ON AUTHENTICITY

Oh, the sweet words of Socrates...

Ahoy, sweet readers! I interrupt this week's product-filled posts for a few words on authenticity. These thoughts have been lingering in my head for a few months, and I honestly didn't know how to express myself eloquently enough to make them publish worthy. After several failed attempts and feelings festering inside, here it goes!

Many of us make the social media rounds numerous times a day. If you're like me, maybe you've noticed a lack of creativity and authenticity lately. I'm not here to point fingers, but it's rather frustrating. Inspiration is different than imitation. Believe me, I've made the mistake of confusing these two in the past. The more I learned about myself, the more I could let go of the crutch of being like someone else. It's freeing, my friends. The more in-tune you are to YOURSELF, the more genuine you become. Like anyone I'm a work in progress, but the more accepting I've become of my quirks, imperfections, and flaws, the more I've grown to like myself. Some of those quirks I wear with honor.  

If at ANY point, you find yourself replicating someone else in ANY way, whether it be the way they dress, style their home, design their blog, etc., I ask you to take a ginormous step back and ask yourself WHY. Sure, you may like the way THEY did something, but ask yourself how YOU could create a piece of work that matches your personal panache. What does it say about YOU? Is it a genuine expression of YOURSELF? You are beautiful and different, and that's flipping fantastic! Own who YOU are. Many bloggers and 'grammers have a similar aesthetic or interest — that's one of the many reasons we've connected via social media, and I love that! If we all squeal over fresh Peonies and skip to our local J.Crew, that's fine, but it doesn't define who we are. In fact, it would be incredibly boring if we're all the SAME. Instead, I believe we should be using social media outlets to make a statement about who we are as individuals. It's not about the number of followers you have or the number of hits your post receives, it's about putting yourself out there, quirks and all. Once we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and let go of any notions of who we think we should be, we'll discover someone who is incredibly genuine and unique. Why live life any other way? 

Do something because you LOVE it, buy the tchotchke because it's YOU and not because someone says you need it, design a post because it makes YOU downright giddy, style your home or outfit because it's an expression of who YOU are. For the love of polka-dots and fizzy drinks, please be YOU. Now go on and let those imperfections sparkle, darling!

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IMAGE CREDIT: Vintage Typewriter