Some of you may be wondering where I've been for the past few weeks. So sorry for the disappearance! I think that's the first time I've gone MIA from the blog world without a warning. It was kind of exciting. ;)
While family and various work projects have been occupying much of my days, I have also been spending a lot of time thinking about the future of the blog.
Reevaluating something that you've done for a long time is never easy, and for most of this year my mind has been distracted by many questions. What is the purpose of the blog? Am I staying true to that purpose? What does my audience want to read? Do I love what I am writing about? Is the blog worth the time I invest in it? What inspires me? Am I sharing the things that I feel are important?
A few months ago a well known Christian blogger announced that she was done blogging. She said she felt she'd written everything that she was meant to write on the blog. That didn't mean her life was ending, just that she needed to move on into the next chapter. I know exactly what she was talking about.
I've been writing AmandaBeth for over two and a half years and the focus has stayed pretty firmly on fashion. When I started the blog, I had just come off a year of reading loads of fashion, design, style, color, hair, makeup, health and beauty books and my head was crammed full of the things I had learned. I wanted an outlet in which to share those things, encourage other girls and women in the journey of modesty and style, and carve my own little space on the world wide web.
Now I don't read about fashion all that much. I don't believe I've read a book on the subject in at least a year and a half. To be honest, most of my brain is filled with topics other than fashion these days. Writing, music, home decor, baking, organizing, and finding steady work.
And really, I feel as though I have said pretty much everything I ever wanted to say about fashion on this blog. (Ok, so I never fully got into "color," but that will definitely find a good time and place in the future. :) And over the past year I've been a bit fashion-burned-out (I'm sure some of you have sensed it ;). I feel as though God has blessed the blog and allowed me to make the small impact that I wanted, and now changing the world of fashion is not so much of a pressing focus in my life.
All of this said (and thank you for reading this far), it is not my intention to quit the blog. I've been immensely blessed through the process of writing AmandaBeth and don't want to abandon it after the amount of time and thoughts that have been invested. Besides, I still have more inspiration to share, more ideas to voice, and more to create. The thing is, I don't feel that focusing exclusively on fashion is my purpose anymore.
So, where is the blog going? I'm not 100% decided, and I plan on taking it one simple step at a time. Posting may become more sporadic, but hopefully it will be more inspired. I feel a need to write about everything; the things that make me laugh, the things that matter, the things that make life beautiful to me. This may be a number of topics; writing, baking, sewing, decorating, reading, music, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And fashion will obviously be included, because that's also a part of who I am.
I'm still not sure whether I should bring all of these changes to AmandaBeth or leave it as a purely fashion venture and start up this new approach at a different site address. (What do you think?)
I do hope that whatever changes are made will make my writing a more personal endeavor, bring us all together and make things even more fun. :)
Remember, there are 2 1/2 years worth of archives for perusing if you want some fashion-y reading or inspiration, and it will all remain here for you to access. Thank you for your patience in reading the entirety of this post and listening to where my heart is at right now. I didn't want to leave you all in the dark and I hope you understand the way I've been feeling. (Oh yes, and please leave a comment and let me know what you think about all of this.)
Thanks from the bottom of my heart to all you dear, lovely readers who have stuck with me over the years, months, weeks, and days. I am so excited that adventure is continuing, and that I've got all of you with me on the journey. (Stay subscribed so you can get updates! :)
All my love, and have a beautiful and blessed Thanksgiving...
Images: Apartment34 / Ooo... I Like It! / Seen and Said / The Paper Dialogues
P.S. I was a good girl last week and updated the Modest Fashion Bloggers Network for the first time in ages. Check it out! :)
Oh yes, and I've got a fashiony sort of "party"coming up, so check back over the next week for some fun details!
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