In light of the new year, and the Internet's expected obsession du jour with fresh starts, "new me" mantras and the increase in workout app downloads I thought it would be a good time to check in with all of you here. I know I have been quite MIA the past few months, and I apologize for that. My first semester back at school after summer holiday was a crazy one. I had demanding classes that took up a lot of my time and energy. I started seriously interning at a local jewellery company that I've been obessed with for ages. I was spending more time with friends. But during this time I was also reassessing my presence online and how I wanted to be viewed by the world.
Seeing as I am now in my third year of university and will be graduating after next year, I have really begun to focus on setting the groundwork for post-graduation (i.e. finding a job). Being that I am hoping to work in an incredibly creative industry (fashion), my online presence matters greatly. My Instagram feed, the opinions I share online, the brands and people I personally endorse, can in some ways make or break my eligibility when applying to jobs I really want. Because of this I have been focusing more on developing my social media presence - curating a personal digital brand that speaks to both who I am and who I want to become professionally - as well as my professional portfolio (i.e. work). So as you can see, this is why this blog has taken a back seat so to speak.
One of the other things I have struggled with lately is what I want to add to the world, and the industry I hope to one day be a part of. We all know that the digital sphere is saturated with independent fashion and beauty bloggers who are hoping their content helps them make it big. Our feeds are constantly displaying accounts upon reccommended accounts of young professionals trying to create a space for themselves in what appears on the surface to be an incredibly lucrative and glamorous industry. And truth be told, we don't need any more of them. What fashion needs now is intelligent, forward thinking, critical voices who bring something new, substantial and meaningful to the table. Fashion needs intellect. Fashion needs credibility. Fashion does not need another twenty-something posting alleyway photographs of a recent shopping spree gone too far.
As I struggled with this over the past year, I realized the things I was posting here didn't feel new to me - I was recycling things I loved that other people did; things I want to one day do myself. So I took a step back and focused on developing my own body of work. Making connections with people in my industry here in Toronto that I thought were cool, and attempted to set the ground work for opportunities I will pursue after graduation. I created a fashion magazine with a friend for a major school project. I organized, orchestrated and styled a "Winter Warrior" photo shoot for our magazine's cover. I wrote trend reports, beauty stories, and interviewed local designers all in the hopes of making meaningful connections for the future. I collaborated with local retailers I've admired for ages. And I may have found myself the greatest internship on the planet that I hope to pursue this summer. These are the things I've been focusing on and these are the things that I feel matter most right now. These are what I hope to focus on in the new year, and beyond.
Now, please do not panic - this is not the end of this blog. I am not saying goodbye. Style Without A Cause will continue in 2017 and I hope to bring you as much content as I can because I do truly love sharing the things I love with all of you. I just hope that the inconsisent posting and the intermittent communication does not dampen your experience here. I hope I can share new things with all of you, help you discover brands and products and places you never knew existed, but now cannot live without. But I also need to focus on real life and setting good, thoughtful, meaningful groundwork for the future.
So I hope you forgive me, these are very busy times. But it is certainly not goodbye.
Here are a few of my favourite moments and memories from the past year (all found on my Instagram).
So I hope you forgive me, these are very busy times. But it is certainly not goodbye.
Here are a few of my favourite moments and memories from the past year (all found on my Instagram).
xoxo and happy new year!
Naomi
Naomi