Why I Don’t Post As Much
đź“Ť Gasparilla Inn, Florida
Tunic Dress || Sandals (Similar) || Earrings || Bracelet
Hello, all of you lovely readers! As I was looking back on an action-packed October, I noticed something glaring on my blog. My once tri-weekly blog posts have become less frequent over the past few months. If you had told me about that trend this time last year, I probably would have been mortified. Working on my blog: writing content, styling outfits, connecting with such an incredible community, was my absolute passion. I think it helped fill a creative void that sadly isn’t always available in education. A year ago, I would have panicked over not finding inspiration and losing something I had worked so incredibly hard on for nearly four years.
While I still love working on the blog, I no longer feel like its success is attached to my self-worth. Do I want to reach a bigger audience and continue to grow? Of course! But I can safely say that it’s something I don’t have to lose sleep over. Even though I shouldn’t look a gift-horse in the mouth, I wanted to know why this shift in thinking has changed. Looking inward for a moment, I quickly concluded that I feel incredibly validated in the workplace.
I loved my time as a classroom teacher, but I always felt like I needed a fallback plan. The statistics on young teachers weren’t particularly on my side, and you never know what the future brings. That became even clearer when I moved to NYC. I wasn’t happy at my new school, and I had some of my dream companies just a few subway stops away.
Moving to New York was definitely a catalyst for my blog. I changed the name to Orange to Apple, had endless things to write about, and met many wonderful creatives that helped fuel my inspiration. During those two years, I admitted something that I deep-down knew since I was a kid that I wanted to write for a living. Even though how wouldn’t manifest itself for a few more years, I put a lot of pressure on my blog. If I didn’t publish five times a week, I would be angry with myself. If I didn’t see my Instagram followers grow, I would feel devastated.Â
Still, I kept pushing forward, hoping to catch my big break, whatever that meant. I decided to take a break from teaching and attempted to venture down a new career path. Then abruptly, for a few different reasons, life brought me back to Florida just before the phrase “social distancing” was seared into our daily lives. I tried to grow my blog, taught virtually, and attempted to find a new normal during a year of so much uncertainty.
During that time, I was still applying for jobs in the creative space: social media managers, copywriters, proofreaders, and more. I presented my blog as a portfolio, hoping that someone would see me beyond a schoolteacher with a small side hustle. Then, just over a year ago, I finally felt noticed! I was offered a job as a community manager at an educational publisher. I remember getting the call and doing a complete “happy dance” in my driveway. Even though the job is fully remote, the irony of finally working for a New York company while living in Florida does not escape me. Since joining my new team, my position has continued to grow and develop. With every step of the way, I feel so valued and sincerely enjoy “going to” work each day.
Why exactly am I sharing all of this? Well, for starters, I wanted to share the reasoning behind my unintentional hiatus. Secondly, this is a friendly reminder to look at how you spend your 9 to 5. If you think you’re happy but find yourself daydreaming of a new career or looking elsewhere, that’s a pretty clear sign. It never has to be a quick switch, but follow your passions, your interests, and the perfect job or company just may present itself to you. Life has a funny way of working out! Also, don’t worry because this blog isn’t going ANYWHERE!
Love from Florida,
Katie
As always, thanks for stopping by! To keep up with all things about the Sunshine State, be sure to visit my exclusive Florida page, here.
