Category: Life

January Hues

Oh, it’s still January. And there was me thinking it should surely be February already. I’m not wishing time away or anything but I have to agree with the many observations I’ve seen expressed on Twitter, that this does feel like an awfully slow month. No wait, I shouldn’t say ‘awful’, there’s nothing particularly awful about it for me personally (as long as you exclude the weather and well, Brexit – let’s not even go there)…but aside from all the gloomy stuff that we’d rather bury our heads in the sand about, over here and on a personal level, things are going pretty okay. I’m taking things slow, as I mentioned in my previous post and with it, time seems to be moving a lot slower too. I have to say this is something that I’m actually pretty pleased about. I didn’t think it was possible to really take control of your time in such a way but it seems that by taking certain pressures off your plate, it allows you more time to breathe and simply think. Usually I feel a constant rush of catching up, but over these past few weeks I’ve been moving at a sloth like pace, making my way from one task to the other and taking my time as I do so.

It’s unlikely things will remain like this, we are only at the start of the year after all, but for the moment I’m thankful for the seemingly abundant time. There are lots of things I need to sort out, plan and do…but like I’ve said previously, I’m in no rush to do them all at once. The ‘one thing at a time’ approach definitely works best for me.

So far this year I’ve been making a concious effort to tick some things off the list that I’ve been wanting to set in motion for ages. I’m first focusing on those little things that are often pushed aside in favour for the bigger or more urgent things, but that you know are always there, niggling. It feels good to be be paying attention to the smaller things that are seemingly less important, but will inevitably be one less distraction or thing to worry about in the long run.

Anyway, I’m back to capturing self portraits, as you’ll see from this post and the one before. Aside from a few campaigns that I’ve shot with the help from Damien, I’ve not been in front of the camera much so far this year. I think this time last year I was on a roll with shooting but as I’m going at a much slower pace this year, I’m taking things easy. I did have a burst of inspiration the other afternoon though when I decided to shoot these shots. Currently the spare bedroom/soon to be office room is waiting to undergo a transformation, but in the meantime it’s providing a great space for shooting in whislt making the most of the natural light.

Samio x

#SamiosSelfPortraits

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January 23, 2019
A New Year, A New Pace

It’s two and half weeks (and a bit) into the year already and I’ll start by saying overall, so far, so good. I kicked off my year (as usual) feeling incredibly hungover but with little regret, as we’d once again achieved the success of an epic new year’s eve party, with lots of our close friends round at ours to celebrate.

Due to these spirited (in more ways than one) New Year’s Eve celebrations, I tend to officially start my new year on the second day of January, when my brain is no longer rattling in its scull, we’ve swept up any lingering glitter and any traces of Christmas have been tidied away.

This year however, my body had another idea and I woke up on the second of January with a cold, or as I’ll refer to it, my very own bout of severe level Man flu. It was annoying, to say the least and I must admit that by week two I was feeling a tad stir crazy, which led me to feeling quite sorry for myself – poor Damien bore the brunt of it each day when he’d return home from work and I’d be vying for attention like a puppy who’d been left alone at home all day.

In the grand scheme of things it’s not the worse thing that could happen and a cold is just a fleeing setback that most of us have to deal with around this time of year. Plus, whilst being sofa residing for the most part of two weeks, I did in fact still manage to get some work done. I even managed to drag myself away from my snotty tissue ridden hovel that I’d nested myself into on the sofa, put on some makeup and shoot some collaborations in time for their deadlines – go me!

So as I said, cold aside, not a bad start to the year. Now I’m 3 days post cold and feeling enthusiastic to officially get into my year properly.

I always tend to have my positive and optimistic head on around this time of year. I think a lot of us are still feeling driven and that motivation can be quite infectious at times. However, as we move towards the end of the month, I do find there is a tendency for things to all slowly go downhill from there. The January blues creep in and the reality that we’ve not even reach the coldest and gloomiest part of winter hits. It’s like the glum slog between Christmas and Spring that feels never ending. Between that and the emphasis on ‘keeping up with those goals’, there can be an overwhelming pressure to be living our best lives, when all we really want to do is go into hibernate until it’s summer.

I feel different this year though, still eager for summer yes, but just a lot less pressured. Even whilst snivelling my way through the first two weeks of this year, I was still feeling (albeit a little tired) content and calm mentally.

I think the main thing that’s helped my mindset has been my shift in focus this year. I already spoke in my last post about ‘things I’d like to do more of in 2019’, and wanting to have more me time was a big overriding theme there. I’ve been abiding by my own ‘rules’ and allowing myself to switch off, guilt free. I’ve got lost in the pages of a good book, wrote for the sake of writing and switched off from social media. It’s really done me the world of good. It’s also shown me that things don’t all just crumble when I stop. Just because the whole world feels like it’s going at 110mph, it doesn’t mean I have to.

We’re still only two weeks into this year, yes, but so far I’m finding a nice balance between work, me time and socialising (more emphasis can go on the socialising now that I’m lurgy free). I’ve started as I mean to go on, set things in motion that will help me in the long run, started to form new habits that are allowing me to relax and given myself the permission to go at my own pace, which is a lot slower than previously.

Samio x

#SamiosSelfPortraits

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January 17, 2019
Things I’d Like To Do More Of In 2019

Create Art

When I was younger (I’m talking pre-teens), my hobby was always focused on or around art. It sounds somewhat vague but if you would have asked me what my hobby was when I was younger (aside from singing and writing *cough* masterpiece, stage plays for myself and my friends to perform), I would have answered with ‘art’…Creating art, doing arty things and basically taking a huge leaf out of Neil Buchanan’s book and making art, out of basically anything I could get my hands on, was my thing. And I mean, anything. I went as far as ‘collecting’ the insides of toilet rolls, which I’m pretty sure drove my Mother mad at the time. But I never knew when my next creative project would require such unique and versatile props, and let me tell you, the middle of a toilet roll came in handy for a number of my ever dynamic projects.

Moving into my teens I thankfully abandoned the hoarding of loo roll middles. Long gone were my days of creating ‘art’ out of random bits of cardboard, which had been stuck together with PVA glue and professionally finished off with a bullet proof coating of Papier-mâché…but my love for creating did not subside. If anything it grew and with it so did my passion for drawing and painting.

I’m going to boastfully toot my own horn here, and proclaim that I was very good at art growing up (if I do say so myself – but so did my art teacher *toot, toot*). I loved to consume art and I loved to create it. I even used to have a boy in high school pay me to do his art homework because he wasn’t very good at it and, well, I was…but we won’t get too much into that adolescent fraudulent activity in today’s post.

Basically much of my life growing up revolved around being arty and in particular drawing and painting. This lasted right up until my university years…and then, I stopped. I’m not entirely sure why. I guess it’s that age old thing (excuse the pun), of getting older and ‘no longer having time’.

Then into my 20’s my hobby and outlet for being creative evolved into my blog, which then evolved into my job…and then I wound up here, in my late 20’s and hobby-less.

I think it’s important to have hobbies and to be able to tune out to something that isn’t just work related all of the time. Whilst I love my work, I also love having something else outside of it, or else work can become too all consuming without me even realising it. So in a round up to this rather long winded summery, I basically want to get back to creating more tangible art. The stuff that’s non-work related, on paper, or canvas, and maybe even something I can hang on my wall if I fancy. We shall see.

Do More of My Other Hobby

Okay, I tell a lie. I do have hobbies, which I do still practice, I just don’t think I spend enough time on them as I should do.

Another one of my hobbies, which I wish to spend more time on, is acting. I actually got back into it for the first time in a loooonng time, this year. I did two short films this year and I have to admit, I was very rusty getting back into the swing of things. But, it didn’t matter, because ultimately I had fun, and that for me is what it’s all about.

I spoke about ‘things I maybe could have been but wasn’t’ in a previous post a few months back, and an actress, was one of the things I’d mentioned. Acting has always been a passion of mine, which I went as far as to study at university. And whilst I don’t pursue acting as a career, it’s still something I haven’t lost my love for. It’s almost a passion I forget I have until I exercise it and then my love for it comes flooding back. For me it’s such a great escape from the real world, when I’m learning a script, developing a character and then performing. I really do enjoy it and after having got back into it a bit this past year, it’s definitely something I want to do more of, purely for the enjoyment of it.

Drive

Now this next one is not a hobby, in fact, I’ll go as far as to say, it’s not something I particularly enjoy. I don’t hate driving but I wouldn’t say it’s something I’ve ever been excited to do and I certainly don’t have ‘fun’ doing it. Quick back story, for those of you who don’t know, I passed my driving test back in June . After having put off having driving lessons for years and years…and years, I finally decided to bite the bullet back in March and learn to drive. I surprised myself and actually flew through my lessons, and then surprised myself even more when I passed first time. It’s just another example that it’s never too late to learn something new, (even if it’s something you’re not that interested in). Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely glad I learnt to drive but I still don’t have that eagerness or excitement to get in a car and actually drive anywhere.

I’ve neglected my (no longer so) newly learnt skill and I’m still not confident enough to drive on the roads without someone in the passenger seat (preferably Damien – although I’m pretty sure I make him nervous).

The hard part is over. I passed the test. I have the little pink ID and all that, I just need to get off my butt, or actually get on my butt more, and off my feet, and get on the roads! So this year, I need to get back to practicing and building up my confidence driving. I know it will benefit me in the long run and then I won’t have to always rely on Damien to drive us when we need to do a big shop and I’ll be able to go homeware shopping whenever I like too. An excellent benefit.

Write

Well, here I am, writing. Technically, my self proclaimed mish-mash of a job title that is ‘blogger/creative’, implies that I spend the majority of my time writing and whilst in some ways I do (emails are the bane of my life), I actually don’t, in the way in which I’d like…

Blogs are making a comeback. There, I said it. How do I know? Because I said so! Okay, I don’t know, but even if they’re not, I know I want to write more, and my blog is the perfect place for me to do just that. I know this comes back to my job, but I also want to continue to write more of the personal, more diary style posts (like this one) too. Hence me writing right now, because if you hadn’t noticed, this little corner of the internet has been getting a bit more action than usual recently and I have to say, I’m pretty happy about it.

Along with my 100 other, partially abandoned creative related hobbies that need dusting off, writing (surprise, surprise) is also one of them. So to bring it back to my initial point, I’ll be doing more writing here and offline going forward this year.

Exercise

Now before this sounds like a cliche ‘new year, new me’ segment, it’s actually more a case of ‘new year, more of last year me’. Okay that sounded rubbish, but maybe you get my point. I’ve mentioned a few times on the blog about how Damien and I started PT sessions back in August, and if you follow me on Instagram and watch my Instastories then you’ll definitely know that we have since become avid bootcamp/gym goers over the past several months.

I’d go as far as to say it’s actually changed our lives, the whole, getting into fitness thing. It’s been a small, yet at the same time big life change and we’ve just added a new element into our routines that includes working out. Having the PT was just the push we needed to get us into the swing of things and I couldn’t recommend JAG fitness enough who have helped Damien and I so much. For someone who has a job which at times can have no real-routine when it comes to work, it’s actually nice having the routine of working out. For me it helps me mentally as much as it does physically, if not more. It serves as a great time out for me and when I start my morning with a workout I feel like my day is off to a good start.

Read

And if I didn’t already have enough things I wanted to do more of, here is one more. Read. I want to read more books and even more blogs too. I used to love doing a lot of both but in the past year or so I’ve done very little of either.

I feel myself wanting to revert back to my old ways and slow things down a little. It’s often hard, with social media and the online world, as everything is quick and in your face. As it’s a big part of my job, I often feel obliged to constantly been involved in the online world and it’s hard to digest everything, and if I’m honest I can find it quite overwhelming.

Switching off from social media over the festive period has made me realise how much I value my uninterrupted time spent offline too. Things like reading a good book can easily get pushed aside for mindless scrolling and in the end I rarely come away with anything of value. I wouldn’t even say I’m that bad for spending too much time on my phone but I still want to cut it down even more.

Sometimes it’s so easy to procrastinate when working alone from home, or at least, it is for me anyway. When ideas or thoughts just aren’t flowing the way in which I’d like them to, to enable me to work, it’s all too easy to pick up the phone and have a scroll. If anything it can leave my mind feeling more congested and out of sorts than it did to start with.

I’ve come to the realisation that I’m always going to be somewhat of a procrastinator, that’s just how I am…but rather than filling that inescapable procrastination time with nothingness, I may as well fill that time doing something that I actually enjoy and which fills me with something useful. And so, I’ve decided to fill those moments with reading. Be it a chapter from a book I’m currently reading or an interesting article or blog post. I at least want to fill my ‘idle time’ with something that gives me a little more back. So I think reading is a good replacement for that, plus it’s something I thoroughly enjoy when I get into it.

Yesterday I picked up my first book of the year – it’s one that my mother passed onto me a few months ago and I still hadn’t got around to reading. I finally started reading it and I couldn’t put it down. An hour later and a few chapters in and I was ready to get on with some work. The best thing is, unlike when I procrastinate on social media, I didn’t wind up feeling bad about the time wasted, because it didn’t feel like time wasted at all. That saying is true; ‘the time wasted doing something you love isn’t time wasted at all’. I must remember that one this year.

Samio x

January 3, 2019
A Brief Overview of My 2018

It’s 6:23am on Saturday morning.

I found myself waking up sometime before 6am and then couldn’t get back to sleep. I felt wide awake at the earliest time I have done since before the festive period began. I’m normally an early riser but over the Christmas holidays I’ve been sleeping in until 9am most days, not to mention the very hungover boxing day where I didn’t manage to wake up until midday.

Now my bodyclock seems to be springing back into action. Reverting to it’s pre-Christmas behavioural pattern…maybe due to my subconscious being more ready for the new year than I am. So I unsettled myself from my the comforts of our bed and a still slumbering Damien, and made my way downstairs. I’m now sat in my favourite spot on the sofa, feet up, wrapped in a blanket, with a piping hot brew by my side, laptop on my lap and hot water bottle to boot.

I love this time in the morning. I know, I’m the strange person who loves an early morning, but there’s something about being up whilst most people are still in bed, that I really enjoy. It’s mostly silent and the dim hum of a TV next door is the only faint sign of activity and a clue that I’m not the only person up at this time on a Saturday morning.

I can hear the irregular, yet relaxing drum of rain outside and I find myself feeling reflective.

I hadn’t planned on doing any sort of re-cap post this year. It’s not that I don’t want to look back, I mean, this really has been a great year, however, I didn’t feel I had time, nor was I particular bothered to try and squeeze it in. I have already done a private recap but that’s more of a reflection of my metacognition over the past year, as opposed to a chronological timeline of the things I’ve done.

As I’ve mentioned previously, I’ve been on full holiday mode over this festive period and so any form of blogging related activity wasn’t initially on the cards. But, isn’t it funny how, as soon as you take the pressure off, the exact thing you feel like doing is that thing that you’ve told yourself you don’t need to do.

Anyway, like I said, I’m awake at an abnormally early time for the festive period, or for a Saturday full stop I suppose, and feeling reflective, so whilst I have the time I might as well utilise it. So, without further a do and pro-longing this already very long introduction, whilst whizzing through my calendar that I have to hand, I’m going to share a brief (as possible) overview of what I’ve done this year, month by month. Here goes…

January

1. I started the new year hungover after a very fun and drunken New Year’s Eve gathering at our house.

2. The second week into January I took my second driving theory test (after having failed the first one in December) and this time, passed.

3. I went on a big walk around Dovestones one Sunday with one of my best friends, Charlotte. We declared that we were going to start a walking club and then never made it to month two.

4. I saw friends quite a lot (I had a number of coffee dates) and I went on 3 nights out (according to my diary), one of which consisted of bottomless brunch. It’s January, who am I? This year I’ll attempt to do better and consume less alcohol during the month of January.

5. I also went to a Vegan food festival, which has just reminded me about the most amazing falafel wrap I think I’ve ever had. It was by the Otto-men and it was next level!

6. Blogger related – I worked with CollectPlus, Cluse and Cath Kidston (which is a brand I’ve loved since I was a teen, so that’s a childhood dream fulfilled right there).

February

1. I saw friends, went to some launch parties, had two nights out and went for bottomless brunch again!? (This time for my Mother’s birthday – Honestly, I’m just as surprised as you are, this is the first time looking back at my diary in a year, and I have to say it’s very revealing).

2. Modelling related work – I shot a TV Commercial and did a shoot for Go Outdoors.

3. Blogger related work – I worked with Flybe (but unfortunately didn’t get to leave the country, however I did get to film a fun guide of my home town, Manchester for them). I also worked with French Connection, River Island and TK Maxx again.

4. Damien and I joined the gym after a long absence.

March

1. I started driving lessons.

2. Blogger related work – I worked with Hatch, Cult Beauty and worked with Polo Ralph Lauren andTed Baker for the first time.

3. I had gel nails done for the first time ever – sounds small but after years of nail varnish, it was life changing!

4. I spent time with Damien during a week he had off work and we also worked on the house.

5. I also had quite a few meetings and saw friends.

April

1. I shot a short film, which I acted in.

2. Blogger related work – I worked with Kahlúa, Monki and Ace & Tate, for which I filmed one of my favourite (and possibly most creative) videos this year.

3. I saw friends, went to events and had my first BBQ of the year.

May

1. I Took part in a panel with a group of actors, comedians and journalist as part of the Pilot Light film festival at HOME in Manchester. We did a reading of a Sex and The City script as all POC cast (I was Charlotte, to whom I gave a ridiculously deep Yorkshire accent, which luckily the audience found hilarious because I have no idea where it came from). The read through was followed by a panel discussion/Q&A talking about the lack of diversity in TV and film.

2. Blogger related work – I worked with Cath Kidston and Ted Baker again. I also worked with Reiss, House of Fraser, Gap and Tesco for the first time.

3. I did what would be my last ever modelling job before leaving my agencies (although at the time I didn’t know it).

4. Went for bottomless brunch again! (okay this is actually making me laugh now, I hadn’t realised how frequent my bottomless brunches were until now)

5. Damien and I hiked up Kinderscout.

June

I talk lots more about my most momentous month of the year in this post here. But to summarise:

1. It was my birthday!

2. I went to Wales for the weekend with 3 of my best friends to celebrate my birthday and we climbed Mount Snowdon (which I hadn’t done in years prior to that). It was followed by a night staying at my friend’s family cottage and drinking lots of prosecco in our PJs into the early hours. We had so much fun and it was a perfect way to spend my birthday.

3. I passed my practical driving test first time – hurrah!

4. I left my modelling agencies and officially became a full time blogger and creative.

5. Went to see the showing of the short film I’d been in earlier in the year.

6. I got box braids for the first time ever.

7. Worked with Oasis, Ted Baker & Kate Spade.

8. I went to Spain for a girl’s holiday.

9. Damien and I went to San Fransisco, followed by Portland for my friend’s wedding – for which I was maid of honour (also a first).

July

1. We returned home from our holiday to San Fran and Portland.

2. Saw friends and went to London with Onyi.

3. Worked with Adobe Lightroom, The Sports Edit, Links of London, Havaianas, CollectPlus and Ted Baker again.

4. I was a guest on Kat’s Put Yourself First Podcast.

August

1. Our friends came over to stay from Malaysia.

2. Damien and I began PT sessions.

3. Saw friends and went for Afternoon Tea for a friend’s birthday (makes a change from bottomless brunch).

4. I went to London and Liverpool for meetings and events.

5. Worked with Ted Baker and TK Maxx again.

September

1. Worked with Sweaty Betty, Abercrombie, Hush clothing, Aquis and Ted Baker.

2. I saw friends a lot, went out for friend’s and family’s birthdays. I also went for bottomless brunch!

3. I was a guest on Kat’s Put Yourself First Podcast again.

October

1. Went to see the play Future Bodies at HOME.

2. Went down to London for some events.

3. Worked with Ted Baker and CollectPlus, Ace & Tate and Cath Kidston again.

4. Went to Bruges for the weekend.

5. I went down south to The Wilderness Reserve on a blogger trip with Next.

6. Went to a wedding.

7. Saw friend’s and celebrated my friend L’Oreal’s birthday.

8. Went to Malaysia and Damien proposed!

November

1. Worked with Marriott Hotels and Ted Baker.

2. Went to watch the play The Maids at HOME.

3. Hosted a wine night at mine with the girls.

4. Spoke on a panel for the Calling All Curls event.

5. Went to Amsterdam on a girl’s trip for the weekend to celebrate two of the girl’s birthdays.

6. Went to a dinner event with Feel Unique.

December

1. Worked with French Connection and Boe gin.

2. Had a fun Christmas meal with the girls, where we exchanged secret santa gifts and followed it with a wine night in.

3. Ate approximately 12 mince pies within less than a week (true story).

4. Continued on working out but definitely eased off the routine over this past week of Christmas.

5. Had a very boozy and fun Christmas eve spent with My family.

6. Had a very boozy and fun Christmas day spent with Damien’s family.

7. Had a very hungover boxing day, spent at home, on the sofa. We watched 5 films within this period.

…and I think that is just about it, according to my calendar anyway. Of course I’ve only really skimmed the surface on this one and may have missed out some things that weren’t pre-planned, hence won’t have been written in my calender, but, all in all, it’s been a great way for me to re-cap and realise some of the fun things I’ve done and what I’ve achieved in 2018.

It’s been an exciting year but I must admit stressful at times. There have been emotional highs, and lows. But overall I feel so grateful for the opportunities, experiences and fun that 2018 has brought. I’ve worked so hard but also played hard too and got to make more amazing memories with lots of my favourite people. I’ve pushed myself creatively and created a lot of cool stuff that I’m really proud of.

I think 2018 will always be a special year for me looking back, as it’s been a momentous one for me personally, in more ways than one. There have been a lot of life changes, a lot of challenges overcome and I’ve learnt a lot about myself and the things I want to focus more on going forward.

It’s not completely over yet. We still have a few more days left until the year is out and I’m going to make the most of them. I should have one more post going out before the end of 2018, but if I don’t catch you before then, have a good end to the year and great new year’s eve whatever you get up to.

Samio x

December 30, 2018
Thoughts For The Future & Not Really Having A Clue

I wrote this post yesterday whilst in the bath and shot these self portraits today, whilst not in the bath…

I’m currently in the bathtub. I’m writing this from my phone, which is a precarious task when holding your life device (as I’ll aptly call it) only centimetres away from a deep pool of water, but what can I say, I’m a dare devil.
 
I’m wallowing. Wallowing in this deep pool of warm steamy water (ahhh relaxing), and wallowing in my thoughts. I’ve come to the realisation that I don’t actually know what I’m doing with my life. Now that’s a tad dramatic, I do know what I’m doing with my life (at the moment at least) and I have to say I’m very happy with how things are going with said life thus far, but, as today I’m feeling a tad dramatic, I’ll refer to these emotions in a dramatic way and make no apologies for it.
 
I think what I mean is that whilst everything is going in the general direction I had hoped this year, and if anything surpassed expectations (which I’m so flipping grateful for), I’m also now questioning the direction and what path I’d like it to take me on going forward. It sounds somewhat cryptic and I honestly don’t mean it to be, because there’s not actually that much to it. I just have a lot of thoughts and a lot of ideas and sometimes I struggle to process them all and determine which is of highest priority and importance in my ‘shit to get done in life’ list.

I think sometimes the things that are projected onto us from the outside can sometimes muddle up these ideas we have for ourselves and our own journeys. I’m very empathetic when it comes to people’s emotions around me, so maybe I’m susceptible to other people’s life projections too. If that makes any sense? I never find myself wanting what other people have and I’m always so grateful for what I have myself, but I feel I’m maybe still influenced by others actions more than I realise.
 
I can sometimes find myself heading in a direction and then I think to myself ‘wait, what, this isn’t where I’d initially intended on heading’. Sometimes this can be good and sometimes this can be bad.
 

I always tend to become very reflective around this time of year, as I’m sure maybe you do too. I look back and look forward. I think about my achievements, what’s brought me joy and what I’d like more or less of going into the new year.
 
It’s important to check in with ourselves. I think today I’m just having one of those deeply reflective days where I think to myself ‘what next’, and what do I really want without the ideas, thoughts or actions of others influencing me.
 
I think it has something to do with the new year being seen as a fresh chapter, as if we wake up on January 1st reborn and brand new. As we all know, it’s nothing like that…in fact, my January 1st will be the furthest from that as I’ll likely wake up hungover (I cannot deny it, I will be no fresh daisy/spring chicken). But overall the general consensus is that the new year is a time for goal setting and starting something new and so whether we abide by that or not, it can still tend to lead most of us to feel reflective of the time passed.
 
Now in my own head I’m just trying to prioritise what these ‘goals’ and next steps might be. There’s a lot I want to do but I’m not going to overwhelm myself with aiming for everything all at once – I can be a tad unrealistic like that.
 

I guess I’m sharing this for me but I’m also sharing this for you too. Whilst on the outside someone’s life can appear like they have it all figured out, I think deep down most of us are all just trying to figure out what works for ourselves, as we go along, or at least I know I am and I’m not afraid to admit that sometimes I feel I have no clue. Sometimes I feel like a super cool boss woman who has it all together but then others days I completely do not. Whilst I’m grateful for who I have, what I have, and what I’m doing in life I still have days where I’m like ‘what is going on’, but then, don’t we all?
 
If, like me, you’re feeling a bit unsure where to project your focus for the new year because you want to do all of the things (and let’s face it there aren’t enough hours in the days, so we’ve gotta break it down), or maybe you don’t actually want to do any of them…then maybe it’s time to ask yourself ‘what do I really want?’…and ‘I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want!’ (Sorry, inappropriate intersecting with a Spice Girls lyric there, I just could not resist)…but in all seriousness. Check in with yourself and ask yourself the question. Focus, prioritise and hone in on what’s really important to you, away from all the noise…I think that’s what I’m going to do.

So I’ll wallow in the bath with my thoughts a little longer, but that’s my rambling brain dump for the day. Hopefully you took something from it, even if it’s just the knowledge that I managed to bash out a blog post whilst laying in the bath and didn’t drop my phone – hurrah!
 
Samio x

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December 21, 2018
Realising The Power In Saying No

I wrote this post a couple of weeks ago and whilst waiting to take some fitting images to go alongside it, I decided to pull out these images from a trip I took at the start of October to the Wilderness Reserve. So bare with me whilst I play catch up on the blog images but I liked these ones too much to not share. Onyi and I snapped these before dinner on the evening of our trip and they actually look rather festive, so quite fitting for now…anyway, in this post I just wanted to have a chat and share some recent thoughts and feelings…

I’ve been getting better at saying ‘no’ a lot more recently. In some aspects of my life I’ve often been quite good at saying no but then in other areas of life, I’ve been all too keen to be the yes man (or should I say woman).

For example, with my work I’ve always wanted it to be something I enjoy and so I have no qualms about saying no to things that maybe pay well but aren’t right for me. I understand this is a luxury to be able to say no to things but at the same time it’s something that I think is so important when working for yourself in the way that I do, where people are basically putting trust in your opinions.

I can be quite stubborn and if something I’m being asked to do for a job doesn’t feel right I’ll always dispute it, and if I’m being asked to work on something that isn’t the right fit, I’m never afraid to say no. I always know it will be worth the wait to work on something else that does fit right, which in turn I’ll enjoy a lot more and put my all into in return…On the other hand, when the types of things that are the right fit and I am keen to work on, come along all at once, I find myself all too easily saying ‘yes’ to everything. Before I know it I’m feeling as though I’ve bitten off a little more than I can chew trying to juggle it all as my own little one man band.

The same goes for social engagements. I’ve spoken before about how much I love spending time with friends and loved ones, so I am very social in that sense. If it’s an event with strangers then I’ll easily say no if I’m not in the right mood but if it’s a gathering with good friends I’ll mostly always say yes and make time for those important to me. Before I know it I have a full social calendar and if the work is busy too, then I’m back to back, burning the candle at both ends.

This is something that I find happens with me every now and then. It always seems to creep up on me without me even realising that I’ve taken on too much until it’s too late. When collaborations that are the right fit come along, it can be hard to say no, even if I am already really busy. Then when friends want to see me in between, in fear of being a let down, I continue to say ‘yes’. Before I know it I can find myself struggling to juggle it all, leaving little time for myself to well, just have to myself.

This happened again quite recently. I was saying ‘yes’ all too often and ‘no’ hardly enough.
I think my subconscious snapped before I actually did. As usually when I have too much on my plate I don’t actually realise that’s the problem and so my stress can manifest itself in other ways. I’ve never really been an anxious person in the past but these past months I felt anxiety creep up on me and finally I realised something had to give. So, after what I’ll just describe as a ‘stressful period’, I learnt to start saying ‘no’ more.

It sounds so simple. One little, two letter word, ‘No’. But each time I turned down meeting a friend for a coffee, or planning a much needed catch up, I’d feel so much guilt creeping up on me. I didn’t want to be a bad friend. And as someone who mostly works from home with a ‘flexible’ schedule I’d feel the need to over explain myself when I would say no to something. What I had to remind myself is that it’s actually okay to have time for yourself. Time to breathe. Time to not do work, not see friends, and be alone, and if you like, do nothing.

The same goes for work. Like I said, I’ve always been okay with saying no to the things that don’t feel right but to the things that do, well that one has always been a little trickier. Feeling overwhelmed and stressed to breaking point was (although awful to experience) the sign I needed to just slow things right down. It’s also made me re-assess and re-prioritise what things are really important to me in all aspects of my life.

Although saying no to certain things was hard at first, the more I got used to it, the more I felt myself regaining control and the less overwhelmed I felt. It’s not about saying no to everything but just saying no to more things. Allowing more time for myself is something I’ve realised is so important.

Saying no to work more and learning to become okay with it has been quite a freeing experience. Sometimes I forget that I’m self employed and it’s only myself cracking my own whip. I can choose to take on as much or as little work as I like. You have to define your own success/balance/happiness. I’ve realised I can’t do all of the things, all of the time and whilst being what you’d maybe describe as a driven extrovert, I still need time to be alone, recharge, and well, rest.

Saying yes to things is so celebrated but hardly anyone talks about what happens when you say yes too much. I’m adventurous, I get FOMO too easily, I love my work and I’m very social, so being a yes person comes naturally to me, but I tend to go too much in one direction and not enough in the other. I found myself turning up too much for everything and everyone else and not enough for myself. But alone time/doing nothing time is very important and I’ve realised that actually I don’t thrive off of being non-stop, back to back busy.

These past few weeks I’ve felt myself re-balancing. I feel a lot calmer. I’ve seen friends but then booked out time for myself too. I’ve said yes to work that I’ve been excited about but then turned down work and other opportunities that I know I don’t have time for. I’ve regained the power in saying no and I’m feeling a lot more balanced and happier for it.

Samio x

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December 19, 2018
A Big Little Life Update – The Proposal Story

As we stepped out of the doors of Kuala Lumpur Airport, I felt the warm, sticky heat hit me and I knew I had finally arrived on our long awaited holiday.

I was somewhat inappropriately dressed for the weather. Having just stepped off the second flight in what had been around a 16 hour journey in total, I wore sweat pants and a cosy jumper, which felt less cosy and more suffocating in the morning heat.

We took an hour long taxi ride to the centre of Kuala Lumpur, where we finally arrived at our hotel for the night.

As we stepped into the foyer of our hotel and took the lift up to the reception, I immediately felt underdressed. I knew Damien had booked us into a nice hotel for the night but this place was quite a bit fancier than I had expected.

We had an early check in into our room (thank goodness!) and as we stepped inside I was instantly wowed by the views, not only from our room but also from the bathroom, as the bathtub was host to the most incredible views of the city.

I was impressed, to say the least…and yet I was still completely oblivious of what was yet to come. You see, we’d planned our trip to Malaysia to go and stay with Damien’s best friend who lives out there. It had initially been my idea for us to get a hotel one night to stay in the city, and so when Damien said he’d gone ahead and booked us somewhere, I had no suspicions whatsoever.

Damien had told me he’d booked us in at the restaurant on the top floor for dinner that evening, and I was more than happy to spend the night at the hotel as I wanted to make the most of it.

At dinner Damien mentioned wanting to go outside to take photos from the roof terrace after we’d eaten. Then after we’d finished our meal he brought up wanting to go outside again. I was nursing a large glass of red wine at this point and didn’t quite understand why he was being so persistent. I could see he was eager to go outside and supposedly get a shot of the view, so whilst I was slowly enjoying my wine, I suggested he go on without me. He was insistent that I go outside with him and he then said he wanted me to come out with him so that I could take a photo of him in front of the view. This was unusual for Damien as he never asks for photos but I didn’t think much of it (as the views were amazing), and so I gulped down the last of my wine and we headed outside onto the roof terrace.

The views of the city were even more incredible at night. We were completely alone outside and so it was nice to just take in the views together. I finally took that picture of Damien that he’d insisted we come outside for and then he offered to take a photo of me. We switched positions and as Damien began to take some photos of me he got down very low and at this point I was thinking ‘why is he taking a picture at such a ridiculously low angle when he’s meant to be getting the view in the background’. In that moment he put down the camera and produced a little box from his pocket, which he then opened and presented to me as he said the words ‘will you marry me’…

I was completely taken by surprise. And of course, my answer was yes. I think for the next hour or so I was in a daze. I kept looking down at the ring and couldn’t quite believe we had just got engaged. I’d never even looked at engagement rings before so it felt strange to now be wearing one. It couldn’t be more perfect though and I honestly mean it. Apparently he’d been planning it for months and I’d been completely unaware. I won’t go into every little detail but he had the ring custom made and every little thought that went into it made it perfect.

And now we’re engaged. It’s now one whole month since that magical night in Malaysia and I’m still getting my head around whether it’s best to say fiancé, boyfriend or partner. I’ve never been someone who’s longed for their wedding day or been eager to get a ring on their finger. I’d just always thought since meeting Damien that we’d be together and that was it, and that is how it’s been, thus far. Being with someone who’s company you never tire of and you have such fun with means the time really does fly. Some may say it’s long overdue but I say it’s worth the wait as it’s just another chapter in our ever growing story and I couldn’t be happier.

Samio x

November 22, 2018
Things I Maybe Could Have Been…But Wasn’t

“Shoulda, woulda, coulda”…There are lots of things we could have done that likely would have lead us down a very different path to where we are now. Like many people, my life has taken many twists and turns over the years and each and every choice and decision I’ve made has lead me to where I am now.

I have no regrets. Sure in the past I’d maybe wished I’d worked harder, or realised certain things sooner, but right here, right now, I can honestly say I’m happy with where things have wound up thus far. Having said that, who knows what I could have been had I have continued to pursue a different path to the one I’m on today.

So in today’s post I want to take you on a bit of a journey. You know I love a good chat, so grab yourself a cuppa. I want to share a few different things I just could have potentially been, but in the end (so far anyway), wasn’t…

An artist…or something or other.

‘But I am an artist darling!’. Just kidding *not kidding*…actually, on a serious note, when I first started out on my prospective career path (not that I had any actual clue where it was going), I did in fact enrol onto an art course at a local college. I know, I know, that sounds like the most typical post high school dosser option. However, I was in fact a keen artist back in the day, and I wasn’t too shabby at it either, if I do say so myself. Anyway, I can’t remember exactly what the course entailed but all I remember is that two days in, I was being asked to annotate a Lowry painting and it was there and then that I knew this course was not for me.

Now I don’t want to bad mouth old Laurence (that’s Mr L.S Lowry to you and I), but as much as I

love art, I wasn’t that enthusiastic about the idea of writing an entire essay about one of Lowry’s stick men paintings (excuse the uncultured Karl Pilkington moment). No, no, I wanted to create art, not write about it. And I get it, in order to learn we must asses, but I’m very much a, ‘get an idea and roll with it’ type of person and I quickly discovered that this course wasn’t about to bode well with my artistic attitude, (ironically). I mean, I don’t know what I was expecting really. Maybe creative filled days that looked like something from the set of Art Attack (Neil Buchanan always did have my dream job)…I don’t know. Anyway, I quickly ended that potential career path before it even began and after two whole days of thinking ‘what the heck am I doing?’, I left and went off to start anew. And that I did. It was time to pursue another passion of mine…performing!

An Actress

Lights, camera, action! I’m ready for my close up! Okay, so getting two buses across Manchester and back each day to study performing arts at collage wasn’t the most glamorous, but boy was it fun – like seriously the bus journeys themselves were actually fun, my classmates were hilarious and just as bonkers as I was! Anyway, the days were long and always full: Scripts to read, plays to rehearse, essays to write. I was actually in my element during my time at college. I had finally found my calling and I wanted to become an actress! Or any sort of performer really, (but not a mime, because I can’t keep quiet for more than five minutes). Jokes aside, I was truly in my element when I was performing and I didn’t want it to end.

This dream wasn’t a short lived one and I went on to study a degree in performing arts at university. Although a lot more intense than college, with even longer days, longer essays and even more plays and shows to rehearse and perform, I was still very much passionate about acting and when on staged I loved every minute of it.

Post university the reality quickly hit that I wasn’t about to just become a working actress. To be honest, I think that reality had hit a whole lot sooner, before I’d finished my studies. After a life of education, I was ready to start earning some proper money and I knew that meant getting a ‘real job’ as they call it.

Acting was not a cheap career path to pursue. Even a Spotlight membership was way beyond my means straight after uni, never mind travelling for castings. Also the biggest reality that struck me when I did look for casting calls were the lack of roles for women and the even fewer roles for women of colour.

I decided to put acting on the back burner. I went straight into applying for post-graduate jobs, with the goal of finally starting to earn some proper money. I’d been broke for so long and now that uni was over, I was over the broke uni student lifestyle. I didn’t really know what I’d be doing next but I spent about eight months post university applying for full time jobs (whilst going out a lot and acting like I was still a student) and not really getting anywhere.

After months of frustration and not knowing what I was really doing with my life, whilst getting by on doing odd promotional jobs, I was persuaded to apply to some modelling agencies. This was something that terrified me and in all honesty I didn’t see it as something that was feasible. But with no immediate career prospects, what did I have to lose? I finally plucked up the courage and after applying to an agency in Manchester, I found myself getting signed to the agency that would become my Mother agent for the next 6 and a half years. And so began my modelling career…but just as you think that may be the end of this story, I wasn’t done there…

A Fashion Designer (sort of)

One important detail that I missed out about my time at university, is that I spent a lot of my time outside of studying/acting, sat on my sewing machine, making clothes. I used to have a real thing for vintage and 1950’s style fashion. I’d often make dresses to a similar style and I even made dresses for my friend’s birthdays. It’s funny to think about now because all of that feels like a lifetime ago, and I can’t remember the last time I got on my sewing machine to do anything other than stick a quick seam.

I’d say designing/making clothes was a strong passion of mine throughout my childhood and into early adulthood. As a child I would fill books with would be designs and I even went as far as to put on a fashion show for my Final Major Performance at university. And yes, I was doing a performing arts degree but my head of department was pretty cool in that he said I could do whatever as long as I was able to legitimately relate it back to performance. I was even assigned the head of textiles to report to, which was crazy because I was self taught and had nowhere near the level of skills as someone doing a fashion related degree…but, I guess I’ve always had that ‘if there’s a will, there’s a way’ mentality…aannnndd that’s how I ended up way out of my depth durning my final months of university (insert upside down smiling emoji face here).

After a rather stressful end to my degree, I packed up my sewing machine (along with the rest of my worldly possessions) and headed back to Manchester at the first possible opportunity. I could not wait to get home!

My years of being in full time education were finally done and back home in Manchester my sewing machine was left gathering dust for a little while…until, I eventually began a new project which was making clutch bags. I remember making my first ever bag (and you might do too if you’re an OG reader/follower on the gram).

It was a structured little box bag in lilac faux leather. I was SO pleased with myself at my first little handbag creation. I soon got hooked and figured out how to make clutch bags too. Then before I knew it I started selling a few.

I can easily let my ideas run away with me, and when I get into something, I really get into something. I did a craft fair, and I started selling my bows (oh I made bows as well) and bags online too. I’ll never forget the first ever sale from my website, when someone from France bought one of my bags. I couldn’t believe someone in France had ordered one of my handmade bags. It was initially exciting, however (yes there’s a however)…I quickly learnt that it was not for me. Whilst at first I’d loved making bags and bows, and spending hours on my sewing machine, when I started to get orders and custom requests, it actually began to fill me with dread. You see I’d enjoyed making the prototypes of each new design but then when I had to sit and sew multiple of the same design (over, and over, and over), I soon got very, very bored with it.

I was in no way in any financial position so get someone else to make the bags for me and if I’m honest, I didn’t feel that passionate about it to take it any further. It wasn’t like the bags were flying off their imaginary shelves, and I now definitely respect the graft of any small business trying market and sell their product because that shizz ain’t easy! This was the first realisation that not all hobbies should be made into a business and that little bag making stint put me off making things for a very good long while. After that, I was done.

You live and you learn as they say, and whilst I still love design, I now know that if I were to ever pursue something similar again, I’d be focusing purely on the design element and I’d definitely be handing over the production side to someone else.

So what was next for Samio? Well, like I said, I continued to model over the next several years and throughout that time I had some amazing opportunities and experiences. I actually dipped my toes back into the acting world a few times. One very random ‘modelling job’ actually landed me on the set of a feature film for three days and I think uni Samio would have had a mini heart attack at the prospect. It was an insane experience for me and I got to see the pros at it first hand. I also found myself on set for lots of TV commercials over the years. And whilst they may not have been the most challenging of performances, I always felt my past experience with acting/performance always helped me get the job at those types of castings, and I always found those types of jobs great fun too.

Of course here I am today blogging, and as I sit and cathartically share what now feels like a part of my life story, I feel pleasantly nostalgic. This year, after six and a half years of modelling, I finally felt it was time to close the chapter on that period of my life and so I left all of my modelling agencies, in order to focus on blogging full time. I’d been blogging alongside modelling for the past five years as my creative outlet, and it’s only been in the past several months that it’s become a proper job. These past six months of working as a full time blogger and creative have been amazing and I honestly feel so, so grateful to be in this position, but it hasn’t been without its hard graft and lots of twists and turns along the way.

Looking back I can now see the little dominos all falling into place and I’ve eventually wound up here. Of course this isn’t the end of my story yet. I still have that ‘when I grow up I want to be…’ feeling, as with each goal accomplished, a new aspiration is formed and it’s interesting to see how those goals and dreams have changed and developed over the years. I’ve learnt from each failed attempt at something, or from each ‘wrong’ decision I’ve made along the way and I think a lot of the things I did pursue in the past have given me many of the skills that enable me to do what I do today. I get to make things, be creative and perform (in my own right), so I guess in the end I got to do a bit of everything I love. But like I said, I’m not done yet, so who knows what’s next…

Hmmm, I hear space travel is pretty cool.

Samio x

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September 5, 2018
Life Currently

There’s a light at the end of the tunnel and I can finally see it…okay, in terms of what I’m actually referring to that phrase is a tad dramatic, but I simply feel like I’m beginning to emerge from the other side of a very long stagnant period.

I mentioned in a vlog recently how I’ve not been feeling very ‘on it’ creatively (so to speak) and in real life amongst friends, I’ve mentioned not feeling very ‘me’ right now. I have been struggling to create, or at least create the way in which I’d like.

Looking back now, it’s clearly been a case of writer’s block of the creative variety. A period of time where you just can’t get the shot, any editing process is surprisingly tedious, and coming up with new and exciting creative ideas just isn’t quite happening…It doesn’t sound that bad, but when it’s your job, each day can feel like a drag and every process greatly frustrating. Blame it on mercury being in retrograde, or whatever you wish, but I’m glad to say, I’m finally feeling a shift and I’m getting back to my normal self.

FEELING CREATIVE

It’s funny, out of periods of stagnant activity, I often emerge feeling my most creative and productive self. Last week was a good example of this and I actually created and filmed one of my favourite fashion videos in some time.

If you’ve watched my style videos, you’ll know I like to get creative when putting together lookbooks and the like. For me, the editing process is just as much fun as the filming (if not more). I had an idea to film something ‘documentary style’, with the focus being on my personal style, and so I created a short video about my Summer Style. I filmed the majority of it myself, and after editing it I felt happy to have produced something I really felt, well, happy about. So yes, I’ve got my creative video mojo back, and you can watch the one I’m on about here.

Shop the palm print dress here.

FITNESS

I mentioned in a recent post about wanting to get healthy, like actual healthy this time, like not eating Dominions, followed by Mc Donald’s, followed by chippy all in the space of three days, healthy. Yes, I was that bad!

See the thing is with me, I have (had) what you might call and extremely balanced diet, and by that I mean one part of the week would be filled with fresh veg, home cooked meals and lots of good stuff, whilst the other end is filled with takeout pizza, meals out (and I never order the healthy options)…and wine, lots and lots of wine. It’s never bothered me too much and I’m one of those annoying people who has what they call a fast metabolism, however, I do love the feeling of being fit, and well, I’ve missed it.

I’m like a broken record and constantly say I want to get fit/healthy again, and then another takeaway later, I’m back to square one. I’ve been feeling in the need of some guidance for quite some time. Although I know I shouldn’t eat my bodyweight in fatty foods and alcohol over the weekend, I still do and maybe the fact that it doesn’t show too much is part of my problem.

I haven’t felt my most energised and fittest self over the past several months and the straw the broke the camel’s back was getting a cold in the middle of the heatwave (cause let’s face it, that’s ridiculous). To me that was a clear sign that my body was telling me to take it easy and to more importantly, take better care of myself.

So basically, I’ve decided it’s time to make a change and I couldn’t believe my luck when a PT got in touch wanting to work together. Yesterday Damien and I had our second session with our PT Jamal, and whilst it’s definitely pushing me to my limits, it feels so good to finally have the guidance and actual training we want/need.

GETTING CHATTY

As you probably already guessed from my lengthy blog posts, I’m quite a chatter. I love a good natter and once you get me started, it’s hard to shut me up.

Recently I’ve been doing a lot of chatting, more so than usual. I began (accidentally) weekly vlogging, and although initially the idea terrified me, I’m now finding it the most cathartic process and one that I’m slightly addicted too. I feel I’m documenting my journey as a blogger/creative and sharing my thoughts in the most natural way through vlogging.

Whilst I love the sleek and polished fashion videos that I like to create, it’s nice to be able to do the complete opposite when vlogging and show the very real side of life and the bits that go on behind the scenes. At the same time, whilst once being terrified by filming parts of my life and putting it on the internet for anyone to see, I’ve now learnt that I only need to share what I decide to, so it hasn’t yet become too imposing on my life. For example, I rarely vlog my weekends, or when I’m with friends who I know don’t feel comfortable in font of a camera. I mostly focus on my working life at home and it’s become a bit of a thought diary, so my vlogs are basically lots of chats from me, which surprisingly enough, some people seem to be enjoying. So as long as I enjoy the process too, I’m going to keep at it.

In other forms of chatting, I recently featured on a podcast for the first time. Kat invited me to chat on her wonderful podcast called Put Yourself First. I do love a good podcast, especially when I’m sat editing photos, or tidying up. Kat interviews lots of amazing and interesting women, so I feel pleased that she asked me to speak on there, and oh boy did we have a good natter. I’m yet to listen to it back myself because, well, I hear enough of my own voice, but Kat asks some great questions and so hopefully people will enjoy it as much as I’ve enjoyed listening to some of her other guests on her podcast. You can give the episode a listen here.

FOLLOWING PASSIONS

The final point I wanted to chat about was following your passions. I think this is a topic I’ll likely go into more detail on in a separate blog post, but for now, I’ll keep it brief. Long story short, recently, as I mentioned, I’ve been feeling a bit out of sorts. I think part of it was to do with being torn between creating what I want to create and creating what I feel I’m expected to create, as a ‘blogger’, shall we say. Not only that but I have many other passions outside of blogging (some which weave in and out of it too) and I need to not forget to put focus on those things too.

Sometimes it’s easy to get so caught up in the numbers, what you think brands want and what everyone else is doing. Whilst I’m often quite good at doing what feels right for me and not paying too much attention to the rest, I do have moments where I slip into feelings of self doubt and find myself feeling the pressure of conforming to what I feel is expected.

It’s funny, because as a creative (as I’ve mentioned on many occasions) there is no correct way to do anything. Literally, anything goes and can work if you do it with enough passion. I’ve just had to remind myself about the things that I love and enjoy most.

I’m also taking on other projects outside of blogging. Again, working on other passions and doing things purely for me. Sometimes you just have to do what makes you happy and do the things that feel right to you.

Samio x

August 15, 2018
A Sick Day & Not Taking Things For Granted

I’m sat up in bed, surrounded by an unwanted abundance of snotty tissues…and wow, do I feel exhausted.

There are so many things I love about being self employed that I hardly ever take time to dwell on the negatives. But it’s on days like today when I could easily fantasise about calling in sick and then spending the remainder of the day cocooned in blanked, drinking copious amounts of hot honey and lemon, whilst having the world’s smallest pity part for one. I guess this little mind dump of a blog post is the closest thing I’ll get to that, as today’s little pity party is about to be cut prematurely short.

This morning I have to head out and shoot and after about 4 hours of broken sleep, I couldn’t think of anything worse. Unfortunately it’s not a day where I can be flexible and change things around, as I have a deadline and needs must and all that. Thank goodness for heavy concealer, that’s all I can say! It’s not the end of the world, I know, and to be honest it’s time like this that make me feel grateful for all the other things that I do love about my job.

I always tend to find that when I get sick with something so trivial as a cold (where I feel horrendous yet deep down know it’s not actually the end of the world), it actually helps me to put things into perspective. Not only with work, but also with general life.

I’ve been jokingly saying for a while now how I need to stop constantly eating crap. As much as I love salad, fruit, veg and all the good stuff (which I do eat in large quantities), I don’t think it counts so much if you’re following it up with take out and junk food on a regular basis.

If I were to write a food diary, you (and likely myself included), would be shocked. Sometimes I blame being busy, having to eat out a lot due to a busy social life and having an irregular schedule, but really I only have myself to blame. You can’t burnt the candle at both ends, eat like you’re filming a new Super Size Me documentary, and expect to stay fit and healthy. Nope. And that’s most likely why, on top of everything, my body has finally said, ‘I’m not having it, I don’t feel good, you’re rundown, here’s a cold’.

So taking better care of myself (or at least cutting down on all the extra crap I put into my body), is up there on the to do list. Along with that, I always tend to get my best ideas and inspiration when I’m not feeling well and have little energy to do anything. It’s frustrating of course, but it makes you realise all the things you really want to get done, and for me, it makes me realise how lucky I am to usually be able to do them without a second thought.

Something so simple, like going for a walk for example. I was so desperate to get out and go for a walk yesterday, so Damien and I went for one and even though it was a beautiful evening and I was glad for the fresh air, it absolutely floored me. Things like that just make me think about those who maybe always have to deal with that feeling, and how I can sometimes take these things for granted. I’m lucky that (aside from this passing cold), overall, I have my health. I can do things that I want and enjoy to do, so I should do them.

So we’ll round up this little cathartic poor excuse for a rant, style blog post by saying that, although having a cold sucks (and through it I feel pretty sorry for myself), it’s actually one of those little tiny blips that helps you put things into perspective and really appreciate your health, abilities and time. So I’m going to get up, take a hot shower, drink as much hot honey and lemon as I can before leaving the house, glam myself up (because like they say, fake it till you make it, or in this case, fake it until you’re actually well again) and get this show on the road…

Samio x

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July 26, 2018