Cocoa Butter Diaries: 2020 Energy
Cocoa Butter Diaries: 2020 Energy
Happy Monday Cocoa Butter Crewe,
It’s been about 3 months since my last post. Normally I would apologize for such a lengthy leave of absence but I’m not sorry about it. Frankly, I didn’t feel like writing. There were times that I tried but when it was time to put thumb to screen I had nada. But this was different from “writers block”. I didn’t know how to say what I wanted to say. Until now.
As some of you may know, I took a break between Christmas and New Years from the blog. No instagram, no emails…nothing! During that time, I started setting my intentions for 2020 (goals, things I wanted to let go of, etc.). My journey eventually brought me here and I started reading my old blog posts. It was then that I rediscovered my why. So here’s my “2020 Energy” for all things Cocoa Butter Diaries:
When I started my blog back in 2015, it was because I needed a creative outlet to distract me from my demanding corporate finance job. There were no such things as influencers and Instagram didn’t have an algorithm (or as many filters either lol). I was just sharing my everyday looks with family, friends, and a faithful few folks on the internets. I saw that there was a lack of a “real girls closet” perspective in the blogging world where it was okay to repeat outfits and invest in pieces that you could wear time and time again. That’s how I’ve always dressed so that’s what I set out to do. And I felt like I’ve stuck to that over the past 4.5 years for the most part. But in 2020, that’s all that I’ll be doing. Full stop.
The bottom line is this: If you’re looking for someone who is constantly posting hauls or always shopping, that’s not me nor will it ever be me. I like to repeat outfits. A lot. Also, we all know why bloggers really do shop constantly: affiliate links. Bloggers do try-ons and hauls to get you to buy the stuff you see so that we make money from your purchases. But the gag is we usually get them for FREE. Or if we DO buy them we wear it for the gram and then return it. Even the head to toe designer looks that the mega influencers wear to fashion week are borrowed and they don’t style themselves! It’s all an illusion *cue spooky sound effects*
Secondly, my numbers have shown me that that’s not why y’all are here either. You’re here for fashion inspiration. Periodt. I get messages all the time about how I’ve inspired you to try a trend you never thought you would or you seek my advice on whether a certain investment piece is worth it. Those messages reaffirm that I’m doing what I set out to do with my platform. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
Thirdly, blogging isn’t my primary source of income. Yes, there’s tons of money to be made in the influencer marketing world but my goals are bigger than that. I’m more of a multiple stream kind of gal. I only want to work with brands that value me and what I’m about. I want to post when I want to, not because I have to. I want to be paid what I’m worth. And I’m going back to school to get a better job in the field I love in order to finance my passion projects. I’m a data nerd at my core and not sitting at a desk coding and building databases is me not making use of my God-given talent.
Finally, I started shopping with more intention in 2019. I buy less and focus more on quality. And I find myself wearing more of my wardrobe because I genuinely love every piece and get excited to wear them. That’s why I want to know what pieces you struggle with styling so that I can create content that inspires you to pull it out of your closet and wear it. Or if you see something you like while out shopping and want my two cents, send me a DM. If you wanna know who makes something I’m wearing in an insta story, DM me and I’ll answer. If you want a link to something, just ask! I’M HERE TO HELP! We can all shine in 2020.
This blog post was a lot and I appreciate you sticking it out to the end. Until next time!
xoxo, CCB
