Lost my mojo a bit half way through last week. I started off all guns blazing with my wardrobe week, Monday was sorting day and Tuesday was trying-on day. I was posting on Instagram as I went along, practicing using some hashtags. Mid-week, I started writing a blog post but I couldn’t seem to focus and the words didn’t flow. As each day passed and I missed my planned deadline, I had to re-write as the context was wrong. Towards the end of the week my motivation trailed off and I’ve been avoiding the keyboard all weekend.

It’s been a weird couple of weeks, we lost someone very dear to our community, very suddenly; someone I saw everyday who was taken before his time. For the first week or so, I was in shocked disbelief, the family were keeping busy and life seemed to feel normal. But as reality sunk in, the mood quietened and shock turned to sadness. It was the funeral on Friday, an amazing service attended by over 100 people, a sunny day to say goodbye. And it hits you that you will never see that person again. And everything seems a bit trivial, it’s hard to be excited about your wardrobe or blog about fashion brands.

This is when I miss working as part of a team, when I find working alone at home is particularly challenging. Your motivation has to come from within and it’s hard when something happens to unsteady the force. At the best of times blogging can feel lonely, despite what your Google analytics are telling you, it’s not the same as proper human interaction. This is such a personal journey for me, the culmination of all of my life so far and a search for a new career at an age when I fall harder. I’ve put myself out there because so much of what I am doing is who I am.

On reflection, my reluctance to blog has been me wrestling with how to restart, it didn’t feel right to carry on as if nothing has happened. I feel vulnerable, angry and that life is unfair and those are real emotions that will inform my future in some way, they can’t be ignored. But until recently, I was excited and enjoying blogging, making some valuable connections and feeling positive about the future. So I need a reboot, a challenge to get me fired up again.

For some time now, I’ve been trying to master the art of writing and publishing a quick blog post rather than pouring over it for days! And I’d like to generate more readers and followers, so I’ve had a crash course in hashtags from my lovely mentor, Sylwia and I’m practicing using other social media channels with hashtags in between blog posts.

With these two things in mind, I’ve made a plan and I’m going to gather up the work I started last week and post each day, keeping each post short and posting updates on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Going forward I’m using #emmasfashionblog for everything I post and adding either #wardrobe #upcycle #sewing #ethical to identify the blog category. Since my trying on session I’ve tried to wear something each day that I’ve rediscovered in my wardrobe, so I will continue this week, posting using #reloved. Please join me, find something you haven’t worn for a long time, take a pic and post on Instagram using #emmasfashionblog #wardrobe #reloved

So, the week ahead … following my own “Restyle Your Own Wardrobe Guide”, featured in an earlier post.

Tuesday – Edit & Sort

Wednesday – Trying On 

Thursday – Understanding Your Shape

Friday – Summer Capsule Wardrobe

I’m on a steep learning curve, thankful that social media is fast moving and my mistakes disappear quickly! Feedback keeps me going, it’s so lovely when people respond or are moved to comment. Keep in touch, talk to me or even subscribe by using the button on the right – it’ll make my day!