Alice Catherine Alice Catherine

Life after blogging isn’t something I try to dwell on too much – after all, I still feel relatively new to this weird online space, and In many ways, I’m still finding my feet. There are certain aspects of my job that bother me sometimes, and make me wonder what the hell I’m doing, but there are also so many positives to working a wonderfully unstable job…

There’s a lot of negativity that’s thrown around in the blogosphere, and in general, the fashion industry seems to get a bit of a bad rep. Having wanted to work in the industry for years, I now witness this first hand on pretty much a daily basis – scrolling through Twitter can be a nightmare for one example. I do have moments where I wonder if I’m just contributing to an industry that’s flawed – excessive consumption, waste, championing one body type, lack of diversity, the list goes on… 

I’ll be honest, there are weeks when it gets me down, and I find myself searching for a deeper meaning to everything that I’m creating. I’ve never been comfortable with just taking pictures of myself and leaving my work at that – I want there to be some sort of depth to what I put out there, some sort of meaning. I always wanted to create a sense of community with my blog, to find likeminded people to connect with. Never in a million years did I think I’d end up doing it as a full time job…

As someone who studied English Literature, writing has always been a huge passion of mine. I used to write short stories when I was younger, I’d be so eager to get everything down that I’d miss out all the punctuation, rarely even pausing for full stops. Just a constant stream of none stop thoughts floating all over the page – sometimes this is how blogging can feel.

It feels like a consistent pressure to churn out inspiration, never really stopping to look at what you’ve already done, never getting the chance to give yourself a pat on the back. The fashion industry is constant newness, constant so what’s next? This is the part that makes me feel as though I sometimes don’t fit in – I wear a lot of vintage pieces, and I pretty much know my personal style inside out. I wear the same drawer of jeans on rotation, and some weeks I don’t feel like I have new outfits to show. This is why I focus much more on my writing – writing and connecting with you guys makes me feel like I fit in. It spurs me on, it inspires me to keep sharing, whether that’s a feeling, or a new vintage blouse I picked up… 

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about other creative ventures that I can pursue on the side of blogging. That’s not to say I want to abandon blogging anytime soon, but I definitely feel it’s important not to put all of your eggs in one WordPress shaped basket. Some of you may or may not know that I’ve been working on a little jewellery collection with Mikaela Lyons for the past six months – I’m excited for that to see the light at some point this year, and it’s definitely given me a taste for jewellery design again. Those of you who have been around since the Après Moi days will understand this reference (I used to have a little online jewellery store before I started my first full time job).

I love accessories and I love clothes, but too much focus on external features can leave me feeling a bit empty. I only genuinely feel fulfilled when I feel as though I’ve created something that’s made people stop and think. Beautiful imagery will always be something I admire, it takes a lot of effort and planning, and it’s a lot harder than a lot of people think (especially when you live in a grungy city centre). However, for me, it’s the words that go alongside with an image that really bring it to life and give it purpose. This is the reason I still make a tit out of myself on a weekly basis – standing in awkward/busy parts of the street, brushing off negative comments, and reminding myself that it’s a weird and wonderful job that not everyone will really understand or appreciate… 

So what does life hold after blogging? Who really knows, and who can really plan for the future when the future has idea’s of it’s very own. Something I’ve been thinking more and more about recently is writing a book. I’d love to write a book concerning my journey with female health, and how it’s affected every aspect of my life along the way. I don’t think there’s enough books out there that talk about it candidly, and far too many books containing clinical images of vaginas that are somehow meant to help us. What I really could have done with throughout my teenage years, was a book that talked openly and honestly about all aspects of discovering your body and entering womanhood. I feel as though I have a lot of stories and information to share, and I’d really like to hold it all in my hand one day, wrapped up by pages, and bound into a neat little book…

Even if nobody ever read it, I think it would be a very therapeutic thing for me to create. I tend to have a lot of ideas, but not much direction in terms of bringing them to fruition. I think a lot of people feel like that about their hopes and dreams, and in reality, most of us are just winging it as we go along. This book is something I do feel really passionate about though, and in my experience, if you feel strongly enough about something, you can make it real… 

This blog post isn’t me hating on the fashion industry either – it’s full of so many creative people who really want to see positive changes, but it’s also still a place that massively needs to change and become more inclusive, and more responsible for the impact that it has on the world. In terms of young people wanting to break into the industry, and in terms of making all men and women feel like they are welcome. It’s easy to be disheartened when you witness trends and patterns leading society in a negative direction, but there are always people wanting to shake things up. We just have to be honest with our experiences, speak up when we know something is wrong, and have faith in ourselves that we are doing a good job…


Photographs by Adriana

Jacket – Paloma Wool

Knitted top – vintage (similar here

Trousers – Mango

Shoes – ASOS (sold out/similar here)

Bag – Zara

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13 Comments

  1. Viv says:

    A book would be glorious, Alice! I love your writing style and would be fascinated to hear about female health from your perspective.
    Best of luck xo

    1. alicecatherine says:

      Thank you! Really means a lot xx

  2. Summer Read says:

    Writing a book is a wonderful idea!! I’ve always enjoyed your writing and would love to read about your health story as a lot us still feel awkward discussing it out loud. I completely echo your thoughts on the blogging industry, as long as you continue to create content that you want to create, that inspires you. I also think a lot of people don’t mind seeing the same pieces again and again, if anything it shows how creative you are with your own style and it’s also a lot more realistic – who can wear a completely new outfit every single day?! x

    Summer, http://www.thetwinswardrobe.com

    1. alicecatherine says:

      Yeah exactly! The newness of it all can feel exhausting sometimes, but I don’t want to stop creating and sharing as it’s always been what’s driven me. So happy to hear you like the book idea 🙂 xx

  3. Kirsty says:

    I would 100% read your book. I’m seeing now more and more young women writing their memoirs, which I think is such a positive thing.

    For life after blogging though – I really think the world is your oyster. Sometimes I think bloggers don’t realise how many transferable skills they have – you essentially run an online magazine, and every department of it too. That said, your blog is one of my favourites to I hope you do continue blogging for a while longer! x

    1. alicecatherine says:

      Thank you! And I totally agree, if you have enough material then why the hell not haha. And you’re very right, I think so many people like to simplify blogging as a job, but it’s really bloody hard work xx

  4. Sora says:

    I’d love to read a book written by you! So many of us started blogging because we loved writing; I have read a lot of wonderful women thinking and writing like you in the sense that we feel sort of empty. I too try to bring focus to my writing on my blog, because 1) I don’t have new clothes every week 2) I honestly don’t upload any outfit pictures unless I have something relevant to sat or share. I keep coming back to your blog because I get pretty imagery, yes, but also because I get some thought provoking material and I love that!

    Sora | http://dangerouslyme.com/

    1. alicecatherine says:

      Thank you so much, this is really encouraging – especially as I have a bad case of writers block at the minute! xx

  5. Babita says:

    Loved your thought!! Go for it girl!! ?

    Xoxo, Babita

    http://travelhues.com

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  7. Holly White says:

    I would love it if you wrote a book – you’d be so amazing at doing that.
    Blogging can sometimes feel the same to me – my style is very basic and not necessarily something I feel I can ‘inspire’ with sometimes, so like you, I try to do so through writing.

    It’s difficult if you lose your mojo a bit – I’m in that place now xxx

    1. alicecatherine says:

      Thanks lovely! And same, it’s difficult to churn out a lot of blog posts each week because I don’t always feel as though I have something to say. Quality over quantity anyway! We are only human xxx

  8. Trona says:

    Hello! I just came across this post on Pinterest and it really resonates with me. I’m largely a beauty blogger and I struggle with the industry too, yet I love what makeup can do for people. I’m in my 40s and ‘anti-ageing’ is all I see. But like you say thankfully there are some amazing people and brands shaking up the norm. I love your style and writing and I a certain you’ll be brilliant at what ever you do <3

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