What's Inspiring Me Right Now || #1
Just outside Mt Cook National Park, New Zealand || May of 2017.
Can we just talk for a minute about the fact that it's March already? Like what? If you, like me, are as baffled that the first two months of the year have completely disappeared in the blink of an eye... know that you're not alone. I am so glad to be over with January and February because I honestly think that they are by far the worst time of year. The weather is crap but you can't deflect it into being "festive" anymore and everyone starts their New Years resolutions, which inevitably dwindle off making you feel sad and defeated over failing them so quickly after making them...
But you know what? New Year's resolutions are a recipe for disaster in my opinion. Even though it is the start of the new year, I think in January it is almost impossible to actually set goals and change habits and be inspired because let's be honest, you're still so goddamn busy (and potentially hungover) from the holidays. How are you supposed to focus on a #NewYearNewMe when your house is a mess and you've still got a headache from all the champagne and cheese boards and small talk with distant relatives that always ends up with you having to try and not panic when they ask you what you're doing with your life (always with a slight tone of judgement and distaste might I add)... Not exactly the most inspiring of places and mindsets to be in.
Personally, this is why I love March. The effects of the holidays have finally worn off, I am back in the groove of working again, spring is slowly coming, and it's almost as though there is a light at the end of the tunnel that I can finally see in the form of some sunny weather here in Vancouver. It's the time of year I start to feel the most inspired to start smashing my goals and be creative without any of the pressure of labelling what I'm doing as a "New Year's Resolution".
So today I thought I could share some of my current inspiration that has gotten me in my more positive mindset. Here are some of the amazing women I watch, read, and engage with on social media that I think are absolutely killing it and inspiring me creatively to work harder every day.
ZOELLA.
Not a lot of people know this, but Zoe is actually one of the first youtubers I ever subscribed to back in 2012, and she was who inspired me to start my own channel almost 4 years ago. Over the last couple of years though, I sort of stopped watching her as much and found my self more engaged by other people on the platform. But when her and Alfie moved into their new house last June, their moving vlog came up in my suggested box and something inside me told me to click on it... within an instant I fell back in love with her content all over again.
Specifically, I've become obsessed with her vlogging channel. Having watched her journey over the last 6 years of going from 200,000 subscribers to over 12,000,000 and go from a girl making videos in her bedroom to a business woman that is absolutely killing it, it is one of the most motivating things to see (I mean, can we talk about her and Alfie's new office? #goals). At the start of this year, she has started to include a more behind-the-scenes look into her life as a creative business woman and it is fascinating to get to see. Instead of us just seeing the final products she comes out with, she has been taking us on the journey with her and showing us the process of concept to final production. One of the reasons I respect Zoe so much is that she's taken her reach and platform and has used it to grow other businesses and passions of hers. I highly recommend checking out some of her most recent vlogs if you want to get motivated to work hard and pursue your dreams.
SHOT FROM THE STREET.
Lizzy, by far, might be one of my favourite girls on Instagram that I follow. Not only is her style amazing, but her entire approach to social media has always been uniquely quirky and something I really admire.
More recently I have been getting more and more into her blog and youtube channel (mostly thanks to my friend Charlotte - but more on that later). One of my favourite series she does on her blog is called My Week on 35mm, and it has made me fall in love again with film photography and completely inspired me to want to start shooting again. Since going through and reading all 60 week's she's done on 35mm, I have started doing so much research on different film cameras to purchase and what films to get, and I think I've finally got one picked out that I can hopefully get my hands on soon.
Photography is one of my favourite art forms, but since making it part of my job it's become easy to forget the joy in creating just for the sake of it. Thanks to Lizzy's content, it's inspired me again to get out more and shoot again just for me.
THE CHARLOTTE ALEXANDER.
Charlotte is one of the most amazing people I have ever had the pleasure to have in my life. Our friendship started off as Charlotte being one of my OG subscribers over on my youtube channel, and she would always leave the best comments on everything I posted. It always felt like we were in such similar places in our life at the time (finishing uni at the same time, having similar hobbies, starting to try and grow our own businesses), and I genuinely always looked forward to seeing her comments that she would leave. Fast forward to me being in New Zealand this time last year, I reached out to her on instagram and asked her if she wanted to go to coffee and meet in person. I genuinely was only expecting to be there for 45 mins, maybe an hour tops, but we ended up sitting for hours and it was like we had known each other for years.
Now here we are a year later, and I talk to her every single day. She is a constant source of support, inspiration, and encouragement. As I said before, we've always been in similar places in our lives, and as two millennials trying to make something of themselves in something they're passionate about, it is so powerful and motivating to have someone I can lean on and keep me accountable on my journey and grind. She is constantly giving me new ideas, new inspiration, and genuine feedback on what I am currently creating, and I get to do the same for her. She makes me want to work harder, smash my goals, and remember to be authentically me and do what I want to do.
Having someone like this in my life has also inspired me to look at all my friendships I have and try and build more connections with women that, like Charlotte, are passionate, driven, and positive influences on me. I am a big believer in your vibe attracts your tribe, and being friends with someone like her has definitely made me want to build a tribe of more powerful female relationships like the one we have together.
In this last few months she has started a blog that is all about the behind the scenes and lifestyle of a creative millennial growing her own business and I am obsessed with it. This post I am writing now was inspired by one of hers. She also has started doing posts like Lizzy on 35mm which is another reason I have been inspired to want to pick it up again. We also share a love and bond over bullet journaling... so if you're like us and also love it you'll love her stuff as well.
So Charlotte (since I know you're reading this), thanks for being such a badass friend.
SARAH'S DAY.
Let's be real, Sarah is the ultimate ray of sunshine. When going through my own health journey in late 2016, I started researching Paleo What I Ate Today videos on youtube and that is how I came across Sarah's channel. Ever since then I have been hooked. There are very few youtubers whom I am invested in enough to have post notifications turned on, who's stories I religiously watch and who's videos I will always watch the second they come out... but Sarah is one of them.
I don't really follow health and fitness vloggers, in fact Sarah might be the only one, but there is something about her energy, positivity, and overall vibe that just draws me in and I cannot stop watching. She inspires be to eat better, to be more positive, to be more confident, and take care of myself. Before my diet was always directly related to my weight in my head, obsessing over a number and how I thought I needed to look. But since following Sarah, I feel as though my entire outlook on my diet has changed from looking good on the outside to feeling good on the inside. Her mantra in life is literally "listen to your body", and I really have tried to adapt that into my everyday life choices. She's honest and open about her struggles of hormonal acne, amenorrhea, PCOS, and most recently being diagnosed with CIN 3, yet she always manages to spin it into a positive outlook which is really inspiring to see.
It's been really exciting as a viewer getting to see her grow her career and doing so many exciting projects like bringing out an ebook, and soon to be launching a active wear line with White Fox Boutique. She's the kind of youtuber who's products I have and will continue to buy, because I geniuenely love her content and want to support it.
Aren't these women just awesome? I hope this inspired you and helped get you into that "March Mindset" of just wanting to create and do more great things. And let me know... who (or what) is currently inspiring you? Who are your favourite people to watch that motivate you to want to follow your dreams?
