Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Moving On



I debated writing this post for a year now. This will be my final post on Sterling Style. Maybe I will want to start it up again someday, but for now I know it’s time to say goodbye to a blog I've loved. It’s hard for me to even write this since this blog has truly meant so much to me and changed my life in so many ways. 
Four years ago I discovered Polyvore. I was immediately hooked on creating artsy fashion sets and would spend countless hours creating and connecting with the community. It was my first “blog.” From there, I soon discovered personal blogs and it opened my eyes to a brand new world. I remember frantically calling my parents and telling them all about it and feeling so excited about starting my own. It didn’t take me long to think of a name. I was always proud of my family name--Sterling. Since my blog would be mostly about fashion, I decided Sterling Style had a nice ring to it.
I’m always on the hunt for new inspiration and when I started this blog I used it as an inspiration board. I would post anything that caught my eye.  Then I got the itch to take my own photos and even began to take outfit pictures. I look back at many of them and cringe —so many outfits that we’re so not me. But I realize that style evolves and you must experiment to find what really resonates with you.
Those few years were so amazing for me. I got to learn about the online world, connect with so many amazing women and fellow bloggers, and work with incredible brands.  It made me realize that I wanted to do this full-time. 
I agonized over how I would take blogging from a hobby to a full-time gig. I kept trying to envision Sterling Style 10, 20, 30 years in the future and I just couldn’t see it. I knew that I did not want to have the focus on me all the time. I was loosing interest in sharing my own outfits and taking pictures of everything (plus Instagram became that place for me). I also realized I was entering a new phase in my life. I was almost 30 and I while I still loved fashion, I knew that in the years to come I may not feel the urge to be photographed. I wanted to wear things because I loved them, not because they should be blogged. That’s when I came up with Glitter Guide. 
I kept going back to the essence of blogging and why I was so eager to start my own. It was about being inspired and sharing those discoveries with others. I wanted to do that full-time. This reflected my long-time fantasy of working for a magazine. However, there were already so many sites out there that did something like this. I started to really research them and then realized that so much has already been done, but that doesn’t mean something isn’t worth doing. There is room for originality. I wanted a site that had a girlie/ feminine vibe. I wanted it to feel like getting welcome advice and tips from your best girlfriend. I went through many names before picking Glitter Guide. It’s a risky name—people think we’re just talking about glitter all day long. But, I’m a fan of alliterations and knew the content would be more important than the name. Thanks to the amazing support of Sterling Style readers, Glitter Guide had a successful launch. I’m forever thankful for that.
Now, four years later, I am doing this full-time. I absolutely love what I do. I’ve also learned how important it is to unplug and take time away from work and the online world. Life’s too short to let it fly by without taking time to really enjoy it. With the amount of time Glitter Guide requires, I feel it’s time to say goodbye to Sterling Style. I’m excited to see where the next four years will take me!
Thank you for your endless support. I wish you the best.

You can find me here, here, and here

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