Personal and Professional

Uniqlo camel coat (similar)
H&M sweater (similar)
Sezane jeans
Aldo boots
Les Composantes tote (similar)
Calvin Klein gloves
RayBan sunglasses
Elizabeth Lyn Jewelry necklace (similar)
Location: Saint Boniface Cathedral – Winnipeg, Manitoba

[We leave for Paris in one month as of tomorrow. Before I say anything else, I just need to acknowledge that fact, and how absolutely excited I am about it. Now, moving on…]

It’s strange, to wake up one morning and realise that you aren’t twenty anymore. That’s not exactly what happened to me, of course. But as the world of blogging and social media continues to evolve, I can’t help noticing that, in many cases, the owners of new instagram accounts and blogs that I follow appear to be getting steadily younger, while appearing increasingly perfectly curated.

I was twenty-four when I launched Coco & Vera. My closet was in chaos, my style far from cohesive and my photography skills were basically zero. By day, I was already two and a half years into my professional career, which required me to wear oxford shirts and tailored trousers. In the era of bedazzled pocket designer jeans and Ugg boots, I felt constrained by my limited work wardrobe options. Coco & Vera gave me an outlet to indulge my love of fashion. Many of my photos were dreadful. The same can be said of my outfits. But putting them all together brought me a lot of joy, regardless of the outcome.

Perhaps its because my career has gone on, separate from my blogging life, that I have never defined my success based on likes, comments and followers. It’s true that, like anyone else who works in social media on any level, I am susceptible to getting caught up in the numbers game from time to time. But I know that, on any given day, if that gets to be more than I feel like I can handle, I have the freedom to take a pause – or to stop posting entirely. I don’t depend on Coco & Vera for anything. I learned, in my fourteen months as a professional blogger, that I don’t want to. The simple fact of devoting hours, and years, to an activity doesn’t mean it has to be a job. I love running, too, but the idea of becoming a professional marathoner would never cross my mind.

It’s only logical that, as I age, I will perceive that people who are new to both of the industries I work in seem younger. But people entering my profession at the start of their career are much as they ever were, and much as I was when I started; inexperienced, but energetic and eager to learn. People starting out in blogging and social media seem, increasingly, to be fully formed before they’ve even begun. They have a style and aesthetic right out of the gate, not to mention photography skills that rival professionals. I am, most of the time, in utter awe. But then I wonder – isn’t the journey the point, more than the destination?

A small part of me envies these newcomers, I admit. But I also wonder how long it will be before they grow tired of what they are doing, because there is nothing new for them to learn. I think we all crave new challenges, whether we realise it or not. And often, excelling at something means it’s time to move on to something new. That’s exactly where I am in my career right now.

Last week, I accepted a promotion in my corporate job. My career goes on, Monday to Friday, without much fanfare – and often, without even being mentioned on social media. The reason for that is two-fold. Despite devoting the majority of my week to it, I am aware that I do the type of job that is perceived to be both boring and difficult to understand to outsiders. What has meaning for me doesn’t have meaning for everyone, and that’s okay. But beyond that, I think that it is important to draw a boundary between the personal and professional, for so many reasons. My work life stays on my work laptop, within work hours. Social media is separate. Most of the people I work with will never know this space exists, and I am content with that.

I admit that, apart from a lot more professional travel than I already do, I don’t know exactly what this new job will bring. Or what it will mean for the life I lead here on Coco & Vera. But, as much I think it might have been amazing to launch this space when I knew exactly what my style was, I still believe the journey is more important than the destination in every aspect of life. And I’m looking forward to following this new professional path, wherever it may lead.