Lately I’ve been in a battle with myself and my blog. With what I want my blog to be, and what my time allows for.

I realize part of the problem at the moment is the time of the year. The later parts of spring and the first half of summer are always rough for myself and Patrick, as it is the time that leads up to a huge work conference for Patrick, which leaves us with limited time to go out. Also, since moving to California we have found ourselves with extremely busy social schedules. Birthdays, random social events, etc. cut down on the time we have to visit unique destinations and museums, often leaving me with just an outfit post here and there, which is something I’ve wanted to work on shying away from. However, recently I had a bit of a revelation.

My recent post Saturday at Knott’s received zero comments. Nada. Zilch. Goose egg. None. This outfit honestly ranks among one of my favorites that I’ve shared, so the lack of comments was a hard blow. It made me feel like my favorite styling was one of zero interest to my readers. But here is the thing…I know that western attire, or even my personal style that I’ve developed, isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But what I hope any of my outfits do is inspire. You don’t have to like what I wear, but I would hope that the out-there-ness of my style choices inspires you to go out there and create your own personal style.

No matter what I have on my body, I just want to inspire you to be yourself, wear what makes you happy, and what makes you feel good. That’s the point of clothing; show off your personality. If you’re out there reading this, and you want to start wearing a certain kind of style, I want you do be inspired, to be bold, and do it. Rock whatever kind of style you want, no matter what anyone else says. It’s okay to be different and to stand out. The Harry Potter character Luna Lovegood said it best, “Being different isn’t a bad thing. It means you’re brave enough to be yourself.”

My biggest piece of advice on fashion is the following: do not listen to trends. It’s seriously one of the biggest disservices you can do to yourself. Do not allow some random magazine dictate what you should and should not wear. You will be nothing but unhappy, and you will spend more money on clothing, buying items that will be “out of style” in a matter of months, and sometimes you’ll end up talking yourself into buying something you don’t actually like just because it’s what’s “in” this season.

I started out wearing vintage on a regular basis because I liked its styling, and quality. I focused on being period perfect for a very long time, but honestly, that got boring and stressful. I realized I was still allowing something else dictate my fashion choices, albeit sources from decades past. I chose to ignore the desires I had for some elements from current fashion, because I was so hyper focused on looking like I stepped out of a 40s magazine. Today I just shop and when I see something I like, I just get it. I don’t care anymore if it’s vintage or not. I must admit I often still prefer vintage garments, because their craftsmanship and fit is often superior to that of contemporary clothing. However I have found many newer, quality items second hand at various resale shops, like Buffalo Exchange. The purchasing of clothing brand new has been an issue for me in recent years, and not just because of quality, but because of ethics. Books like Overdressed and news stories about working conditions and sustainability make shopping an ethical act. While this isn’t necessarily a style or fashion choice, it is one that plays into my shopping habits, and reinforces my desires to buy used clothing.

Now, as I’ve said before, I still want this blog to be more than just outfit posts, but sometimes that’s all that I have time for. I really think this blog comes down to sharing and inspiring. The United States is one great big amusement park, full of bizarre roadside destinations that I am just chomping at the bit to explore and share, historical locations that offer people chances to reach out and touch history, museums that work to preserve that history, and offering my unique style as a form of inspiration to those who may be struggling and fearful of wearing whatever they want to. At the end of the day, I want people to learn from history, support their local economy, and be inspired to be themselves, and I hope that is what this blog does for you.