As the new year steadfastly approaches, my mind has been consumed with ideas and ways to make changes to this site and to my business that are better suited to my personal needs and desires. Truth be told, I do not sincerely love fashion and I have many ethical qualms with the industry itself. I do, however, love design, style and, of course, vintage. Lately, I've been struggling with this blog and how I want to maintain it in a way that feels more natural to me. Many of the things I am sincerely passionate about have to remain either silent or neutral in my voice because this blog is an extension of a business I've spent the past 6 years building & nurturing.
My professional life is a small part of who I am and could never define me as a whole. Yes, I love being a shopkeeper, I love promoting sustainable & ethical shopping through vintage style, but I am also an activist, an artist, a feminist and a highly spiritual being. To even write this out and reveal it seems somewhat scary to me, but it shouldn't and that's a struggle I am willing to face and use for what I'm certain will result in something positive.
Letting this all out has freed me to allow myself to produce ideas for content for this blog that will more accurately reflect my passions; namely - supporting independent businesses & artists & buying local, handmade & second hand goods as a means to promote sustainability, reduce our carbon footprint & help reduce sweatshop production. I'm excited over new ideas I have for content and to combine them with posts that you may already enjoy reading on this blog. I hope that you enjoy my new ideas when I share them with you!
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Rachel, I feel you girl! Who you are in relation to how you represent yourself via your business entity outlets online can be confusing and overwhelming. I am constantly struggling with what is appropriate, what is relevant, what is engaging, and what may just help increase sales! I am also ready to make some changes, and your blog is an inspiration :-)
ReplyDeleteI understand where you're coming from and I am excited to see where you go with it. I think it will only benefit you in the long run to be vocal.
ReplyDeleteditto! i totally understand this too. i think what i give thought to most is my faith and social media. as a Christian i try not to separate myself into little boxes, meaning my faith is here, my career here, motherhood here, etc..i share my personal life to an extent via my blog but i hate the feeling of tip toeing not knowing what is appropriate or "business like" yet i am my own business and want to come across approachable. i mean that's my ultimate goal as a business owner, being more personable and accountable and doing it with purpose. we will always have our critics. well here's to all of us finding our path on how we want to build our business and ourselves in the new year!...cheers
ReplyDeleteWell, you aren't going to leave ME in the cold if you want to talk Activism and Sustainability and Spirituality! And I'm sure there are a lot of other readers who feel the same. I am excited for your new ideas and the evolution of this awesome blog! (-: Sasha
ReplyDeleteYeah girl!! I know what you mean, its hard to talk about the wastefulness of fashion as an industry without possibly stepping on some toes... I fully support your choice to start getting real when it comes to these issues.
ReplyDeleteviva 2012 - we're moving towards the age of the feminine; your choice is entirely in line with this and I'm sure you will flourish in all aspects of your life for going with this flow. Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteThis post makes me so excited!! As much as I love MouseVox now, I think by freeing yourself to blog about a broader range of subjects you will improve it even more! You're such a fiery, passionate person in "real life", and I'm thrilled to see you what you have to say to the blogosphere. :]
ReplyDeleteYou are a treasure, Rachel. I'm proud to call you my friend. I'm sure this is a tough line to not cross because I know how passionate you are about EVERYTHING you do, feel and think. Just keep on keeping it real and everything will fall into its right place.
ReplyDeleteI think this is wonderful, Rachel. I cannot wait to see what the new year has in store for you, your blog and your business. :)
ReplyDeletereally excited, doll!
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this! These are all things that I struggle with as well, especially as a feminist. I want to discuss so many more things in blog posts, but I often feel the inability to do so because "politics and religion" are not "appropriate" topics.
ReplyDeleteI made the commitment to myself to start being more vocal on the blog, especially since I am so vocal in "real life." I study sexuality and fight for LGB rights god damnit. I should be able to express this in Internet land as well.
I like your new ideas for the blog. I agree the fashion industry isn't very ethical, lately I have been finding fashion kind of boring, but not style, art and design.
ReplyDeleteThank you for making a commitment to be more true to yourself. This is very inspiring. Blogging about clothes is great, but so many blogs these days are lacking true depth and meaning. Thank you for standing out!
ReplyDeleteGood for you! I don't see that being a humane, ethical person and a shop owner need be mutually exclusive. I look forward to reading more about the subjects dear to you.
ReplyDeleteI'm so looking forward to this change! I starting reading fashion blogs recently because I design for a fair trade company; and the lack of ethical fashion dialogue is pretty astounding. (Certainly there is dialogue about ethics, and about fashion, but it is not often you find places for the two to come together). I'm glad you are pursuing what is important to you!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to seeing new content. I changed my blog name so that it would be different from my shop name partly because of the things you've said in this post.
ReplyDeleteI love what you wrote so much and can definitely tell it comes from deep within your soul. You have so much to offer so I hope you go with your gut and follow your heart. Let's get together soon my dear.
ReplyDeleteXO
Jacke
you are such a beautiful and intelligent person. i'm looking forward to what's to come.
ReplyDeleteyou are an inspiration to more people than you realize. don't feel restricted by anything - you are in a new and exciting place with lots of amazing things to delight and inspire. I look forward to what the future holds for you and your blog!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you linked back to this! I'm usually really vocal about my views on sustainable living/supporting local industry, handmade, and secondhand, but certainly sometimes worry I'm "ranting" too often, & certainly know what u mean about sharing political views, etc. I for one though would be thrilled to hear more about the activism, art, and spiritual side of you, def makes you so diff! Do you practice a certain religion or elements of many?
ReplyDeletehttp://dusanabotswana.com/