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Life Lately
Hi, Hello, Hey... it's been a hot minute hasn't it! 2020 is proving to be A LOT already and I've really not been in the headspace to sit and write anything. I've had big ~life things going on and my mental health has been crumbling under the strain (as it has been for the past year or 2 tbh) so taking a step back and making time to just sit and read or draw or do a jigsaw has been far more essential than putting pressure on myself to create content that I'm not in the headspace for. But after (half) of the heavy weight sitting on my chest has been lifted, I'm feeling a little lighter and a lot more motivated. I've had next to no inspiration to be creative since January, but suddenly have had a flurry of ideas that I need to work on immediately and I'm feeling somewhat happy!
Great timing that my flurry of inspiration hits at the same time as a global pandemic, as I now don't feel like I should be out and about shooting photos but we can always get creative at home! And I think we could all do with some light-hearted relief in the form of jovial blog content.
I don't really feel like I want to (or am able to) write anything heavy/personal nor do I feel like that's anything that anyone is remotely interesting in reading right now, so instead I thought I'd share what I've been up to since the start of the year; some book, film and TV recommendations, etc. along with images of my favourite outfits of 2020 so far, ofc...
What I've Read
Little Women! After seeing (and loving) the film at the cinema in December, I immediately invested in a copy of Louisa May Alcotts bestseller and sprung it to the top of my TBR list. If, like me, you've seen the film first, it gives a lot more detail and story filler and it makes Amy much more likeable (I hated not liking Florence Pugh tbh). But yeah, this is a must-read and I don't know why I've never picked it up before, but it is now the start of my quest to read more classics.
I kicked off March by reading The Insecure Girls Handbook by Liv Purvis. I love everything that she does, her content is next level and I knew this was a must-read for me. It didn't disappoint - such an uplifting book when I needed it most and one I will refer back to regularly.
I've also read Me by Elton John recently which was a wonderful read because, my GOD, what a life! And Swing Time by Zadie Smith which was actually my first venture into her work. (I know, I'm sorry.) It was a great read, a book to really get lost in and I actually really like when stories flick between past and present so not everything ties up immediately. I've already picked up a couple of her other books to add to my ever-growing TBR list!
What I've Watched
I feel like I've watched so much in the past 3 months that I could talk about so I'll try to keep it brief! Sex Education season 2 was just as amazing if not better than the first season, it's great uplifting escapism which everyone could do with right now. Of course like the rest of the internet, I've watched Love Is Blind too which is wonderfully mad and another great piece of escapism from the real world. I finally watched Miss Americana last week after it had been on my list for a while and I just fell more in love with Taylor Swift, she's brilliant isn't she? I've also just finished The Stranger which was bizarre and completely bonkers, we guessed all of the ending but still a great watch. And how can I forget Next In Fashion! Alexa Chung and Tan France are both wonderful so I knew it was gonna be good, but I got so hooked and really got attached to so many of the contestants I never wanted anyone to go.
A couple I loved at the cinemas! Emma (which is now top of my 'classic books to read' list) was a great watch and I believe it's actually due for early release on Sky now the cinemas have had to close? Definitely worth a watch; lovely, wholesome and uplifting! I never knew Cher Horowitz was basically 90's Emma? Also, Parasite! I didn't really know all that much about the plot before going to see it, just that it had a lot of nominations and talk around it. I was HOOKED. It was amazing and one I'd recommend to everyone.
What I've Listened To
I've not kept up with any of my podcasts really this year. Whenever I've had the time where I'd usually pop one on (in the car or at the gym, mainly) I've just wanted the light relief of some good music. And I've actually been very boring in not finding much new music but I have been enjoying some Sam Fender, Gerry Cinnamon, Jerry Williams and Red Rum Club!
Also, musicals are my ultimate guilty pleasure (in fact it's not even that guilty, I just bloody love a good musical) so discovering the Magic at the Musicals radio station has been amazing for a good car sing-a-long!
I'm starting to invest more in vinyls too so I've had The 1975, Harry Styles and Swim Deep on loop at home as they're the only ones I currently own...
Some Highlights
I went to see The 1975! I'm a big big fan and went to see them back in 2014(!) at Manchester Academy when I was a student (and the tickets were much more affordable). But with my social anxiety and not enjoying crowds I haven't seen them since.
I kind of surprised myself when I booked tickets last year after getting a presale code from Spotify, it was very much a spur of the moment decision when I opened the email, but it was the best night of 2020 so far and I'm SO glad I went.
It was my brothers birthday in February and we all went Axe Throwing which, I'm saying was a highlight, but I was actually terrible at it and gave up. It was good fun and a great day out though!
I've seen a couple of different shows at the theatre so far this year including We Will Rock You, which was a Christmas present for my dad and although it was completely bonkers was wonderful; and Sound Of Music which was for my mums birthday. It's just a classic isn't it and the cast were incredible. I've also been to a few new vintage kilo sales run by different companies and picked up some GEMS. I'm looking forward to hopefully going to some more towards the end of the year when things calm down.
At the start of last month I set up a new Instagram page to share my journey to a vegan diet! You can follow along at emmsvegandiary and although visits to vegan restaurants are now on hold, I'll try to keep up with at-home meals.
Not really a highlight but also definitely a highlight, is that my local Caffe Nero joined the TooGoodToGo app (which, if you don't know, is a great place to get food that's near its use-by date and save it from being wasted) and the bags from them are Next Level Good! So many pastries, cakes and treats to share with your loved ones (or savour yourself if it's been one of those days!) and I even scored a winner with a vegan meatball panini in one...
(Obviously you can't dictate vegan or even vegetarian options, but as I'm not strictly vegan [though I am trying] it's ok. Especially when I have family to share everything with!)
Anyway share your favourite books/TV shows/movies etc. down below!
Loves. Emma.
Thoughts On Blogging
When I first started blogging I was fresh out of University, struggling to find a job and navigate adult-life, simply wanting somewhere to express myself; write some rambles and share my favourite things. Fast forward four and a half years (!) and I'm finding it harder and harder to do so. It's not like I've grown an enormous following and struggle to share things without being judged, because I've never actively tried to grow my following and in fact have probably curbed this by being inconsistent and not following the trends. But the atmosphere and the attitude to sharing your life (even small parts of it) online has changed exponentially in recent years. Heck, my attitude to sharing your life online has changed.
We all love a thinkpiece; something to read that's got some substance to it, that's a bit gritty and more than just 'how to style a white tee'. But in the age of relatable content how sincere are your thinkpieces when you're churning them out week on week?
And this isn't simply limited to thinkpieces either is it, because how sincere are your ~hashtag relatable~ instagram posts captioned with a tale of how this is actually a candid today? How sincere are all these 'posed vs relaxed' images where slim girls are forcing stomach rolls to preach body positivity? How sincere are all the 'it's ok to talk' messages shared for mental health awareness when you're rude and nasty to people in person?
I'm regularly unfollowing and 'curating my feeds' but this week I culled over 150 accounts on Instagram alone, and last month I spruced up my BlogLovin feed with a few unfollows and some new discoveries too - I still find this the best place to have my favourite blogs all in one place. And while it's nice to get a refresh like this, it's becoming tiresome seeing people force clickbait relatability in an attempt to succeed in an oversaturated market.
It often becomes embarrassing to call yourself a blogger when you see and hear how others are behaving.
There are plenty of people who do this whole blogging thing well and I'm simply trying to surround myself with those; to be one of those. My favourite people online are those who share their insights and thinkpieces sporadically, when inspiration strikes, interspersed with ~normal content; who don't hop on fast-passing relatability trends; who simply put out good content consistently.
Maybe now I've got this off my chest and am feeling inspired with my fresh new feeds, I'll get back to some kind of regular posting!
Loves. Emma.
2019 in outfits
The end of another year means another round-up of my favourite outfits that I've worn in the past 12 months! There actually weren't as many to choose from this year because I've been far less consistent in sharing my outfits over on the gram. I've just not found myself wanting to be on there as much as previous years, not wanting to really get into the whole ~influencer~ thing; I stopped actively trying to grow my account and stopped accepting ADs because I'm just not sure where I want to be in this whole blogging thing right now? So maybe 2020 will bring some clarity and a big ole ramble of a post about this. But for new, enjoy a photo filled post of my best worn clothes!
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
Which is your favourite?
Loves. Emma.
Loves. Emma.