A summer has passed since I last wrote on my blog, and although only a few months have gone by, I feel like a substantially new woman. In one summer my life has completely changed; from graduating university to finding a post-graduate job working for a small vintage company, my life is inexplicably different to what it was mere months ago, and I feel so full of joy for this next chapter of my life.
A NEW CHAPTER
This next part of my life is a chapter that I didn’t know I would enjoy so much; being back in my home town after living away for three years wasn’t something that I thought I would relish, but the past few months have made me feel so content, and I can’t wait for what’s to come. Living in the same city as my closest friends, whilst we all get on with our own exciting post-grad adventures, has been so much fun, and I’ve loved the weekly rituals we’ve started of mid-week meals in the city centre, weekends spent baking and watching films, and even the creation of a monthly book club. It’s all I could have dreamed of and more for my friendships in my early twenties, and I really feel like I’m living my best ‘creative in the city’ life!
A big part of my post-university life is my new job, which I am delighted with. I vowed to only work with sustainable companies as I ventured out into the world of working in fashion, and I’m so proud to say that I’ve stayed true to that promise. I’m working in the studio for Vintage Paradise, a Y2K style vintage company, creating social media content, styling outfits, which I’ve been particularly loving, and helping manage their website. Although it’s not my own personal aesthetic I’ve loved the chance to style outfits, not too dissimilar to the clothes I used to dress my Bratz dolls in back in the day, and unleash my creativity on the brand’s social media channels. See the photo above for what I wore to the Y2K themed influencer event we threw in Shoreditch!
A FRESH START
After moving back from Leicester to my home town of Sutton Coldfield, a suburb of Birmingham, I’ve managed to create a sense of newness in a place that is oh so familiar. Living close to the city and enjoying it in a way that I didn’t before leaving in 2019, has allowed me to see Birmingham with fresh eyes, and has made the move home much more exciting. I’ve been out for dinner with my friends in parts of Birmingham that I didn’t often frequent, and purposefully crafted a social life for myself that I’ve always longed for. Not only that, I’ve been finding beauty in the mundane, by walking daily in Sutton Park and reminding myself of how lucky I am to have it on my doorstep. The combination of searching for newness, and appreciating the old, has led to a happy few months, and I’m so grateful for such a lovely place to live.
This appreciation for the joy and beauty in the everyday has been monumental in my life and boosted my mental health like nothing else. Cherishing quiet moments with family and friends, hours spent wandering in the forests and lake-sides of Sutton Park, days in the office doing a job that I actually enjoy and spending time with myself reading, journalling and practicing yoga, has made each day a little bit brighter. I’ve also found a particular fondness for nature, in a way that I never truly let myself express; I’ve always been a lover of walks surrounded by trees, flowers and the far off chirping of birds, but I’ve recently found myself longing for time spent away from social media out in the country, in a stronger way than I ever have before.
My deep-rooted respect and love for the world, that’s always been a part of me, has truly bloomed in recent months. Besides a certain yearning for more time in nature, another way this has manifested has been a dedication to moving away from fast-fashion and committing to a more sustainable fashion journey. Purchasing secondhand from places such as Vinted and Depop, and searching for classic, sustainably made brands, is the way forward for the curation of my dream wardrobe, and although I did begin to discuss this on my blog back in spring I can’t wait to develop this further in the coming months.
WHAT’S COMING NEXT?
Now that I’ve gladly left the stress of university deadlines behind I am so happy to have more time to dedicate to my blog; I’ve missed sharing my thoughts on my own little corner of the internet and after redefining what my blog meant to me last year, you can read that post here, I’m so inspired to share posts on my ethical fashion journey, slow-living approach to life and the exciting plans I have for the upcoming months.
Love Chloe x
