides and so on, but at the end of the day, if you are paying the same amount for food that tastes better, AND you are contributing to decreased fuel costs, AND you are learning to make a schedule like a “grown-up”, (ya know, to go buy the food) then you are kind of winning with farmer’s markets.

3) I make a TON of unnecessary purchases and trash

Although I learned about a lot more than the 3 R’s last semester, they definitely did come up in both my EH class and on Howdy Farm. And when it comes to reducing my purchases and wastes, I am not doing the environment any favors! I have recycled habitually for years, but the driving mechanisms of the reduce-reuse-recycle cycle are buying less overall, and buying sustainable or recycled products where possible. It’s great to throw things in the recycling bin, but if no one’s buying recycled products they will end up going into landfills anyway. By the same token, the more stuff you buy, the more waste you make, and the more natural resources you use.

Personally, I’ve always used paper plates and bowls for my meals as a means of convenience, and I realized just how wasteful it was as soon as I opened my eyes to living more sustainably! The same goes for paper towels in that they aren’t always necessary to clean up little messes. I also use plastic water bottles far too often (even if I do recycle), buy new clothes when I really don’t need them, and, regrettably, make a ton of trash with crafting! And so…

4) My crafting habits aren’t exactly sustainable

This was huge for me, and I think it’s part of what offset my DIY blogging for a little while, but I buy so many craft supplies that just sit waiting to be used—how awful for my beautiful earth and my cluttered headspace! Now, although in many cases home-made or restyled projects can use less materials than new purchases, crafting is still an area in my life that creates a ton of clutter and ends with a lot of unneeded leftovers. I really want to work on actually using those supplies that I already have, and reducing purchases AND wastes.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that crafting is evil and it going to kill me. I just think that in the future it is worth taking into consideration if there are ways I could reuse materials for a project, or if I have the financial resources to invest in more sustainable craft supplies with less packaging. Furthermore, when it comes to never-used party piñatas or yet another cute clutch, I need to keep in mind whether or not I will really be using the things I love to make.

5) It’s the little things.

This point is probably the most paramount one of the post, especially if you are reading this and panicking—when it comes to the environment, just do what you can. Yes, strive to buy less, recycle more, reduce your waste, and celebrate the earth, but at the end of the day you don’t have to do any more than what is within your financial and physical means. If you don’t have a farmers market, can’t afford the greener products, or just don’t have the time to wash dishes then that is completely and totally a-okay. It really is the small things that make a big difference, and half the time just considering the environment when you are going through daily life is helpful to reducing your carbon footprint. Furthermore, while being aware of your purchases is a very good thing, panicking over whether or not it is consciously responsible to buy that top you just love may not be helping anything.

There are people that devote their lives to making no trash, to creating new energy-saving inventions, and to saving the planet all on their own, but that by no means has to be all of us! Honestly, if everyone actually did what they could, the environmental health issues would be significantly lessened. The bottom line to all this is that as I continue to live my life and take part in making more of my own decisions, I want to consider the little blue planet in more of those choices. Not every food has to be organic, not every office supply has to be recycled, and not every thought has to be green. The idea is just to think about it and do a little, do your research and then do a little more where you can! And then go hiking or walking outdoors all the time because nature is just plain gorgeous and you need some time to breathe, my friend.

Do you commit to any “green” habits?

Stay lovely,

PS: I'm testing out some new visual branding and potentially some redesign for my blog (yes, again). My site might be a little bit of a mess during the transition, but I hope we will all love it at the end!

19 New Things to Try at 19

I turned 19 a few days ago and it felt like quite a big deal to me. There’s nothing inherently special about a 19^th birthday (other than surviving another 365 days on the humble planet earth), but I woke up in the morning so full of hope for this next revolution around the sun! I put on the comfiest dress, let my hair run absolutely wild, and felt simply pretty from my spunky lipstick to my lavender toenails. And honestly, my day was super great. I don’t know if it was the family and friends filling me up with love or just my mood, but somehow 19 made me feel excited for the future.

Lately, I’ve been craving change and honesty and simplicity in my life. Change to the way I see my world, honesty with myself about my life and dreams, and simplicity in the little moments taken up by increasingly reflective journal entries and increasingly addictive cups of coffee. I’ve been craving trying new things as I meander my way to the person I want to be. Now one “new thing” I decided to try on my birthday was be a cute coffee shop (because I am of that trying-to-be-hipster-gone-basic variety), but we can think a little bigger too I suppose.

This is a list of 19 little things I want to try or explore at this moment after 19 years (and 3 days) of existence. Generally, I want to take steps toward living more consciously and sustainably, because those things have started to matter a lot more to me. I also want to feel like I am actively living, adventuring, experimenting, and growing, and I think this list contains a few ways that I can really attempt to do that. Okay, and a few of these list items sound just plain fun--there’s space in life for that too, isn’t there?

19 New Things:

1)      New coffee shops (yes more) and different varieties of coffee (All that slow drip and French press nonsense at coffee shops, you know? Also, fair trade!)

2)      Kale (No, I have never tried kale. Yes, I am wary of its greenness. No, it will not defeat me.)

3)      Spontaneous adventures in nearby cities or my hometown

4)      Cruelty and toxin-free beauty brands

5)      Thrifting again (I used to love this, then stopped for a while, and I want to pick it up again!)

6)      Applying for the Disney college program (and, fingers-crossed, working in the happiest place on earth for a semester!)

7)      Guest writing for websites and/or blog collabs (Any takers?)

8)      Rock climbing (I love nature and jungle gyms—should be easy, right?)

9)      Composting

10)   Colorful hair and a facial piercing (It’s for a summer camp thing, I promise. Pssht, why would I want gorgeous lavender hair all the time?)

11)   An open-mic night (my church has the most non-judgmental one and I think that is great.)

12)   Different varieties of ethnic food (of the vegetarian variety… conflicting goals, I know!)

13)   Designing with Photoshop

14)   Cooking new recipes with healthy ingredients

15)   Regular, actual-real-life-in-person interactions with friends (These things take planning now as an “adult” and I am not great at that yet.)

16)   Forming opinions about controversial topics (I kind of have a fear of confrontation that keeps me from researching matters that could incite controversy. But I have thoughts and opinions and a voice and it’s time I got to using those things.)

17)   Working hard and resting consciously (Buh-bye, Netflix binges?)

18)   A yoga class! (And general fitness routine, but we’ll start with yoga…)

19)   De-cluttering like crazy (my closet, my crafting supplies—everything.)

Are you interested in trying any of these new things? What else do you think I could add to this list?

Stay lovely,

PS: In case you couldn't tell, I got an Instax Mini 8 for my birthday! Totally impractical but I think that's basically the point of birthday presents. Anyway, be expecting an excess of polaroids in the near future because it is probably the cutest thing I have ever owned. K, that's all. *kisses*

Blogging Diaries: Growing Pains

Although I am a very indecisive person, when it comes to something I really want to do, I tend to jump in quickly and just go, even if it’s at the cost of efficiency. I just kind of figure that I’ll work it out as I go. That wasn’t true of blogging for me though. I spent probably a couple years dreaming of starting a blog, and most of last summer vacation planning and archiving projects and creating what I thought would be my blog brand. Now, I've surpassed post 100, and despite all that prep I thought I did, my blog has still changed a lot. Heck, my life has changed a lot. I guess that’s what starting something entirely new does to you (i.e. college, ya know).

I found this blog quickly taking the back seat as my college life was quickly changing this semester, and as I spent more time with real live human beings in real life organizations, I spent less time on crafts and other projects for wonderland. And now, I’m writing a rambling post literally just about life which is something I never saw myself blogging unless it was super positive or something. But honestly, one of the best ways for me to think is to write, and for me, writing like this is about as honest as I get, and doesn’t have all the umms and inconclusive sentences of just talking. (And I get to use words like inconclusive, which just makes me feel pretty damn cool and intelligent.)

Basically, the past few months have been wonderful and difficult. And that’s what I want to reflect on today.

Difficult because I realized that my only dream coming into college wasn’t really my dream after all, and now I have to find another. But wonderful, because I can in fact find another. Like, I don’t think it hit me until after I began this second semester of school that I can do literally anything. And not just that I could forgo showering for a week if I felt like it. It’s more the sudden knowledge that my plans are no longer regulated by the confines of AP classes and high school band and fickle social circles. I am blessed enough to go to a college with what seems to be thousands of majors, millions of organizations, and a billion different classes. (Yeah, yeah, hyperbole I know.) And that’s both really scary and really really inspiring to me. I came into college with one logical, seemingly perfect plan, and maybe I’ll go back to it someday, but right now, I can do and be anything.

It’s also difficult because it’s just not high school anymore, and totally freakin’ perfect in that it’s not high school anymore. I love my old friends, and it’s great to see them when I can, but I now find myself actually busy with new humans pretty often, and it’s crazy to rediscover myself in the midst of new company. I can practically feel myself growing up and into a better, infinitely more kick-ass version of my old passive self. I mean don’t get me wrong, changing like this will probably be a slow process throughout the entirety of college (and honestly all life, but let’s not think about that).

I mean, change is really scary. Honestly, college kicked my confidence a little bit this semester, and it was tough. But I can also feel something different and amazing and so lovely I can’t wait speeding in my direction. And I have found that those new dreams just around the corner have an air of hopefulness to them when I dry my eyes from the panic of the unknown and just look around me.

I sat down and had a good cry about all of this recently. About of everything I miss so much, and everything I fear in the future. But then this came out of it. This messy, rambly, written-when-I-should-be-sleeping account of me as I change. I also know this is different for my blog, but I think I need some more honesty in my life, and more courage. I am terrified to post something more personal but lately, I have had so many lovely experiences from just putting myself out there in the past few weeks. I spent so much of my semester fearful, but now I am ready to jump into life with two feet and grow, for the summer and for the rest of college, and, okay, for the rest of my gosh-dern life. And yeah, my blog definitely be coming along for the ride, and growing and changing with me.

Basically, when I take a breath from the worry and fear of change, I’m awfully excited about everything that is changing. I hope you'll stick around for it too.

Stay lovely,

Stress Less: Tackling the Semester Without Anxiety

Hey guys! I talked a little while ago about my favorite ways to unwind, but I think I still have the problem of what to do when I don’t have exorbitant amounts of time to relax. As my lack of a blog post may have indicated, my school schedule blindsided me this past week and I wasn’t handling the stress well. But with that in mind, I was tired of freaking out and feeling overwhelmed, and so I formulated some attack strategies! These are all ideas that I have already implemented or will implement very soon to fight the little anxiety monster that rears its head in new situations.

Map Out Your Events

I have this tendency to start a list in my head of all the things I need to do, now and in the distant future, all the due dates and meetings and even social events, and I let them pile up and cause panic. Instead, putting everything on a calendar lets me visually take in the busyness of each week and come up with a better plan. I actually made two separate calendars from this easy template, one for extracurriculars and one for strictly schoolwork. Although I was worried this would make me feel even more overwhelmed, it actually made everything seem more manageable. Yes there are going to be some crazy weeks, but there will also be some weeks with big long breaks, and that is reassuring.

And just in case my calendar isn’t pretty enough for you, Alisa Burke, one of my all-time favorite bloggers, has a beautiful, free download one here!

Make a Daily List               

Another helpful thing for me to manage my events is to sit down every evening and make a list of the things I plan to accomplish the following day. I begin this chronologically, with bookends such as waking up, lunch, class, and bedtime. I then fill in each block with the assignments I must do and club meetings or socials, separated with small breaks of non-school activities such as blogging, cooking, or even doing a little picking up around the house. It is important to keep this list as realistic as possible or it may be frustrating. I do occasionally put more things on the list than I can easily manage in an “if I have time section”, but I have to do so with the mindset that I won’t accomplish everything, and that is okay. I also will shuffle things around within a block, and that is also completely acceptable. The list is not supposed to stress you out more, and if it does, you might need to find something different to do!

Get Better Sleep

Now the only problem with the listing above is that I get to 11:00 at night and want to start doing more things! Instead, I need to start winding down at this time, do a little reading or watch a little Netflix (and a do mean A LITTLE), or even take a nice bath. (Side note: I’ve been coveting Lush bath bombs lately and need your recommendations!) I’ll even allow myself to blog or journal a little, as writing is a very relaxing activity for me. Regardless though, keeping my evenings in check and my sleep more regular is bound to make me feel better and less stressed. (For the record though, I am still working on this one.)

Get Going in the Morning

On the completely other hand, I find I feel better and less stressed if I get my mornings going! Cooking up something a little fancy and putting together something sassy to wear stimulates those happy, creative parts of my brain and starts my day off right. Additionally, doing an activity that has me on my feet, like washing dishes or picking up, helps me fight the morning sleepies.

Get More Involved

This may seem counterintuitive, but having a little more on my plate helps me be less stressed! There is a balance that you have to find, and I’m working towards that myself, but things like meetings for organizations help keep me on track and keep me busy, which makes me feel more productive and therefore less stressed. If you are experiencing early-semester anxiety, it might be because you have too little to do rather than too much!

Have a Hustle Day!

This term, coined by my older sister Samantha, is actually one of the best courses for stress management, in my humble opinion. Having one day over the weekend, or even a few hours each day, where you sit down and get things done makes for a much less stressful week. The difference from a weekday is that your schedule isn’t as rigid. I like to accomplish equal parts creativity, schoolwork, and “adulting” (getting groceries, doing laundry, etc) on these days so that they are both enjoyable and productive.

Have Some Fun

When it comes down to it, don’t let your week pass by without something that is just plain fun. Sometimes that is a date night out with boy, or a movie night in with my sister, but planning something that will make me laugh and smile gets me reinvigorated to deal with all the less-fun school stuff. I don’t really “party hard” per say, but sometimes an evening jamming out to Panic! At the Disco in the kitchen is all you need!

How do you guys fight stress during a busy school semester? Also, what about those Lush recommendations?

Stay lovely,

Stress Less: Favorite Ways to Unwind

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a major worrier. I have a definite tendency to stress unnecessarily, and sometimes life just demands I take a break. So when I slow down, which is far less often than I should, here are some of my favorite ways to relax, unwind, and just get to feeling calmer.

Writing

Whether it is drafting blog posts, journaling, or frantically typing ideas in the notes app on my phone (my texting speed is strong for this reason, y’all), writing things down is one of the best ways I know to process all the nonsense going on in my head. It’s kind of a catharsis for me, and basically allows me to expel all that crazy tension into a beautiful mess of words. Honestly, whether it’s a fancy sounding project tutorial, or some stream of consciousness nonsense, writing is such a release for life’s stressors, at least for me personally.

Big Girl Coloring Books

I received a couple adult coloring books for Christmas, and using these is a great way to unwind! I enjoy this activity as it involves focusing a good deal of creative energy to something small, detailed, and methodical, but all the while colorful and beautiful! I prefer the complex patterns, but any type of coloring, or even grown up connect the dots, make a great creative escape. Not to mention that you can copy the pages (for personal use ONLY), use various mediums to add color (including watercolor paints!), and use those pages for something else creative after you are done. It is seriously great stuff, my friends.

Getting Pretty

This probably sounds a little odd, but finding something cute to wear and doing my hair and makeup is another calming outlet for me! In fact, it combines creating with as much color as you desire and the physical act of taking care of yourself, which is lovely all on its own. And to make it even better, demand that your sister go on a spontaneous Target shopping trip with you now that you are looking all dapper ;)

Exercise?… okay yes, exercise

When I allow myself to overcome my relentless laziness, I honestly find that moving my body a little is a great tool to release anxiety. And that doesn’t have to mean jogging a mile! (Although on occasion that does do the trick!) Taking a 20 minute walk with the family dog, enjoying a quick “hike” in a nearby park, or tuning into a half hour yoga video (here is my favorite yoga channel on YouTube) all do good stuff for my mental state. And probably my physical health too, so that’s great for a lazy gal like me!

Be the Iron Chef

Find some edible supplies from your kitchen and pantry, do a little Pinterest research if necessary, and then make something a little fancy for your good self to eat! For me, this is something as small as adding a creative seasoning to a baked potato, putting veggies in some scrambled eggs, or combining common cultural flavors in a “bowl of nonsense,” as I have termed it. (I originally called it a bowl of crap but no one wants to eat that. That just sounds gross. Good job, Corin.) The point isn’t to be a culinary master, but rather to feel like the Iron Chef with a little creative cooking. And you can even get all healthy if you want to! The scientists say that good food makes for a rockin’ brain with less anxiety, and cooking for myself helps me embrace that.

Chillin’ with the Pup

While being home for break, hanging out with our family pet has been an awesome source of relaxation for me. I have a soft (non-allergic) spot for dogs, but even if your animal pal is a lizard or parrot, spending some time with a different-species friend always makes you feel so loved and depended on. No matter how life is going, feeling a little more loved makes me feel a little more alright! Going on walks or even just sitting outside, petting, and talking to my ol’ dog makes me soooo badly want a puppy of my own (when my wallet and responsibility quotient allows for it)! You know, only for stress release. Not the cuteness of a puppy or anything like that.

Shopping (I mean, usually window shopping…)

This is another weird thing for me, but I really enjoy a few hours traipsing around looking at pretty clothes, home décor, or even endless shelves of craft supplies. Stores like the ones I mentioned are fun for imagining up outfits, room styling and new DIY projects, giving my brain a little creative break all whilst walking around a little bit! See, I’m gettin’ that exercise in! Even if I walk out without spending any money (which is usually my goal), I find that this can also be a creative, relaxing activity for me!

When It Comes Down to It, It’s Okay to Veg

Sometimes the very best thing when I need to unwind is a good nap or an episode or two of a Netflix series. (I highly recommend Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Parks and Rec, and Jane the Virgin. But hey, that’s just me!) That said, I find if a couple episodes turns into a full day wasted, I honestly do feel worse. Vegging breaks are good only to a point, as much as my baby sister and our Criminal Minds marathons refute that theory. (When I say baby, I mean already-has-her-driver’s-permit. So no, I’m not terrifying children with murder mysteries. In fact, I get more scared than she does!)

Although I put off setting New Year’s resolutions this year, I do believe that reducing my stress levels would be an extremely beneficial thing for me and my occasional tension headaches. And so I intend to implement all these unwinding methods just a little more. And you know, not worrying about things out of my control, procrastinating less, and logical stuff like that. Anywayyy…

How do you unwind? Maybe through a Netflix marathon with me?! (Jk, we shouldn’t do that. Seriously so tempting though!)

Stay lovely,

Blogging Diary: 4 Months and Counting

Helloooooo internet!

I wanted to write a post today about my experience with blogging thus far, because I think it is going to be really important for me to chronicle as the blog grows, and may serve as a good source of information for those who may want to start a blog in the future. I have been actively posting here in Wonderland for about 4 1/2 months now, and also survived one whole semester of blogging as a college student, so I want to share what I’ve learned already! December has been my toughest month in terms of blogging so far, but I am prepared to learn from my experiences, and maybe help you out too. Here goes!

1) Do spend time planning your brand, but don’t stay rigidly within it.

Before posting, I took almost 2 months to doodle in a journal, compile projects and inspiration, and establish my version of a brand for my blog. I spent weeks tweaking the website layout and trying to decide exactly what my blog was going to be like, and this was both good and bad. If I had just up and started blogging with no planning period, I most likely would have quickly become frustrated and given up.

That said, I was really mentally rigid in my plans for this blog when I first began, and that in itself was a source of frustration and confinement for me. Like any other new experience, I didn’t totally know what blogging was going to be like until I started actually doing it. My vision has already changed a little, and I think that is a really really good thing. I am confident that my blog will continue to evolve and adapt the longer it is up and running, but I’m also sure that some of the original stuff will stick around. It’s healthy and necessary to have a balance of both, and I like that.

2) Your content reservoir will run out!

In that month or so before my posts started running, I also photographed, wrote, and completed a ton of posts to get ahead of the game. It made blogging really easy at first and was extremely helpful to have that reservoir as I initially adapted to college. However, I wasn’t creating anything new, just posting things I already had completed, which kind of went against why I began blogging in the first place. I would suggest stockpiling posts, sure, but also continually creating content as you go, so that you have backup content for those crazy weeks and a creative outlet during all the other ones.

3) Don’t be scared of the learning curve.

Even after what seemed like endless prep before beginning my blog (I’ve wanted one for years!), I still had so much to learn once posts actually started going through. Things from downloadable links and music playlists, to photo taking and editing, to my style of writing itself all had to develop in a classic case of “you don’t know what you don’t know!” My earliest posts don’t have great photos, and the first time I published a music playlist it was 5 songs long and all separate links to YouTube, which made it impossible for someone to listen to it easily! But I have taken hints from other blogs, have been learning, and will continue to learn as my blog keeps going.

4) They aren’t lying—this is just like a job!

The thing about blogging is that if you choose to, you are constantly producing content. Every couple days or so there is a new post, new editing, new Instagramming and Pinteresting to do. And to be honest, I’ve never really experienced that before. As a high school student, my life cycled between semesters of work and pre-determined break periods, whereas my blog is a constant thing. But just because my college semester ended doesn’t mean my blog semester has. Like any job, you can allot some vacation days, but I think it’s important for me to keep going and keep creating content! Another note here is that blogging takes a lot more time than you think it will. So yes, it is a big commitment.

5) Flexibility is your friend.

On the other hand, all the things I have previously discussed are in reference to my own blogging schedule, in which I currently try to post up to 4 times per week. I know of excellent blogs that both post more and less, so it really is up to you! I have weeks where I post less or post more, depending on what’s going on in my life, and I think that is one of the perks of blogging! There are definitely perks to posting more often in terms of followers (or so the articles I’ve read say), but I make a point to refocus myself if I’m stressing majorly over getting a post done in time. I have to remind myself that I love blogging because it is a creative outlet and escape for me. I want to post often and post well because I care about this, but I know that if I put unnecessary pressure on myself to perform, I will probably burn out. That is the last thing I want for this blog—for it to fizzle out because of my own stubbornness!

6) Your posting plans may fall through, but make them anyway.

After my first month of blogging, I started making a calendar for my posts at the beginning of the month as per the suggestion by this post. It really did help me gain a sense of direction for the month in terms of posting, but there were tutorials I didn’t complete, posts I put together instead, and the always scheduled but never planned Mondays in Wonderland! It is important to make a schedule as a general plan, but also be really flexible to new ideas that come along and old ideas that just aren’t good.

7) Blogging is truly a labor of love, especially at first.

I am finally at the point where I get a few page views every day and occasional comments, but in all honesty, my bog is still very small. It is very easy for me to let this get me down. As I discussed in this post, I am proud of what I am doing and I want the world to see it. That is why I must remember that I am not blogging for pride or recognition.

I am blogging because I love writing and making things and being positive, and I wanted an outlet for those things as I go through the grind of a college education. If you start a blog with the objective to quickly gain a following and make money, it probably won’t go as you think. I’ve read this again and again from successful bloggers, and the slow growth of my corner of the internet is certainly a testament to that.

But hey, I am happy. Although I needed a little break in the midst of finals and holiday madness, I’m ready to get going again! I have some fun tutorials coming up, some really pretty dresses, and a few weeks’ break from school to regenerate the good vibes! I hope if you stumble upon this or anything else on my blog that maybe it brightens your day or gets your creative juices going! Those are the kind of objectives that I think are important to stay true to!

What’s your blog journey been like, new or old or about to begin? Any advice for me as I trek along?

Stay lovely,