Normally (for the past two years anyway) I'd post a 'lessons I learned this year' type of post on New Years Eve. List posts are addictive, and its nice to reflect neatly on all the little and scattered lessons you came across throughout the year. This year has been so full of change for me however, that I honestly wouldn't know where to begin, and I think the list would go on forever. Its not often that I post anything personal on my blog anymore; as more people from my real life have been let into the secret I feel like this space is less of a diary, and its changing into something I treat professionally. That's neither a bad or a good thing, but since we are reaching the end of a chapter, I thought I'd add a little bit of personality to ASD where I am aware that it is lacking.
Blog-wise, this year has been my favourite yet. Although I've hit a few bumps in the road, I feel like my photography and content has developed its own style to match my own. If you had told me when I started my blog that I would now fit comfortably into the beauty niche, I'd probably have laughed. I made lots of effort last year to turn this into a fashion blog, but honestly I just don't know if I'll ever feel confident enough to own a blog full of photos of myself, dressed up for the world to see. Make up is something I feel passionate about, and although it can sometimes feel a bit trivial to have such a huge part of my life revolve around products and brands, I'm quite content with writing light hearted posts. Why shouldn't we get excited over pretty lipstick packaging and killer eye shadow formulas? This blog is literally branded as 'a small distraction' from everyday life, after all.
I thought last year taught me a lot about relationships (of any kind), but this year has definitely shown me more, potentially because the dynamic of my life and routines has been turned upside down, and along with it so has the way I view my relationships. I am in such a good place right now, and so excited to be surrounded by the loveliest group of friends that I could imagine, but it took me a while to realise that there is nothing more important than that. Dancing around the room singing throwback songs and eating pizza with your best friends is the best way to heal anything. They make my heart happy whenever I see them, honestly. Going through another break up was not a topic I ever addressed here, or anywhere online, and I'm not going to elaborate much here, either. I've learnt to love being on my own, which is a step that I'm so glad to have taken. You can miss people so intensely, but learning to put yourself first is something I value most of all, and will be the biggest lesson I take with me into the new year.
2016 has been full of changes. I started university and moved out, had to push myself to come out of my shell, learned to cook, and started to appreciate myself and the little things a lot more. For 2017, I have my hopes set high, because I don't believe in that low expectations nonsense. In the New Year I'm going to try and incorporate vegetarianism into my diet (baby steps), get a tattoo I've wanted since I was fifteen, and accept that life is a little crazy most of the time.
Happy New Year. Let's make it a beautifully wild one.
This was a lovely post to read. It sounds like you've had a rollercoaster of a year, and you're right, why shouldn't we get excited over killer eyeshadow formulas?! I hope 2017 is magical for you :)
ReplyDeleteOlivia - The Northernist x