Notes on life changes and selling out
Over the past few weeks, I’ve shared a posts from a few brands that I genuinely love: a really good pair of boots that I wear just about every day, and a leather tote that I also use every day. And I received a few negative comments, stating that I’m “giving a sell-out vibe” and that they “used to love this blog.”
Here’s the thing: I’m no longer traveling full-time and I’m no longer living in another country. I no longer truly identify as a travel blogger. I still love to travel: traveling is still a big part of my lifestyle and airplane tickets still eat up a large part of my budget. But. BUT. I’ve developed different interests, pursued new passions and settled into a very different life at 26 working in brand partnerships in New York City than when I was 21, freshly out of college and about to move to the French Riviera to bartend.
I still blog because I love it. I write because I genuinely love to write. I share things and products and brands that I love ONLY if I really, truly love and use the products. I make and meet my own deadlines, and spend late nights in bed with my laptop, and answer every email that comes through my inbox. And yes, I sometimes accept free products and free nights in hotels–because no one is giving me benefits or an hourly rate for those late nights in bed with my laptop. I accept that blogging isn’t going to pay my bills, but I’m not opposed to getting a few perks. And as someone who worked in marketing for a start-up–I understand the value that exposure on blogs can bring for small brands.
And I still think that travel is such an insanely important thing for people to do, and I still think that it’s all about making it a priority. I still believe that you don’t have to cross an ocean to find yourself, and that happiness is a choice. But I also love fashion, style, the confidence that comes from looking good in New York City and owning a really good red lipstick.
Maybe I’m not a full-on travel blogger, and maybe I’m not a full-on fashion blogger. I’ve always felt lucky that back when I was 21, I put my name in the title of this blog–because that gave me a lot of freedom to write about what was important to me, regardless of where I was living or what I was doing.
So that’s what I’m going to keep doing. I’m going to keep writing, and keep sharing the products I’m passionate about and the places that I adore. I want every post I write to be inspiring and/or helpful and/or enriching to everyone who reads it, or at least, SOMEONE who reads it.
I hear the concerns on selling out, and I hope that you understand some of those items are the compensation for those late nights with my laptop. And if you don’t like the products, or it’s not in your budget, or if you absolutely would never want to go to Nicaragua or Puerto Rico or Paris: I’m totally fine with you deleting the post or clicking the x box on the your browser tab. But I hope you don’t close the tab and never come back, because I really do hope that in the mix of things that click with me and I find worth writing about–travel and fashion and yoga and meditation–you find something that resonates with you.
Thanks for reading–truly.
