Hey guys. No photos today because I want to spend all of my time and energy on sitting down and writing this post out.
This is going to be long, but if you can stick through it I would really appreciate it! I mostly need to sit and share/process with you/solve all of the world’s problems with you (kidding on that last one).
You may have noticed (or maybe it’s just so obvious to me that I can’t imagine anyone not noticing), that the last year has been more than just a little bit of a roller coaster for me.
When I reflect back on the last year and a half, I honestly don’t know how I got through everything without breaking at least once.
So many changes, so many emotionally painful experiences, so many things that my brain is still working on processing.
I’ve felt crushed, I’ve felt overwhelmed, I’ve felt happy, I’ve felt sad, I’ve felt optimistic, I’ve felt stressed… in other words, my emotions have been all over the place.
Part of me wishes I would have just taken a break from blogging over the last year… part of me (actually a huge part of me) is thankful for the encouragement I’ve received from you. Many of your kind comments and prayers/thoughts have honestly carried me through some really hard times.
But part of the reason I (sort of) wish I would have just taken a year off is that I lost my blogging voice along the way.
I went from blogging about capsule wardrobes to trying the mommy blog thing to trying to blog exclusively about ethical fashion.
Honestly, if you’re still reading my blog and following along, I just really, really appreciate you.
I will fully admit that I am an emotion driven person, and so in this year of personal turmoil I kind of just meandered my way through blogging, trying to find the voice that (I feel) I lost.
And you know what? More than anything I feel like this year took my voice. It changed me.
It’s caused me to question some of the things that are at the very core of who I am as a person…
in short it left me with a deep, deep feeling of insecurity that has, at times, crippled me and hindered me from living life in the capacity I know I should be living it in.
I don’t know if any of you have experienced something like this, but this kind of crippling insecurity is awful.
It steals your ability to be you, because all you can do is question every little thing about yourself.
So in the midst of all of this I continued to blog, but instead of blogging about the things I wanted to blog about I blogged about things I thought you would resonate with.
Anytime I received positive feedback about something I would immediately decide that I was only going to blog about that from now on! But you can see the problem with that right?
Everyone has different tastes and desires and one person may want to see mama posts and another may want to see more ethical fashion posts, etc.
But because I couldn’t trust my own voice anymore, I just went with what other people were “telling” me to write about.
But now I sit here, a year later and I feel completely burned out by blogging. And not because I don’t enjoy blogging, but because I’ve been forcing myself into a mold I don’t belong in.
BUT, little by little I’ve been recovering from this past year. I’m feeling more confident again.
I’ve been spending more time journaling and praying which has begun to fill me up again.
I’m no longer pumping so my hormones have mostly returned to normal (I’ve realized that I really don’t do well with breastfeeding hormones)… so in other words I can see much more clearly now.
Over the past month I’ve been really digging into why/where things went wrong for me and I came to this conclusion:
I don’t like telling you what to do. Sounds silly, but when I tried the mama blog thing I felt a constant paranoia that someone was going to take my advice and then have a messed up kid. Or this past fall as I’ve really moved into more ethical fashion blogging, I’ve hated feeling like I was telling you to add more to your wardrobe.
I love mama bloggers and I love ethical fashion review blogs… but I’ve come to realize that I’m not meant to write about those things.
So then I asked myself… what do I want to write about and almost before I got that sentence written in my journal I knew:
capsule wardrobes. I miss talking about living with less. I miss encouraging you to make do with what you have.
Because this is still something I struggle with and its still something I care deeply about.
I’ve been trying to blog about adding more to your life when I really want to be blogging about the exact opposite.
Do I still care about ethical fashion? YES! A resounding yes.
But it’s probably not going to be the focus on here anymore.
And that means there will probably be a lot less sponsored posts around here as well. I have really loved working with brands and getting to know the people behind them. I don’t regret that at all. But deep down this past season I’ve known that doing a lot of sponsored posts wasn’t for me, but I ignored it because, well, they pay the bills.
Will I still do sponsored posts? Yes probably… here and there. But they won’t make up the majority of my content. I’m going to be even pickier than I already am.
So with all of that said, here’s my plan:
I’m going to be taking the rest of November off. I’m going to work on some behind the scenes stuff and I’m going to spend time with my family.
Then, if all goes well, I’ll be back the beginning of December with a new format. For the first time in a long while I’m excited about blogging again and I can’t wait to share with you my new direction.
There will be a lot less in terms of bells and whistles, but its what I want to write about.
In other words, I’m getting my confidence back.
So thank you for bearing with me this past year. I honestly really do notice and appreciate your support. I guess, more than anything this just proves to you that I’m an average person who doesn’t have all of her you know what together.
Alright, so this is basically an ebook at this point so I’ll be done. I hope you all have a wonderful November! I’ll still be fairly active on Instagram, so if you want to stay in touch you can join me over there.
I’ll see you in a few weeks!
Until next time,
I’m a fellow mum (UK-based) and long-time reader who’s found your insight into living with less/what you have so helpful, particularly in the context of parenthood and all its joys/trials… And speaking as someone who is trying every day to break the consumerist cycle, I would definitely appreciate a space online that supports the minimalist lifestyle without too much newness to tempt me! But I think people keep reading because they like hearing from and about you, so you should definitely feel free to write about whatever most motivates or inspires you. Have a lovely November x
Thank you Faye! And especially thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. It’s so nice to get to know my readers (especially long time ones!). I’ll definitely still write about my life and my thoughts, I just need to scale back the messages that I’m being told to write about. I hope that makes sense!
A few years ago I had a massively intense life experience, and I lost my voice for a little while. I took a long break from blogging, then blogged intermittently, and slowly finally found my voice again. I know what a huge relief it is to find that voice, to feel excited again. Bravo and blessings, and I’m thrilled for more inspiration to live with less. ?
Thanks for sharing Beth! This is definitely the most intense time I’ve ever gone through and it really surprised me in how much it’s shaken my confidence. I’m so glad you were able to get your voice back as well.
I have attempted blogging more times than than I care to admit. Each time I think, “this one will work.” And each time…. nope. The truth is blogging isn’t for me. And that’s okay. I relate so much to how you talk about losing your voice. When we become mothers, we know change is a-comin’, but we don’t know what that really means. You are transformed. You are not the same person no matter how much you might want to be. Your body changed. Your heart changed. And your voice changed. It takes a while to hear its truth. Your voice may speak with words, with song, with paper, with art. But it is there, you just have to listen.
Thank you becky! It’s so true, I had no idea how much I would change. It’s not a bad thing… it’s just kind of a surprising thing.
Karin, thank you for your honesty. I felt like you unloaded everything that was in your head without being too wordy, so if you’re worried you wrote a novel, it felt more like a short essay to me 🙂 And I’m really glad to hear that you are finding your voice (again), and it’s bringing you back to something you truly love. Living a fufilled life with less is something I am ever-passionate about, so I will be eating up every new post. Enjoy your break, friend.
Thanks Lauren! I’m glad it wasn’t too long. ? I’m looking forward to getting back to blogging about minimalism as well.
I know exactly how you feel about loosing your voice, then trusting that the feedback you are getting is where your heart is too. I am so glad you persevered through all of this, and took us along the journey with you. Your honesty is something I admire so much, and I am so happy that you have reconnected with your purpose on your little space of the internet. 🙂
Thanks Erin! Our conversations have been so inspiring to me because it shows that I’m not the only one who is living out process via blogging. ? I’m glad we’ve been able to connect over the last three years!
I have been so impressed that you had continued blogging in the first place! I miss it a lot but it hasn’t been in the cards lately for me in this season. I have so enjoyed seeing different sides of your point of view and even if it felt meandering and random sometimes, it was enjoyable regardless! 😉 Looking forward to Future posts and of course IG. You have a fan club 🙂 enjoy the time away and we will be back here whenever and for whatever!
Honestly, it’s been my only outlet in a season that is ALL ABOUT BABIES. It’s been hard to maintain, but I’m glad I did. With that being said, I haven’t really done anything “for fun” in awhile, so I’m trying to find a healthy balance. And thanks for your support Sarah! It seriously means so much. I have really loved connecting with you over the years and I’m excited to see how you start styling your capsule wardrobe now that you have your precious little baby! xoxo
Karin,
I am so impressed by your introspective approach. That is something I need to do more of regarding my approach and desire to blog and keep up with IG. I look forward to seeing what you have in store for us and I’m glad you’ve gained your confidence back!
Thank you so much Paige! That means so much to me! I’ve loved following your journey as well. I’m constantly inspired by the outfits you put together!
Karin, I’m so excited for you to find your passion and your voice again! We keep coming back to this blog because of you. Thank you for your honesty, it’s inspiring! xoxo
Thank you Andrea! I can 100% say the same thing about your blog. I’ve loved connecting over this blogger journey and you are a constant inspiration to me!
I am new to your blog so I haven’t seen the whole year and all the changes, but I’ve really enjoyed your posts this fall. Looking forward to the new direction. Whatever you want to write about, it will be great.
Thank you Kim! And I’m so glad you found your way to my blog. I love connecting with you guys and I’m hoping that my new format will only encourage that even more.
I love the less is better approach. I buy a handful of new clothes each year as my style & sales align. I’ve been struggling to find blogs like that.
I just like to see ladies rocking clothes they love over and over and over again. That’s what I’ve enjoyed about your blog. It reminds me that I’m normal.
Thank you Gwyn! You have no idea how nice it is to hear that! I’m just doing the best that I can with the resources that I have and I’m glad that it inspires you to do the same. xoxo
So much love and respect for you.
Yes. Less. I’m working on that, and have come to see lots of storage space as an awful thing, and am working on emptying outcome of the many cupboards I have in the basement, and filling them with empty boxes.
Thanks Susan! You’re encouragement has been such a blessing over the last six months. And I know the feeling! We have much more storage space at this new house and I just recently finally went through all of it and got rid of even more (how is that possible since we got rid of so much when we moved??).
I hope you have a relaxing and wonderful rest of November, Karin! Excited to see whatever comes, and I love hearing about living with less.
Thank you Lo! And welcome back from Paris!!
I started following you for your capsule theme. Thank you for sharing your journey. I’ve always enjoyed your voice, and I look forward to the revised one you’ll share in December. ?
Thank you Lindsay! I’m excited to return and rekindle the conversation. 🙂
I only started following you this summer. But this blog and your IG are truly my favourite. You are really genuine and relatable. And the words of your grandfather(‘this is the best season of your life’) are something I remember everyday and help me through the day with my little ones.
Best wishes,
Andrea
That is such a nice thing to say Andrea! And oh! It makes me so happy to hear that my Grandpa’s words are a source of encouragement to you. He and my late Grandma are a beacon that I look to for having a marriage/family that is full of light and laughter… even though it wasn’t always perfect. I’ll have to let him know over Thanksgiving that he’s inspiring people via my blog. 🙂