I’ve been diving into my passion for fashion like never before – leveraging my social channels to showcase my ideas and give tips to everyone who’s ever asked me for style advice. For those who know me well, the question I keep hearing is “What took you so long!?” Well the answer is more complex than you might think.
Like most people, I have deep passions. I’m devoted to my family, LOVE being a mom, support volunteer efforts, am dedicated to my faith, and take my professional life very seriously. Shopping, styling, and entertaining have always been things I do. I don’t think about them. They are simply a core part of who I am. I’m literally a grown woman who plays dress up (more often than I’d like to admit) – picking out pieces that I think would make interesting combinations or that I haven’t seen tried before. It’s my hobby, my solace, my passion. I guess I never outgrew it.
And therein lies the rub.
In the back of my mind, I thought that these interests were things to outgrow. Serious people didn’t devote their real lives to “frivolous” efforts. I grew up thinking that, to be taken seriously you had to stop “playing around”, get serious, and grow up. “Grow up” was synonymous with serious and serious was the opposite of fun. I’d become so accustomed to assuming the mutual exclusivity of work and play (thus also diminishing the value of my creativity) that the thought of integrating my personal passion and my professional life scared me – not a little but a lot!
That was then. This is now.
Over the past month, I’ve been diving into my typical social media channels, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest – but in a whole new way. I’m doing it with a seriousness that belies the absolute fun I’m having! I’ve committed to seeing where this can go. Yes, it’s been scary but it’s been exhilarating too! YouTube in particular has been integral in my shift in thinking and being. It’s taken my passion to an entirely new level and forced me to “get serious” about having fun with fashion. I’m putting myself out there in a way that doesn’t allow me to run from what I love and it’s completely changed my way of approaching my creativity.
I’m learning that serious and fun don’t have to be mutually exclusive. In fact, I”m beginning to see that life is so much richer when they play together.
I don’t know where this new thinking will take me but I’m seriously up for the challenge! Stay tuned and check out my YouTube channel as I learn and grow it: https://youtu.be/-b657mewOWg.
