Hello and apologies for the lack of blog posts last week! I have been feeling a bit under the weather so having not prepared blog posts in advance (as per) and with snuggling up watching series and sleeping taking priority, there has been a bit of a radio silence - we are all allowed a week off sick though right?

Anyway, I am here to tell the tale and today I am kicking off a new monthly series where I'll be dolling out the blogger love by sharing with you some of my favourite blog posts from the past month and writing my thoughts/responses to the post in question. I think this will be a great way to communicate on a deeper level with some of my favourite bloggers and posts - rather than just leaving a comment - and bring to attention to rather special posts and perhaps new blogs I have discovered! So let's get cracking with January!

© SHOT FROM THE STREET

Lizzy Hadfield from Shot From The Street always writes bloody amazing blog posts. Many of them just talk about outfits but occasionally she writes these very meaningful posts that really get me thinking. There were actually two posts from Shot From The Street that I especially loved in January but this one about being uninspired just took the top spot.

With this outfit post, Lizzy takes us back to the street in Leeds she used to shoot on when she first started blogging, which at the time she felt held back her content and was not as inspiring as other bloggers' shoot locations in Paris or London. She shares links to some of her first outfit shoots and I love that she is able to not only laugh at herself but also recognise how far she has come. She also proves with this outfit shoot with interesting shots of her sitting on the pavement or shot from angles other than just straight on rather than just in the middle of the street, that it is how you use your location - and your resources in general - to your advantage.

This post really spoke to me because I am always blaming things outside my control for why I am struggling to produce content that I am truly happy with. I am currently very frustrated with the snow/ice/grit ridden pavements of Montreal that mean I am basically stuck in my Dr Martens boots (which are burgundy therefore restricting the colour palette) for the next few months and dreaming of a mild winter where I could where some statement ankle boots that I do not own. That's another thing - I am always worrying about my lack of income so I am unable to just impulse buy a cute shirt because it costs the same amount as my electricity bill. I know that is due to the travelling lifestyle I have chosen over the past few years, working minimum wage jobs and not staying in a place long enough to climb any career ladder. I know that if I had stayed in England it is likely that I would be earning a lot more money but then I would probably be frustrated about my lack of travel experience.

The moral of Lizzy's post and my response to it is that as humans we are always going to find things to be frustrated about but we need to try and make the best of our situation. I am going to try and find places to shoot indoors while the weather is terrible for the next few months and I am excited by this challenge and the new element it will bring to the blog. I am also going to fully utilise being able to borrow clothes from the vintage shop I work in - I know this will be frustrating for you readers not being able to just click on a link to a new product but that's the way things have got to go, this girl ain't got no money! So let's get creative and I am sure we can all produce content we are extremely proud of!

© THE GOODOWL

I discovered Charlotte Goodowl's blog just this month through someone I follow on Bloglovin' liking one of her posts that really caught my eye - Why It's Okay To Be Shit...Sometimes. Charlotte uses this post to tell herself off and explain to her readers why she has not blogged since August, which is basically due to a huge case of comparison to others - surprise surprise - and procrastination, both of which are things I can definitely relate to.

Initially it was the title that totally spoke to me because sometimes I consider myself to be a rather shit blogger. I am not saying that I think that the content I produce is shit - oh no - because similarly to Charlotte, I will never publish anything that I am not totally happy. No, I sometimes feel a bit shit that my content is inconsistent, especially on social media. I complain that my Instagram following is stagnant but is that such a surprise when I have a few days of posting consistently, perhaps twice a day, and then I can go into a few days of hibernation because either I don’t have content or the damned comparing myself to others mindset has made me believe that my content is just not good enough.

However, I decided at the beginning of the year that I was not going to let this blog - and social media - stress me out as much as it has done in the past because where is the fun in that? So for now I am taking things slowly for a reason as I want to be fully confident with everything that I publish. Of course, we are only human and it is so natural to compare ourselves to others but instead of it getting us down let's make it an inspiration! As Charlotte says "you do you" and I guarantee there will be people out there who will find you and I an inspiration next!


© PAGES BY MEGAN

Self confessed Mancunian weirdo Megan Ellaby's style blog Pages By Megan absolutely never fails to keep me inspired with her mix of effortless casual outfits and more eclectic sartorial choices. The post in question today is entitled There's No Such Thing As OTT where Megan shows just one way she would wear the maximalism trend with clashing leopard and stripe prints and a mix of textures of a PVC skirt and faux fur coat to mention just two of the things going on in this outfit.

As someone who has always experimented with fashion - from attempting to be a goth aged 11 to my phase of wearing skirt over jeans in my teens (which is actually pretty fash these days!), haha - I have certainly learnt to let people stare at my outfit if they want. Either they will be loving it and if they are not, well, as Megan says - it's not them wearing it so who cares! I guess my response to this post is a little less intense and personal as the previous two but I just wanted to give credit where it's due - this girl is always inspiring me to up my wardrobe game and is giving the confidence to all fashion-curious ladies out there that we should just wear what the hell we want when we want! 

I hope you have enjoyed this post! I am sure a lot of you will know these bloggers already and may have even read these posts but I have really enjoyed opening up and sharing my response to each one - hopefully you will feel like you know me a little better. I know it has been a hefty post so do let me know if you prefer that I choose just one post per month to respond to (although I imagine that would be bloody difficult!).


Izzie x
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Labels: blogger, fashion, favourite blog posts, january, lifestyle, Pages By Megan, Shot From The Street, The Goodowl