2017 Recap

A YEAR OF CHANGE

It's Christina here, writing to let you know about my year. Reflecting, I think I am getting a better understanding of who I want to be in both my personal and business life. I realized that 2017 was my year of 'change', which will be a constant theme throughout this blog post. One of the things I'm happy I learnt is when its the right time to say no. I realized that I learned it the hard way, but I'm no longer a "Yes Sayer". What's a "Yes sayer" you may ask? Someone who doesn't say no to someone to please someone else although it may not be in their best interest. I told myself that I could do anything I put my mind to as an excuse to never say no, but the truth was it only made me more stressed and tired. I had to remind myself that I have a personal life besides my business and personal blog. I had to figure out how to carve out time not only for myself, but also for my husband and dog. A word of advice to anyone reading this is to say no once in a while, because you will feel 100% better.

I've learnt to be better and to do better in almost every aspect of my life. I'm constantly reading; trying to learn as much as I can from other bloggers, Instagramers, Youtubers, books, and magazines. I’m constantly reminding myself that everything grows with time  and that patience is key. When I'm patient with overcoming obstacles in my life, I see God perform miracles in my life. If you told me two or three years ago that I would be working for myself and living in Pittsburgh, I would laugh because they weren't part of the vision for my life at the time. 2017 surely taught me about TIME. We leave behind the things we consider toxic in our lives. 

REARRANGE YOUR CLOSET REARRANGE YOUR LIFE

I decided to change my closet and took away clothes that I've had for for having sake. I never was that girl with a lot of colored clothes. I came up with a plan to donate all clothes I didn't wear within 90 days. My closet is now filled with whites, nudes, grays, and blacks which I love. I think my closet now reflects me and the minimal lifestyle I wish to live. I no longer buy cheap clothes in bulk just to have, but rather high quality pieces that pushed my wardrobe to the next level. Take the time to rearrange your closet, donate the old pieces, and challenge yourself to leave only the pieces that are essential.

CHANGE YOUR INSTAGRAM FEED

The past month you might have noticed a change in my Instagram feed. I feel like my feed is always changing, but this time I can truly say I’m satisfied with it. I was always spending hours and hours on my computer editing and planning my feed to be perfect, but for the last month of 2017 I decided I didn’t want to devote so much time to planning anymore. I wanted to be able to post anything I felt in the moment while still fitting my overall aesthetic. I decided to start when I went to New York for the holidays because I didn’t want to have to post Pittsburgh photos while in NYC. That just felt wrong! I started using the VSCO photo editing app that allowed me to use filters that helped me post on the whim.

CHANGE ISN'T PAINFUL

That word change relates to us all in different ways. For me change is inevitable. When it relates to my business it started back in January 2017 when I re-branded my Christina Darville Studios social media pages trying to make sure the content was cohesive. At the time I didn't realize how impactful rebranding was in opening new opportunities for my business. I learnt so much about social media and content creation by creating content for my person, business and client's pages. Although the end result sounds perfect, the journey was rough. There were times when I wanted to give up on my personal IG because I got shadow banned three times. (If you dont know what that is then read my previous blog here https://iamchristinaxo.blogspot.com/2017/10/s-q-u-r-e-s_27.html)

Start is another interesting word. In 2017 I started my blog! The name stayed the same from the beginning but the logo changed about four times. Sometimes Its hard being a designer because you always have that feeling of wanting to do better than your last project. In my opinion its difficult designing for yourself versus someone else. I felt like I didn't know what I wanted for my personal brand and that's why it constantly changed. I'm finally content with the logo that is currently on my blog. I also added the term "trust the aesthetics" as the slogan for the blog. That slogan came about from me and my husband creating our Youtube channel. I feel like that name explains everything about me and my husband's approach to everything! Yes, I know we've been slacking on content for Youtube versus Instagram, but that will all change in 2018. Believe it or not but I consider my blog/Instagram to be as much as my husband's as it is mine. I do the writing and plan the photoshoots but he proof reads every post and takes every photo. I just edit the photos. My point is that its a team effort between us both and its something we both invest time and energy into. 

Speaking about my husband. I also got married and changed my last name to Williamson in 2017! After 7 years of being together, I was still nervous to walk down the aisle because I hate being the center of attention. Once I was in that moment all of my fear went away and I just remember staring at my husband. This was my biggest change in 2017 but I couldn't be happier. Whenever we go to events and he introduces me as his wife, I still feel the butterflies in my stomach. It reaffirms the reality that I am now Christina Willnika Williamson.

NEW YEAR, NEW BEGINNINGS

Each day of the year is a new opportunity and a new beginning. We should never wait for the New Year to make the changes we would like to see. The New Year should always be a stepping stone to the larger goal. My current big goal is to own a studio where I can create art, have photoshoots and conduct business. I don't ever want to get side tracked so I dream about it daily; thinking about the great things I can accomplish in the space.

I don't want to ever stop being a dreamer so I constantly speak of huge projects and how I wish to achieve them one day. So cheers to a New Year, dream the biggest dreams, conquer them one by one, and always remember the only person that can stand in your way is you.

Happy New Year from Trust the Aesthetics!

                                                                         -Christina