Hi, hello, I’m BACK! (Feat. Finding Balance: Why I Took a Break from Blogging)

Hey there, it’s been a while, hasn't it? What, 2018? That’s the last time I posted minus my little teaser a little over a week ago?! $#@%! It didn’t seem that long. You might be wondering why I went MIA for quite a bit. Was it personal reasons? Was it the pandemic? Well, let me pull back the curtain and share why I decided to take a break from blogging.

Disclaimer:
The TL;DR version of this answer is I am well and happy, I had a bit of a career shift since 2018, and then the pandemic happened in 2020 which is when I initially anticipated relaunching following my second degree. But spoiler alert: I earned my third degree (my masters in professional counseling) during the pandemic, passed my NCE exam over a year ago and am currently working as a clinical therapist and LPC. I also plan to begin working on getting my MSN and possibly DNP in the future—however considering I also got engaged in the midst of all this and am currently planning a wedding, my academic endeavors are on a slight pause; but focusing on the now, outside of that, still the same old Bree!

And, regarding the blog, it will be undergoing some changes, but I plan on continuing to post because I’ve greatly missed this part of my life (to get a bigger scoop on the ch-ch-cha-changes, stay tuned in the next ten days!). So, for y’all who’ve been wanting my life update and what I’ve been up to for the last (almost) six years, here’s the scoop:

1. Prioritizing Mental Health:

Life can get hectic, and so did mine. Juggling work, grad school, personal life, and blogging can take a toll. I realized I needed to prioritize my mental health and step back to recharge. It's essential to acknowledge when the creative well needs a refill.

2. Quality Over Quantity:

In the pursuit of consistency, I found myself prioritizing quantity over quality. I decided to take a pause to refocus on creating content that truly resonates with me and, hopefully, with you all too. Quality always trumps quantity, and I want each post to bring genuine value, and not feel like forced labor to keep up with sponsorships and sometimes perceived competition. Because all in all, I’m doing this for me, it’s my creative outlet and I feel I should enjoy creating content as much as my audience enjoys consuming it!

3. Embracing Change:

Change is inevitable, and sometimes, it's crucial for growth. I took this break to reflect on where I want my blog to go and to embrace the changes happening in my own life. It's okay to evolve, and my blog should reflect that evolution too.

4. Personal Growth Journey:

Life is a journey of continuous growth. I wanted to dedicate time to personal development, learning new skills, and gaining fresh perspectives. This break allowed me to invest in myself, ultimately enhancing the content I create for my wonderful readers (psssst I’m talking about y’all!).

5. Avoiding Burnout:

Blogging can be demanding, and burnout is a real concern (especially as my main profession, a clinical therapist, has a high burn out rate too). To prevent reaching that point of exhaustion here and in my full time gig, I decided to step back temporarily. Taking a break is not a sign of weakness but rather a proactive measure to ensure I can continue to deliver my best in all aspects of my work, on and off the blog.

6. Reconnecting with Passion:

Blogging should always be a passion project, not a chore. I took this break to reconnect with the initial spark that inspired me to start this journey. Rekindling that passion ensures that every post comes from a place of genuine enthusiasm, because that’s what myself and my readers deserve.

7. Balancing Responsibilities:

Life's responsibilities can pile up, and it's crucial to find the right balance. My hiatus allowed me to reassess and reprioritize, ensuring that I can manage my blogging commitments while also fulfilling all other aspects of life. Again, I want this to be something I enjoy and share with others as a means of connection—not something I force myself to do.

8. Quality Me-Time:

Self-care is not just a buzzword; it's a necessity, and I learned this all too well during my time in grad school during the COVID-19 pandemic. I took a step back to indulge in some quality me-time, enjoying activities that I'm passionate about outside the blogging sphere. A rejuvenated blogger means better content for you!

9. Setting Boundaries:

Blogging often blurs the lines between work and personal life. Taking a break helped me set clearer boundaries, ensuring that when I'm working on my blog, I'm fully present and passionate about the content I'm creating, opposed to feeling like “I have too” it’s an “I want too”. Like any labor of love should be. This also has helped me set boundaries for when I’m not working on the blog as well, my personal time shouldn’t be consumed by worrying about sponsorships and deadlines—just like in my clinical work, I need to leave my blog work on the blog and enjoy my experiences outside of it. I have found this makes for a much more harmonious work/life balance.

10. Coming Back Stronger:

Sometimes, you need to take a step back to leap forward. I assure you, this break was not in vain. I've spent this time brainstorming, planning, traveling (*cough, cough* there will be a post very soon about my excursion to New York Fashion Week with my wonderful ghoulmate Adam) and creating content that I can't wait to share with all of you! So get ready for some exciting new posts coming your way!

I appreciate your understanding and continuous support during this hiatus. Let's dive back into this blogging journey together with renewed energy and passion!

And as always, I’d love to chat and catch up! So please feel free to tell me about anything and everything you’ve been doing to rejuvenate and care for yourself in the comments section down below!

P.S. All my socials are still the same, but just in case you forgot you can follow me on Instagram (and connect with me on Threads!), Pinterest, BlogLovin, Twitter (oops I mean “X”, major eye-roll), you can also like/follow me on Facebook and connect with me on LinkedIn!

P.P.S. Also, though my shop is currently under construction, you can still connect with me via LIKEtoKNOW.it (now LTK for short!) and then you’ll be able to shop my closet again once I get some new style posts uploaded.

Xx, Bree

Early New Beginnings: A Prelude

Now that spring has sprung for the sixth time since my hiatus, I’ve been feeling rejuvenated and this recent reinvigoration has made me reflect on what I want in life as well as what I want for this blog. It has also reminded me of how much I have missed this incredibly special piece of my life, I suppose absence really does make the heart grow fonder. And if you’ve been keeping up with me on Instagram, you know I’ve gotten a lot of inspiration the last few years that has re-sparked the flame I have for blogging and I have been preparing a lot of new content,  have had a ton of experiences, and have grown/evolved significantly along the way.

With this being said, when I look back on my existence, I don’t want to debase my experiences to a mere meticulously executed Instagram feed, worrying about deadlines for sponsored posts, or “OOTDs” on this blog, for this blog I want authenticity.

I hope I can recall all of the times I spent walking through poorly lit alleyways to get to Liberty Avenue to meet friends at 941 Saloon, inhaling mold in dusty antique/bookshops, getting incredibly too drunk at the dive bars in Lawrenceville with my best friend, and getting pelted with fat raindrops in the city streets seemingly every time (at least for the first 6 months) my fiancé and I went on a date.

Don’t let me forget the grown out black bangs tangled in my long wispy eyelashes which never fail to cause me to have to change my contact lenses after removing my motorcycle helmet, or that eerie incandescent glow and spooky flickering of the lights at the 6th street parking garage after 8PM in December. Remind me of the unexpectedly vibrant conversations and kind words had with strangers at bus stops and crosswalks, as well as the elongated shadows of my loved ones as we trek across scorching, black pavement on the 10th street bridge on our walks to SouthSide in the sticky, muggy heat that Pittsburgh’s summers never fail to bring.

I cried, I laughed, I loved. I lived through that grit and blossomed in its chaos wearing well loved band t-shirts, skinny jeans, and on most occasions from spring throughout fall, a motorcycle helmet. And  what I learned is delightfulness  is nourished by unexpected developments.

I’ve grown  and evolved so much since my last post in 2018, and am excited to take this blog in a new direction, but with a little of the same flare. It’s good to be back, and I can’t wait to see what this journey unfolds with you.

Stay tuned for my official welcome back post on April 10, 2024.

Xx, Bree

#OOTD: Of The Vintage Variety (Feat. SheIn)

Wow, what a month it has been! Though I have been absent from here lately, if you follow me on Instagram you know that I have been far from being on hiatus and will have many exciting posts to come this summer. Just to fill those of you in who haven’t been on Instagram lately, recently I just returned from a trip to Florida, a place that makes my heart very happy, only second to my home away from home, New Orleans. While in the sunshine state, I did so much exploring and experienced some great and lively new places, which I will be writing about in an upcoming travel post (in the mean time you can checkout my story highlights and feed to see what I was up too), and in said travel post I will also be talking about how I’ve mastered my minimalist packing skills—as per request from many of you, and I just can’t wait to share!

However, in today’s post, I’m starting back with a light, fun, and stylish look for the season and will be talking about this darling summer outfit of the day. Which features some vintage Gap denim shorts I snagged at a thrift store in St. Petersburg during my travels, as well as this adorable tie up top from my long time sponsor and affiliate, SheIn.

Seeking the Seventies

Recently, after returning home from Florida, I was admittedly very happy to hear from one of the representatives I work with from SheIn, not only because I'm thrilled to be working with them and love their clothes, they also have a huge new selection for the change in season, so what better time to take on some new projects with them? I was also thrilled to find that one of the products that they were looking to feature was this adorable, vintage style, tie up top, which as soon as I saw it, I knew that it would pair perfectly with my new vintage high-waisted shorts. And pretty much as soon as I returned home, I had a brunch date with a few of my girl friends in Sewickley and just knew this seventies inspired outfit would be the perfect fit for our girls days out.

As many of my longtime readers know, I have been forever in love with vintage looks reminiscent of the 1970s. Something about the freedom of that time period and the way its fashion mirrored it has most definitely become iconic and a trend in fashion that I welcomed back with open arms in 2015. I simply have always just adored the light and airy vibes the styles exude, as well as the earth tones that tend to go along with them, adding to their charm and making them a perfect pick for summer. So, needless to say I was incredibly excited to style these two awesome pieces. What makes them each so perfect for a nice summer outing it that they are both simple and chic pieces. The blouse is great due to its light color and the shorts complement it by balancing the outfit out, giving it a nice, casual feel. 

I do have to mention though, that aside from this top being a great color for summer, I also love it because it is incredibly comfortable and well made. The material is very light and breathable, making this top a great choice for the hot and sticky humid days we have here in the 'Burgh. I also adore its button detailing, which in my opinion adds a sweet and more feminine vibe. Honestly, this top has become my new favorite for the summer and I am tempted to get it in all three colors! (You can view the other two here and here!)

And of course, I still need to talk about this cool pair of denim shorts, which have admittedly also become a summer favorite of mine. I actually came across them at the Sunshine Thrift Store in St. Petersburg! Though I wasn't originally planning on shopping and just went in to browse with my aunt, when I came across these Gap 1969 original high rise shorts in my size I just had to have them! Honestly, I love how they fit and find them to be extremely comfortable, as well as flattering to my shape. 

To add a little polish to this outfit, I decided to dress it up with some Kendra Scott earrings, this South Moon Under layered necklace, a large gold ring from Versona, and one of my favorite cuffs by SLATE. The reason I chose these pieces is due to the fact none of them are overstated and went perfectly with this casual summer look while keeping true to its dreamy 1970s chic feel. I also am a fan of these pieces because they are all relatively light weight which is great for keeping you comfortable while looking stylish.

The last accessories I styled for this look are my American Eagle heart shaped sunglasses, which I just felt were a fun choice, and my classic Louis Vuitton Tasche "Globe Shopper" in red. The reason why I mention this bag is because it holds a very special place in my heart as well as purse collection, considering it is the very first designer bag I ever purchased, way back in 2011, and is still in impeccable shape to this day! It's honestly my go to summer bag aside from my recently gifted Hermes Lindy bag (thank you, mum and dad) due to its durability and color.

Finally, to put the finishing touches on this seventies look, I chose to keep my makeup light and airy and went with my ever trusty bareMinerals powered in “Original”, Dior's "My Rose" blush, Too Faced “Chocolate Bar” eyeshadow palette, and NARS “Roman Holiday” lipstick. The reason I chose these colors is because I really wanted to have a more natural makeup look and just love the subtle pastel colors. 

One Last Look

What are some fashion eras that you just adore and how will you be styling them this summer? I'd love to hear the answers to both of these questions so let's chat about it in the comments below or you can tweet me about it at @StarkRavingChic! Have an awesome summer look you're just dying to show off? I'd love to have a look, so feel free to tag me in your Instagram story at @StarkRavingChic. Later, babes!

Xx, Bree

P.S. Psssssst! If you love the jewelry I styled in this post as much as I do, you can try Rocksbox for a whole month 100% FREE when you sign up using my promo code "starkravingchicxoxo". Don't know what Rocksbox is or how it works? You can learn more here!

Also, I am now a proud member of rewardStyle and LIKEtoKNOW.it! Meaning you can shop straight from my Instagram feed when you click here or here. Don't know what LIKEtoKNOW.it is all about? Learn more, here!

You can also shop my closet on Dress Like Me as well, which there will be a post about this new tool coming soon.