The Day I Decided To Be A Blogger

top [wearing in small/medium, 15% off, cami underneath included!]

Today marks my first official Monday of being unemployed, a crazy sentence to write after working outside of the home for essentially the past half of my life. A little crazier because not working outside of the home has never been a goal of mine. For years people have asked “would you ever want to blog full-time?!” and without hesitation, my answer was always “no, I like things as-is”.

It’s funny how sometimes you think you know what you want and that the crazy chaotic routine that you have found yourself in is the best thing for you when all of a sudden you hear somebody say ONE little thing and it changes your perspective forever. Mine changed on Wednesday, February 1, 2017. I was sitting in a classroom full of fellow bloggers and online entrepreneurs when Christine Lemieux [founder of Dwell Studio] was standing on a stage in front of me when somebody asked her if there was anything she would go back and do differently if she could do it all over again. After two seconds of thought, Christine said something to the extent of “I would have made one straight path for myself. For years I spent going in directions I didn’t need to be going, I made it more difficult and stressful than it needed to be. I could have been on one straight path the entire time.” With an exhausted exhale and tears in my eyes, I text my husband and said “I’m quitting my job(s) on Monday, I’m ready for a straight path”. And so that’s what I did and here we are now.

A lot of you have asked what I did alongside blogging for the past several years – I had worked at a local credit union for 10 years, with my latest position being in the marketing department managing our social media accounts. Additionally, I worked as a project manager for a media company that brings brands and bloggers together. Both jobs I adored, honestly. The people that I was able to work alongside are now some of my best friends and truly, some of my favorite moments of my life have come from those jobs. Never will I regret my time spent working for either company [and yes, lots of tears have been shed letting go], but it was time for a change. A time for one straight path.

Another question I have been asked a lot frequently is “how did you get to where you are? how can I do the same thing?” A lot of my answer to that question is to work really, really hard and then pray a little good luck falls your way. For me, it all started right here on this page. Every day for several years, I would go to work from 8-5, come home and eat dinner, then spend hours in my office writing a new blog post about anything/everything to publish that evening. After a few years of doing the daily grind by pouring nearly all of my “free time” into this space, I was fortunate enough to build up a following that caught the eye of different brands and small businesses who agreed to pay me monetarily to share a small part of this space from time to to time. In the blogging world, we call this sponsorships and collaborations. Additionally, last summer on a whim I decided to start hanging out on my Facebook page more than once every two weeks like I had been doing, and a few of you started hanging out with me. I never planned on creating a community there that would literally take up hours and hours and hours of my days, but I am so grateful. It’s a strange look you receive from people when they ask you what you do and you respond with “Oh, I hang out on Facebook all day. Not but seriously, I do.” Life is weird, I get it.

wrap gingham top [wearing in small, 25% off]

Somehow in doing so, I transitioned from what was a true lifestyle blog [I can’t think of a more lifestyle blog than sharing way too much information on bodily functions, what I ate for dinner that night and my struggles with anxiety] to an accidental fashion blog. It’s weird when you become known for something that you don’t consider yourself to be. I’m still not convinced I know how to dress myself nor do I grasp all of the trends [or want to grasp for that matter] that are out there, but I do believe that there is value in sharing my silly little daily outfits, good sales on great products [like for instance, the items I’m wearing in this post from the ever so reasonably priced Chicwish] and trying to help some of you gain confidence back in your wardrobe while feeling like the beautiful souls you deserve to feel like!

I’m sure over the next while I will start to post more behind the scenes and “day in the life” type of posts so you can get a better feel for what I will actually fill my days with now [I promise it’s not all drinking coffee and eating mac and cheese, although that is definitely a large part of it]. I can’t wait to see what can evolve from little ole Living In Yellow just by investing more time here. Time and time again I am blown away by the opportunities that the internet is bringing to this generation and I am so fortunate to be able to sit here in my pajamas at my kitchen counter on a Monday morning, not stressed because a new work week is upon us, but truly excited about the work ahead.

photos shot by tina herschberger photography

It wouldn’t be fair if I pretended that I get to do what I do because of what I have done – it is only because of you YOU, the readers, and supporters who have allowed this to become my full-time job. Without any of you, this would be a big ole giant diary that is locked in a nightstand with nobody but myself tuning in to see all of life’s happenings. So thank you, thank you, thank you, for making this all happen.

Long story short, this whole straight path thing, I think I’m going to like you….

ps. If you haven’t ever shopped at Chicwish, they offer a huge variety of some of the most unique, fun clothing pieces on the planet. Always free shipping and great affordable pieces to add to your wardrobe. Both of the tops I am wearing in today’s post came from there and I love how different they are! See more options I’m loving below!

disclosure: thank you to Chicwish for partnering for today’s post