Happy Tuesday lovelies. I slept late and stayed in my pjs for the majority of yesterday but today I must fight thru the tiredness because I have to get some design projects complete. I was so tired yesterday I felt like a zombie or I had what some are calling the “Haven Hangover.” I’m not going to lie yesterday was a challenging day for me. I spent majority of the day sitting in my living room reflecting and praying. Except for the slight mental breakdown I had where I cried, because for some odd reason it randomly popped in my mind I had forgot my garment bag that contained two of my favorite dresses at a hotel two states away… Yes, after pure panic and a few phone calls the hotel located the bag and are shipping it back to me. Thank you Jesus and The Grand Hyatt Buckhead!
I haven’t blog in almost a month. I have been feeling lost, confused, and uninspired lately. I felt I lacked content and if I didn’t have a new project to share no one would even care about anything else I wanted to write about. Kind of like one of those “What in the crap are you even doing” moments. Yes, we all have those moments. I just felt like I couldn’t find my voice. I would try to blog and just sit staring at an empty screen. But that all changed this past weekend.
Let me rewind a little bit and fill you in. This past weekend I attended the Haven Conference in Atlanta, GA. Haven is a bloggers conference focusing on DIY and all things home. But to me and many others Haven is so much more. For me Haven was a turning point for my business. I left the conference with the inspiration and new found knowledge to share more of what I love with the world. I can not even begin to describe in words my overall experience at Haven.
I met so many fellow bloggers who all inspire others through their amazing talents and blogs. I was finally able to put a face with so many blog names I have followed for years. Many of these ladies are now my friends and no longer just a blog name or someone I converse with via DM on Instagram. I signed up to attend Haven without knowing anyone. I booked my hotel with two double beds in hopes of finding a roommate. After posting to a FB group I found two roommates. Ya me!! I had no idea who they were and my husband was like what if they are totally creepy…. I drove 5 hours by myself not evening knowing what to expect. I had that fear- kind of like that feeling you got on the first of a new school and trying to find somewhere to sit at lunch. This was all so new to me. But everyone at Haven welcomed me with open arms and lots of hugs. My roommates were two amazing ladies who I had never met before (BTW totally not creepy at all), but we laid in bed talking like we had known each other forever until the late hours of the night. Haven was a true blessing for me as a person, blogger, and business owner.
Of course I learned A LOT of blogging related information, and yes I will slowly start implementing what I learned into my blogging. But the most valuable thing I learned was not taught in a class. The most valuable thing I took away from Haven was to find genuine happiness. That unless you are being genuine on your blog you will not be happy as a blogger.
Some of you may blog but many of you may not. Often times bloggers feel inadequate and lonely. Like we are the only person in the world sitting in paint covered yoga pants, at noon typing away on our laptops, waiting for paint to dry on our latest DIY project. We do not have a provided support system like most corporate jobs that comes in the form of co-workers. We do not have co-workers. That is why as a blogger or business owner it is so important to find your “tribe.” Find people you can talk to, you can relate with, people who truly understand you. Once you form this tribe you will have people who support you, build you up, and most important of all connect with you on a deep level. Humans crave connectivity. So no matter what occupation you have, even if you’re a stay at home mommy, I highly recommend you find a tribe to be part of. Find people you can share your accomplishments with or seek advise when nothing is going right. Although I may not currently be a member of a tribe-YET, I have found the community in which to search. Through this tribe and support system you will find genuine happiness.
You can not fake your happiness. Yes as a blogger I can write all these post about how beautiful my bedroom is, or how perfect my kitchen looks, when in reality and behind that camera lens is a pile of dirty dishes, a unmade bed, and a tired girl who rushed her husband out the door without a kiss because she HAS TO post to Instagram. The beautiful images will only cover your fake happiness for so long. And who wants to live a life of fake happiness?! I want that genuine happiness. I want more moments behind that camera lens. I want those dirty dishes to sit while I cuddle on the couch with my family. Realize life does not have to be picture perfect all the time. I want to take all these fake, pretend moments and make them real. Even if that means stepping out of my comfort zone and sharing new things, sharing the moments where I fail or those not so picture perfect moments. Not worrying about the likes or what others will think. I want to make sure I am being myself, and that is the person you as a reader learns about and comes to know. This applies to anyone, not just bloggers. Being yourself and not pretending will lead a life of genuine happiness.
I’m not usually very personal on my blog and I want that to change. I want you to learn more about me and I want to not only inspire you to have a loving, purposeful, functional, and beautiful home. I want to also inspire you to have a loving, purposeful, functional, beautiful, genuine happy life!
Many new things are coming for Plum Pretty and I am truly excited and happy to watch this blog and business of mine transform. Even if that means major changes. Thank you so much for reading my posts and I hope to share more with you about me through this virtual friendship! I hope through this blog I somehow provide you with just a little bit of inspiration and happiness!
With love,
