PLEADED SKIRT WITH TIE TOP

Post from: BrittanyMaddux.com

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5 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT BEING A BLOGGER

WHY DO YOU LOVE YOUR JOB?

Praising the Best Things and Forgetting the Worst

 

I’ve felt swamped this last few weeks and it’s taken its toll on my personal and social life. It’s all too easy to dwell, to complain about the small things and to live thinking about the things that we could’ve done differently; but where does that get us? When I changed my career trajectory, I had fears and worries about what others would think, what my future would look like and even if I had made the right decision. But the one thing that I kept losing sight of was that I was doing it to be happy; that should’ve been enough.I feel extremely lucky to wake up every day and work in a career that I love. I can see the doors that have opened for me, the journeys that my career has taken so far and I can pinpoint the hard work that got me to that place. I am just so grateful to still be on this rollercoaster ride and keeping a smile on my face, 99% of the time.

We don’t spend enough time praising the things in our lives that we love the most; but we’re often quick to mention the doubts, annoyances, and frustrations we may have. Sometimes we’re so used to complaining that we forget to remember how awesome everything actually is. It may take a little more effort but we should prioritize the things that make us happier, rather than dwelling on the negatives.

So here are the 5 things I love about my career and the things I am planning to keep in mind the next time I complain about a crazy deadline or not having enough time in a day. I’d love to start a chain here where we can share the positive things in our lives and actively swap that complain about a little affirmation of why you have every reason to smile. I’d love it if when you’re reading this, you too create a list of the things you absolutely adore about your own career. Maybe it’s your work mates, the cool opportunities you get, the location you work in or maybe your chance for promotion. Take a second to think about the best things about your own career and I hope it helps a little if you’re having a stressful work day!

(Header image credit: @annasndl)

Opportunities

When I finished my degree, my dream was to move to London and pursue a career in Fashion Marketing. I know that if I had continued down that path, that I would have probably absolutely adored it and would now still be working my way up through the tiers. Yet, blogging just happened to be the pathway that I fell onto and in turn, has opened some very unexpected doors. I never knew that I would ever have the opportunity to travel the world in the way that I do, and I pinch myself every time that I take a step off of the plane in a new destination. It’s beyond my wildest dreams. Beyond the traveling, the connections I have made with brands I have admired since I first developed an interest in both fashion and beauty are immense sources of pride for me. To know that I have worked for and with some of the most creative, influential houses is a true pinch me a moment. When I beat myself up over missed opportunities, timings that just don’t work or there not being 8 days in a week, I need to remember I have a job I absolutely love that has allowed me to do so much.

Creativity & Freedom

I have always been creative in one way or another. A design is something I adore and I can recall spending hours designing store floor plans, creating retail magazines, marketing banners and promotional adverts for degree projects. I love getting stuck into projects and developing my own take on a creative idea. At this point, when a brand approaches me with an idea for a project or a collaboration, I truly enjoy coming up with concepts and mood boards and ideas for how we can make the project the best it can be. Being able to apply my own creative ideas with almost no restrictions is an aspect of my job I love. Yes, of course, you must stay within the limits of a brand proposal, just as any project would have you do, but to be able to create unique pieces of work with so much freedom is a younger me fulfilling a complete dream. I am by no means a designer and often swoon over other people’s artistry, but my career has allowed me to develop skills I truly enjoy tasking myself with.

The People

I remember how nervous I was when I first started blogging and realizing that I could start to attend events with other bloggers that I loved, and with brands that I adored. I had to throw myself in at the deep end, entering a room and having to introduce myself blindly to people who didn’t know who I was and in some cases didn’t even care. As time went on and I was attending events weekly, those nerves were no longer an issue and in fact led to the development of some incredible friendships. I now have the pleasure of being surrounded by colleagues, managers, and friends, all gained through my work, who encourage me to better myself. Through friendships have come work opportunities and through work has come to the good fortune of friendship.

Sharing

This is as much for me as it is for others. I love having the ability to share on the platforms I have created. From publishing my thoughts to pushing good causes, to putting the topics out there I wish I had had access to when I was younger. Being able to inspire or help others through my career is not something I ever thought I would do. Knowing that someone can head over to my blog and allow their mind 5 minutes to enjoy something I have created makes sharing maybe the best aspect of my job. I adore those moments when I bump into someone who reads my blog or watches my videos, and they mention a post they loved or a video they enjoyed.

My Passion

Despite changing career paths when I was already employed as a fashion lecturer, my previous achievements and career only led to a greater understanding of the new space I was moving into. The fashion and beauty industries that I enjoyed as a hobby could now be combined with the research I had undertaken through my Ph.D. and thus my passions were all merged together. I am fascinated by marketing campaigns, the use of social media by brands, the way that consumers behave and in my line of work what interests people to keep them coming back for more as a regular follower. There is so much to learn in my career and that is a huge part of what keeps me driving forward. But to be able to work in a career that merges your greatest passions and interests; I’m pretty darn grateful.

SHOP THE LOOK

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As mentioned above I would love us to share some positivity below and the things we love about our jobs, our homes and our lives below to spread a little happiness. Sometimes a little effort in realizing what we do have to be thankful for can go a long way x

Post from: In The Frow

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LIFE IS SHORT: LEARNING TO STAY POSITIVE

LIFE IS TOO SHORT

I’ve been thinking about the famous ‘Life is too short’ statement a lot recently. This world seems to grow darker by the day (this gets more upbeat I promise) and yet I try to make my own life more positive to counteract it. You cannot live your life worrying about what may happen next or things that have happened, and you certainly can’t allow your own small issues to ruin your day. I guess we need only learn from events and try to move on in the best way we can. It can become enveloping and distressing to take the world of fear, doubts, and anger onto our shoulders and to wish there was something we could have done differently. But in truth, in the majority of cases, there is nothing that anyone can do to stop various catastrophic or horrible things from happening in this world. We can only hope to make our own world and the lives of those around us better, in the hope that perhaps the positivity may rub off and it may potentially help someone else in the long run.I’m not speaking about any event in particular here, because there are too many to name, many things happening that I don’t know about or enough about to make comment on, and also many things that I don’t wish to mention. But I’m speaking generally to – just about life and the ways we need to move forwards and onwards. It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot in my head, so hopefully, I can make sense of it here.

I feel that realizing Life is too short is the starting point to a more fulfilling and productive life. It’s certainly been helping me a lot in the past few months. It’s a short and overused statement yes, but yet I feel it encompasses a feeling and an attitude. There are numerous times in the past where something minor has taken over my day or rerouted me from positive thinking, and I have allowed something so irrelevant to ruin my mood. Taking a step back and realizing that in the grand scheme of your life, this small hurdle is nothing but a bump in the road, is honestly one of the most mind-clearing tools I have used.

TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND PUT IT INTO PERSPECTIVE

It can be as little as an unexpected bill in the post, or ruining your favorite makeup palette or sticking a hot iron onto silk accidentally and ruining your new dress. It’s annoying and potentially a little costly in some cases, but does it affect your life – not overly no. And yet in the past, I have allowed such small issues to grate on me and to seriously piss me off. And honestly, it’s because I had lost all sense of perspective.

There are billions of people who are worse off than you, I or the majority of us. There are also events in life, especially in the last few years, that is far bigger than all of us and can really bring you back down to earth. It’s truly helped me to realize that as long as my family and friends are healthy and well, I have a roof over my head and I can afford to eat every evening, there is not much else that should cause me to worry and stress in the way I have previously.

Perspective is a wonderful thing. And it all comes from realizing that Life is too short to worry. To stress or to moan. Of course, that perspective will leave us momentarily because it can all become a little overwhelming when you have ten things on your to do list and it’s not going to plan. But give it a few hours, some deep breathing and a moment of clarity and I’m back down to Earth.

 

Stay positive and thankful. Life is what you make of it. And it’s too short to not make the absolute most.

SHOP THE LOOK

We got a little deep in this post, but it’s food for thought; I hope. Just when you feel like the world is getting on top of you, just think about the tasks at hand and getting through everything one task at a time. Don’t stress or worry, and instead find the perspective from the incredible things you do have in your life. It’s a crazy world and anything could happen in an instant. Just be thankful for each day, the people you have around you, the food on your table and the place you live. Text your friends to tell them you love them, arrange more dates, schedule more coffee chats, ring people. Just live in the moment I guess.

I’d love to know your take on this. I hope this made sense on paper and helped at least one person to find a little positivity if they were having a pretty awful day. It always gets better. And if not, that’s why Icecream was invented.

Post from: In The Frow

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WHAT I WORE: NYFW DAY 1

 Happy Monday! I’m back home after a whirlwind trip to NYC for NYFW and today I’m sharing what I wore for Day 1. This year I decided to make my NYFW trip a little shorter than normal since we have a lot going back on at home. We’re the in the process of a master bathroom renovation and Phil has a big concert this week. I was worried we wouldn’t have enough time in the city, but it was the perfect amount. We had a few meetings, attended some shows and went to a couple of parties. One of my favorite things about NYFW is catching up with other bloggers and friends I don’t see all year. It’s always great to meet new bloggers too – everyone is always so nice! We’ve headed back to NYC again soon so hopefully, we can do a little more sightseeing – we always love to squeeze some in during NYFW, but we didn’t have a chance this time. For Day 1, I went with tailored white pants, a backless bodysuit, and this fun fringe bomber jacket. I brought along my favorite accessory purchases for fall – these PVC heels and this structured mini bag. I wore these heels for over 12 hours and surprisingly, my feet only started to hurt in the last hour!

xo, Maria

OUTFIT DETAILS

LNA Tie Back Bodysuit (wearing an XS)

REVOLVE White Slash Pants (wearing an XS)

Prada Cahier Bag

Manolo Blahnik Heels

Saint Laurent Sunglasses

Fringe Sleeve Bomber Jacket

Post from: Mia Mia Mine

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RAW EDGE FLARE TOP

With NYFW just around the corner, I’m getting so excited for Fall. I love the fashion, the weather, and the leaves falling from trees…there’s just not much to dislike about this time of year! And with Fall approaching so quickly, of course, I’m getting my wardrobe ready. I snagged a few pre-fall pieces during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (which I shared in this post) and now I can’t stop! Most recently I added this raw edge flare top and these white denim boyfriend shorts that are making for the perfect transitional pieces. 

Long sleeves, billowy sweaters, shearling fur, oversized trench coats…I could go on and on. I’m loving so many of the new trends! Luckily my most coveted trend from last year is here to stay… but my most loved trend from the last year

ALL PHOTOS BRI COSTELLO

RAW EDGE FLARE TOP | THE BOYFRIEND SHORTS | GOLDEN GOOSE SUPERSTAR SNEAKER | GUCCI ROUND LENS SUNGLASSES

Kyle asked me if today was the cutoff for wearing white…I told him that’s not a rule anymore As a side note, this raw edge flare top and these white denim boyfriend shorts are both oversized! I sized down to a US2 in the top and went TTS (size 25) in the shorts for a baggy/boyfriend fit.

XO.

Post from: So Sage Blog