I’m Back!

Well. It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? 

If you’re a long time reader, hello again! If you’re brand new, I’d love to wish you a great big warm welcome. Regardless of how you landed here, I’m so grateful that you did. 

Last we spoke, it was March of 2019. I told you that I was planning to take a break from the blog in order to pursue some other creative hobbies, and that I’d be “posting less often”. I didn’t quite know at the time that less often was going to be over a year later, but as I’m sure you’ll agree, life and the world have been full of surprises lately! 

Let’s just say a lot has changed since my last post. To recap where we left off, I’d recently moved to Los Angeles from Vancouver, BC to pursue my dream job at an incredible company that I couldn’t be more proud to work for – and still am! I shared that the blog had become a very central part of my life, and that I really wanted to develop myself in other areas. I wanted to explore LA, meet new people, and spend some time away from my screens. And oh my, after 9 years, was that ever long overdue! 

I started meeting some wonderful friends in LA, saw places I’d always wanted to see, and stumbled across hidden gems I never would have expected. I became a caring mum to over 60 house plants, fell even further in love with my job, and with the city that had become my home. Sunshine, beaches, palm trees – all of it was just as great as I’d dreamed it would be, and everything just felt so right, like it was exactly where I was supposed to be all along.

Did I end up getting away from my screens, and did I spend more time disconnected from my devices? Oh I sure did. 

When I wasn’t at work, I found myself falling head over heels in love with all sorts of creative pursuits. Pottery, hand lettering, colouring, succulent arranging, candle making, and my biggest love of all, card making. This was something I did as a kid, and WOW, has paper crafting ever changed since then – in GREAT ways! My weekends and after-work hours were spent creating all sorts of cards, and time would literally vanish. In the process, I learned that, just like the community of health and wellness bloggers I’d been part of for so long, there’s also a BIG community of crafters. The friends I’ve met through developing myself creatively are some of the most caring, talented, wonderful people I know – even if most of them are people I’ve only ever met virtually.

Then Spring of this year came. Oh boy.

While COVID-19 impacted the entire world (and continues to do so today), for reasons far beyond my control, I had to move back to Vancouver. Everything happened very quickly in April, and to say I was devastated to leave LA would be an understatement. (Just ask a few of my close friends and co-workers. They will confirm  that I was a hot emotional mess!)

From packing up my life in less than 2 weeks, to flying back and self-isolating for 14 days while I found a new apartment in Vancouver, it was a whirlwind. That wasn’t the end of the rollercoaster, as more recent months have brought on unexpected injuries and autoimmune health issues that are still a little too fresh to talk about. I’ll save that chat for another time because otherwise we’ll be here all day!

I know I’m not the only one who’s experienced a year of challenge, grief and stress. At the same time, it’s never been more clear to me that I have SO much to be thankful for. In fact, throughout this time of pause in the world, I’ve made it a non-negotiable daily practice to express gratitude for those things. I’ve also found that through the hard times, surrounding myself with positivity in whatever ways possible is one of the best ways to help lift my mind to a better place. When that happens, a lot of other goodness follows. 

And this brings me back to the blog.

Re-discovering and spending time pursuing creative hobbies has quite literally saved me this year. In a world where a lot of us are turning online for social connection, I’ve been feeling very compelled to come back here, this time, to share my handmade creations (mostly cards for now!) and put some positivity out there, perhaps inspiring you to get creative and do the same. This is exactly what you can expect to see future posts, with some personal stories and glimpses into my life along the way.

“But I thought My Fresh Perspective was about food and fitness?”

I know, I know – that’s what it’s always been since 2010! The marketer in me was dying to set up a separate brand and blog for this new direction, especially because my schooling has taught me all of the best practices when it comes to marketing and brand building. Guys, this is the stuff I GEEK OUT over in my day job! But… honestly, the multipassionate craft-loving, less-type-A-than-I-used-to-be part of me doesn’t want the work that goes along with all of that! Rebuilding a blog from scratch is a BIG undertaking, and truly, I’d rather be spending more time creating pretty, handmade things to share with you! That’s what I’ve decided to do.

I’m going to be making a few updates to My Fresh Perspective over the next little while to reflect the changes I’ve just described, so thank you in advance for bearing with me during this transition. The food and fitness content will still be here for you to find and enjoy, which I really hope you do if you’re interested. If you’re also keen to feel creatively inspired, learn about my favourite card making techniques, and maybe even give it a try, then brace yourself – there’s plenty of that to come!

 

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