Tag: Outfit

Lookbooks, Life & Some Double Denim

I’m looking back over January with fondness; that’s not something I usually say about the first month of the year but it seems I surpassed the dreaded January blues and actually had a pretty good month, despite the bad weather and having had a cold…It’s what I’d call a ‘getting things done’ month. I got lots of little things ticked off (as I’d mentioned in my last post), I set a few things in motion which I’d been wanting to do for a while, and made a few fun plans, which I’m looking forward to over the coming year.

I think taking a slower approach has been the best decision I’ve made for the start of this year. The irony is that work has been even busier, but what’s changed is my approach to it all and I’m managing everything a lot better. I’m enjoying working on less but bigger projects which I can really channel my focus into and not feel so overwhelmed by lots of little things all building up. I’ve started as I wish to go on, so hopefully this is habit forming for the rest of the year with how I manage my time and work.

As we veeerryy slowly creep towards Spring (I say this as I can still see the remnants of snow outside my window), I’m really looking forward to lighter evenings and warmer days – but aren’t we all! We may have a while to wait yet but that doesn’t stop me from musing over Spring outfits on Pinterest and curating ideas in my head for the milder months.

I was recently offered a gifting from cult Australian brand Oneteaspoon and so after browsing through the website I decided to pick out a few pieces that I felt would be good all-year round staples. I hadn’t planned on putting a look together for my blog as such; however the other day as I was trying on and styling the jeans and jacket that I had picked out, I decided to take a quick snap in it for Instagram, which then swiftly turned into an impromptu photoshoot. As I’ve been getting back into shooting self portraits this year, I’ve really been enjoying shooting more lookbook style shots again, which fit together perfectly as little series of images. This is something that’s not so easy to share on Instagram, and often I find myself torn as to which one image I will share there. This is why I will always love my blog, as it allows me curate a selection of images and tell a story – or in this case, show an outfit.

Outfit posts on blogs have died out a bit over the past few years, and it’s no surprise why, as Instagram makes everything so quick and accessible, why even need to visit a blog. But for me, it’s still a process I enjoy and a part of me slowing down in life, is also slowing down somewhat online too. I don’t want everything I put out to be so fast pace and disposable. I don’t live or shop that way, so why share that way? So I’ve been enjoying styling and shooting more outfits again recently and I have lots more that I’m looking forward to sharing over the coming days and weeks. Here’s to a happy and chilled February, have a good one!

Samio x

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February 1, 2019
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 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
3 Happiness Habits

Shots by Rosie Butcher

When we think of happiness it’s easy to think of what it is to be happy in a particular moment. For example, right now I think what would really make me happy is a large Dominos veggie volcano pizza (hmmm pizza). Or someone else’s idea of a happy moment might be buying those designer shoes they’ve had their eye on for ages! The reality though, is that however nice that slice of pizza tastes (still drooling at the thought to be honest), or however beautiful those shoes are, this type of happiness is short lived. If we don’t feel good in other aspects of our life it doesn’t matter how good the pizza tastes, or how dreamy the shoes are, they just aren’t going to fix it. The reality is that (queue the cheesy cliche line) happiness is a journey, not a destination.

Now when I speak of happiness, I’m talking overall happiness. No matter how seemingly good someone’s life is, it’s impossible to skip around cheery and smiley all day, everyday, don’t let social media fool you. Overall happiness however, goes deeper than what’s on the exterior and it’s something that can take work and I’m not talking a quick five minute fix.

Trainers – Converse | Jeans – Me & Em | Striped Tee – Cos | Cardigan – Me and Em | Watch – Cluse | Jewellery – Pernille Corydon

Spend Time With People You Love

Personally, nothing makes me feel more uplifted than surrounding myself with people I love. I’m lucky to have an amazing bunch of people in my life and to be quite honest I can’t get enough of them. Be it a long distant phone call, a coffee catch up, or even a sleepover with my besties (yes I’m a grown woman who still has sleepovers), I’m always left feeling in high spirits after catching up and spending time with some of my favourite people.

Aside from friends, family and partners, it doesn’t always have to mean spending time with people you’re close with. Obviously I’d recommend you do that as much as possible but sometimes you can find the type of people you love to be around in other situations as well. Finding like minded people is especially important. That feeling of being able to relate and share common ground/interests with someone can be just what you need. I love the buzz I get after having chats with like minded people about things that we are equally passionate about. And if you’re not sure about where to find these like minded people then think about what your main interests are and seek out clubs, groups and events where you connect with them. Be it through hashtags or even a quick google search, it’s easier than you think to ‘find your tribe’, so go for it.

Practice Gratitude

I’ve spoken about this before (particularly in this post here) and no doubt I’ll speak about it again, but practicing gratitude on a daily basis can do wonders for your happiness levels. When I wake up I like to take five minutes or so before jumping out of bed or grabbing for my phone, to just think about the things I’m grateful for in that moment. It can be as simple as being grateful for having such a comfy bed to go to sleep and wake up in, to being happy that you get to head out to a job you love, or maybe you’re even just grateful for the coffee you’ll soon be drinking. Whatever it is, take a mental note, or write actual notes if you’d rather. It can be whenever you like, not just in the morning. Just thinking about all the things that you’re grateful for can really help you to re-evaluate things and in turn, help to lift your mood. Do this on a daily basis and believe me you’ll see a difference.

Find Fulfilment

This is a weird one, as fulfilment can come is different forms for different people. You may find fulfilment in your children, you may find fulfilment in your job, or you may even find it in helping others. Sometimes the trickiest part is finding what brings you these feelings of fulfilment in the first place…but once you know what that thing is, you’ll know what to pursue in life in order to help bring you happiness. Of course fulfilment can come from a number of places, I know for me personally I find it in being able to use my creativity, in helping others, in spending time with loves ones and exploring different countries (quite a list there). For you it could be a similar combination, or something entirely different. Whatever it is, make time to work on or work towards the things that personally bring you fulfilment because quite often those are some of the things that will bring you the most joy in your life.

Those are my three happiness habits and just a few things that I find help me…Of course it’s normal to have down days here and there, we can’t be feeling super happy all of the time, but if you do find yourself constantly feeling down, then it’s always important to reach out and speak to someone about it. Here’s a link to some helplines if you do need more information – click here – or if you just feel like you need someone to chat to, I found out about a great little website where you can chat with trained listeners anonymously online, which you can find here.

Samio x

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April 6, 2018
How To Stay Focused and Get Stuff Done

I’ve mentioned before that I am a huge procrastinator and it whilst it’s something I’ve had to learn to deal with over time, I’m also aware that it’s a trait I may never fully get rid of and so instead of letting it take over my productivity completely, it’s something I’ve learnt to manage over the years. I’d definitely say it helps to focus on one thing at a time and these are some things that help me when it comes to staying focused and getting stuff done…

Keep Your Area Tidy

If the thing you’re trying to get done is clean, then you’re basically already doing the task by doing this…but anyway, I’m definitely in agreement with the saying that ‘a tidy space equals a tidy mind’. Clutter can easily pile up, be it at your desk or in your home and often this can be a big distraction. I know if my area isn’t clean/tidy my focus will be drawn to the task of tidying up and it will get in the way of me solely focusing on something else.

Put Your Phone On Airplane Mode

I don’t know about you but for me one of my biggest distractions when it comes to getting things done, is my phone. I’ll find myself checking my emails, replying to friends messages and having a quick scroll through Instagram…I’ll basically find myself doing anything which doesn’t involve the task in hand. Even when you’re not actually on your phone, it’s easy for it can still be trying to grab your attention. I learnt a long time ago to turn app notifications off but I’ll still find myself at the beck and call to emails, phone calls and text messages.

The best thing to do when you’re trying to stay focused is to simply turn your phone onto airplane mode. If it so happens that the task at hand is replying to emails (oh how they can quickly pile up), then do it on your laptop or desktop if possible, close all tabs and have just that page open so you can focus on the task.

Set Yourself A Timer

This tip flows on from the previously one as I feel the two go hand in hand. Whilst checking out from the online world for a time can be great at eliminating a lot of distractions, it can also be somewhat daunting for us internet reliant folk. So give yourself a light at the end of the tunnel and set a timer. There’s no point torturing yourself, if you feel your attention span to stay 100% focused will only last 20 minutes, then set your timer for 20 minutes. After that time you can give yourself a five minute break. Maybe you really do need to check those emails. Do it, then get back to work. You might work like this in 20 minute time blocks with five minute breaks in-between and before you know it you’ve actually had a solid hours worth of focus.

Keep Hydrated

Whatever you’re doing, be it cleaning the house, sitting down to write, or replying to that overwhelming backlog of emails, make sure you keep that brain focused by hydrating it. I always drink plenty of water throughout the day and the times that I don’t get enough of it, I find myself losing focus on tasks very quickly.

Aside from the boring water talk (sorry for sounding like your Mum), it can also be nice just to have a cup of tea to hand (if you drink tea). For me it’s a bit of a ritual. I make a cup of tea and I sit down to work. It can also be a great way to stretch your legs during those ‘beaks’ you give yourself and it can work as a nice little treat. I’m currently eyeing up an empty cup and I know that once I’ve finished this I’ll be making myself a nice hot cup of tea. Like they say, it’s the little things.

So there you have it. Those are just a few things that I like to do to stay focused and get stuff done. Do you have any tips for getting stuff done?

Boots – Finery | Shirt Dress – Finery (similar here) | Stripe Top – Weekday (similar here) | Jacket – Topshop | Bag – All Saints

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January 29, 2018
How I’m Incorporating Spring Pieces Into My Wardrobe Early

Oh winter weather how I am so over you. I think it’s nice before Christmas and all, you get a bit of snow and everyone is off their heads with excitement ‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas’ and all that…Then January comes along, it seems to get even colder and I am well and truly, completely, over it. Such a positive note to start a blog post on, but who is with me here?

It’s not often I feel obliged to focus an entire blog post solely on the subject of clothes these days (as we know I like to chat about other things on my brain and rather share my outfits in the photos) but it’s actually something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately.

I really do think the way you dress can affect your mood and whilst I’m mostly a happy person, I’ve began to feel a bit ‘meh’ about my current outfits of late. Whilst a winter wardrobe can be exciting, there’s only so many times I can go out in the same roll neck and jeans combination before I become utterly unenthused about it. Now this of course is partially my own fault. Whilst the winter wardrobe can become repetitive due to having to opt for those ‘go to’ layers, I also don’t think I’ve helped myself by mostly opting for a selection of muted tones and very safe pieces. Don’t get me wrong, I like my muted tones and easy re-stylers, those are my staples which I will of course pull out year after year but I am now feeling more than ready to inject some colour back into my wardrobe.

Not only am I looking to bring more colour back into my wardrobe but I also want to mix things up with my style a little bit too. I recently did a video all about this, where I planned my style for spring/summer and it actually got me excited about my outfits once again. I however am impatient. I want to wear my spring pieces and I want to wear them now. So that’s exactly what I am going to do.

I got this fabulous polka dot skirt from Finery in the sale recently and as soon as I saw it I fell in love with it. It adds a little bit more fun to my look whilst still being a very ‘me’ piece. I’ve always had a thing for polka dots and it’s a pattern that my wardrobe has seen plenty of throughout the years. I feel a print like this is so versatile and will easily see you right through from winter to spring.

I’ve missed wearing skirts and dresses and I love how a midi skirt like this is actually a great alternative to jeans when you’ve started to feel a bit ‘same-y’ and want to mix things up a bit. From the biker jacket to the boots, these are the usual pieces that I’d wear day to day with jeans, but by swapping out the jeans for a flowing skirt, it gives the outfit a completely different look.

But what about the cold? I hear you say. Well don’t worry, your girl has got you covered, quite literally, because I am all about the layering. You probably already spotted the leggings here in this outfit combo, although I think if you have some knee or thigh high boots, this could also work fabulously, as I’m just sort of faking that look here. And what if one layer of leggings isn’t enough to keep you toasty? Then add a pair of tights underneath those, heck, add a pair of jeans whilst you’re at it too. Who knows what else is underneath there, that’s the beauty of a skirt…and on that note, let’s end this here.

That’s a lot of outfit talk from me for one post but if you couldn’t tell I am very excited for spring/summer and all of the fabulous outfit combinations it will bring with it. Until then, plan ahead, have fun and remember, layering is your best friend! Have you started thinking about your spring/summer outfits yet? Are you impatient like me?

Samio x

Boots – M&S (similar here) | Leggings – M&S | Skirt – Finery (same style here in pink) | Roll Neck – similar here | Biker Jacket – Topshop | Bag – Pinko (similar style here)

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January 24, 2018
Stop Scrolling, Start Doing…

Another New Motto

Recently here on my blog I’ve spoken about mottos to live by in 2018. So far they have been proving to be rather good reminders to keep me on track in day to day life. Well today I have another motto to add to that list and it’s one I’m surprised I haven’t thought of sooner and it’s this – Stop Scrolling, Start Doing.

We’ve all been there. Those periods of procrastination where anything seems more appealing than what we’re actually meant to be doing in that moment. Our phones have become our best friends and our enemies. Whilst in some ways they have made doing many things much easier, they have also become the distraction that eats into our time and stops us getting a lot of other things done.

Last year my scrolling addiction hit an all time phone junkie high. I didn’t even think I spent that much time on my phone but the evidence stated otherwise. (Seriously, go into your phone settings, check the battery section and see how much time you’ve spent on certain apps in the last 24 hours to 7 days…you may be surprised.)

In 2018 realised that I used Facebook a lot as a time filler. Whilst I honestly have no interest in watching videos of dogs doing back flips, or in seeing Janine’s 3D baby scan pictures, I still found myself mindlessly scrolling through. So I deleted the Facebook app off of my phone and despite missing cues to wish Happy Birthday to ‘friends’ I haven’t spoken to or seen in real life for over five years, I realise I really haven’t actually missed much.

Now whilst removing one app from my phone seemed to do the trick, when it came to the likes of Instagram I decided to use sheer willpower alone. And surprisingly it worked…for a time. Actually I weaned myself off of Instagram scrolling surprisingly easy. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I went two whole weeks over the festive period without posting one Instagram image, which is a pretty big deal when it’s actually part of what you do as your job.

Whilst now I’m back to my usual daily posts on Instagram, I still don’t think that should make for an excuse to slip into old habits of spending too much time on there. However I feel myself grabbing for the phone in regular intervals once again. I know what it is, it’s procrastination, plain and simple and whilst my phone is the catalyst, I am still very much culpable.

So I’ve decided it’s time to nip this bad habit in the bud and so I think the best way to attempt to do that is to give myself a friendly little daily reminder, by adding another motto to my list. Let’s see where we end up with these, by the end of the year I might have worked up quite the list.

Do you use your phone to procrastinate? Or are you good at staying focused and ignoring distractions? If you’re the latter, give me your tips please!

Samio x

Boots – Office (similar here) | Jeans – Weekday Ami Jeans (different shade here) | Roll Neck (similar here) | Blazer – Topshop (similar here) | Coat – Jigsaw (sold out, similar here) | Bag – All Saints

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January 17, 2018
Five Things #5 – Creating a Routine and Keeping Up With Content

Welcome back to another instalment of my Five Things series here on my blog and actually my first of 2018. If you didn’t know, this is basically just a post where I chat about five things as they pop into my head, so here goes…

One

I feel like I’m off to a good start this year. January is often a bit of weird one, it’s half filled with motivation and a fresh outlook and half filled with January blues and a desire to emigrate to somewhere with a warmer climate. I’m happy to say that I seem to have beat the January blues this year and whilst I still wouldn’t mind some slightly warmer weather right now, I’m still quite content and feeling really motivated whilst keeping busy with work.

Two

I’m feeling much more work focused this year. I feel like each year sort of falls into a personal theme. For me, last year’s theme was definitely that of travel, exploration and having fun, and whilst this year I still definitely want to enjoy myself (self confessed hedonist over here), I also want to priorities my blog and work a lot more. I’m feeling focused and organised which is a good way to start.

Three

One thing I’m really enjoying right now is my routine. Being self employed it’s often hard to to stick to a particular routine and you have to create your own kind of structure. I think I’m finding this slightly easier right now as it’s January. The party season is behind us and I haven’t had to venture too far for work just yet. So right now I’ve been able to create a routine for myself and I’m actually really enjoying it, not to mention it’s doing wonders for my productivity levels. Of course I know as we move further into the year, this is bound to change and be disrupted, as travel plans arise, events occur and the social calendar hots up once again. For the time being however, I’m fulling making the most out of it and I’m massively appreciating the early nights, productive work days and party-free weekends.

Four

I’m making more of an effort to keep up with my content over Winter this year. Usually my blog posts become somewhat sporadic over the Winter months and style related posts become less frequent. This is of course due to the awful weather we tend to get here in the UK over Winter. This year though I’m making no excuses. As you’ll know if you follow me on Instagram, I’ve got into the habit of shooting self portraits, which is something I’m really enjoying right now. Along with that I’m making more effort to shoot outdoors too, no matter how cold it is. Sharing my day to day outfits is something I miss and so I’m making a concious effort to start doing more of it again.

Five

I met up with Rosie last week and between catching up over coffee and lunch, we managed to take some shots for our blogs (you can check out Rosie’s blog here). At the time I really wasn’t in the mood to shoot my outfit but in the end I’m glad we did because like I said, I have missed snapping and sharing my day to day looks here on my blog. I think I just need to remember that even when I’m not quite in the mood to shoot (especially when it’s cold), I should always just get on with it because I’ll thank myself later.

Coat – Asos | Roll Neck – (similar here) | Cardigan – James Lakeland | Jeans – Asos | Boots – Office (similar here) | Bag – All Saints

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January 15, 2018
3 Mottos To Live By In 2018

We each have our own individual things that we want to achieve and focus on this year, be it wanting to save, reaching those work goals, or working on our own happiness. Whatever your focus, it’s always good to have a little reminder or prompt to go to in order to help keep you on track. That’s where mottos come in handy, you know, those cheesy little lines that we tell ourselves to give ourselves a boost of motivation.

Maybe you don’t have a motto, maybe you already have several that you like to remind yourself of frequently. I myself have drifted in and out of having my own mottos over the years but more recently, I’ve found myself thinking of certain mottos in my head and often they have given me that little motivational push when I’ve needed it most. So in this post I’m sharing three mottos that I intend to live by this year…

It’s okay to think it over but don’t overthink it

This is one of my own quotes that I actually came up with last year, or the year before (I can’t quite remember when). Whilst I agree it’s wise to think something over before going ahead with it, there’s a point when you need to draw a line and make a clear decision, to avoid overthinking it.

It’s funny, I can decide to book a trip, with not much thought or planning, yet I can find myself overthinking something as simple as what I write in an email. This year I aim to put a cap on my overthinking. I’m going to give things a second thought where a second thought is due but I’m going to try and worry less and not overthink things that really don’t need overthinking…So if you’re like me, then this might be a good one to add to your mottos too!

Your dreams don’t work unless you do

I couldn’t do this post without having a really cheesy one in there and admittedly this is one of the most overused, cliché quotes out there. But when it comes down to it, it’s actually a pretty good motto to live by.

Now in terms of dreams I’m talking about things that are existent or within our own realms of possibility. No matter how hard you work, it’s unlikely you’ll end up living on the moon, not in this lifetime at least (if that’s your bag anyway). But the realistic goals we want to achieve and the things we want to do in life, are things that we can work at/or towards, a little bit each day.

I like this motto because it’s simple, to the point and it’s great for someone like me who is a self confessed procrastinator. I almost picture me giving myself a lecture as I’m saying it, ‘girl, stop wasting time, come on, you’re dreams don’t work unless you do’. So maybe this cheesy motto isn’t such a bad one after all.

Jeans – River Island | Jumper – Warehouse (similar here) | Coat – Asos | Scarf – Mint Velvet

Do not strive for perfection. Strive for consistency

This next motto in some ways flows on from the last, in the way that it once again relates to working towards goals. This is another one of my own motto creations and if you watched my most recent YouTube video about how to achieve your 2018 goals, you will have already heard me mention this one.

Firstly, as we all know, perfection is something impossible to strive for, because in reality it doesn’t exist. The problem however, is that many of us quite frequently dismiss this, myself included. For example, if your aim for this year is to eat healthily, by putting pressure on yourself to constantly eat a restrictive ‘ideal’ diet, it’s more likely that you’ll eventually fall off the bandwagon and slip back into old habits. Whereas if you plan to consistently eat well and make better choices but with less pressure to ‘be perfect’ all the time, then it’s something that you’ll likely find easier to maintain and in the long run you’ll actually see the difference and feel the results from.

For me striving for consistency over perfection is something I need to apply more with my work. As a creative (and I’m sure many will be able to relate), it’s easy to have thoughts that our work or what we produce isn’t good enough at times, or that it needs to be better and the reality is that the more we create and share, the more we are able to improve and grow. Improvement comes with practice and time. Whilst things may not be how you want them to be right away, keep at it and in the long run you’ll develop and growth.

So those are three mottos that I’ll be trying to live by this year. They are just friendly reminders to myself to worry less, work hard and be consistent. Maybe some of these were relevant to you, or maybe it even inspired you to think of some mottos of your own. Are you into mottos? If so what’s a motto that you like to try and live by?

Samio x

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January 10, 2018
Goodbye 2017

A Brief End of Year Farewell

Oh hello there obligatory end of the year blog post. It feels only right that I do one final post before we sign off for the end of 2017. I’ve really, truly got into the festive spirit this year and went into full holiday mode over the past couple of weeks. It’s rare that I switch off completely from my blog, Instagram and YouTube all at once, but that’s what I’ve done these past couple of weeks and to be honest it’s been just dandy. I’ve not thought about content, shooting images and I’ve fallen straight to sleep at night without my head buzzing with ideas. It’s a rarity and I’ve let myself enjoy the period.

I’m only now starting to get that little niggling feeling that’s prompting me to get back into work mode and it’s only natural seeing as we are fast approaching the new year. I still don’t feel entirely ready for it yet though. Time always seems to whizz by quicker than I’d like and before I know it, it’s time to celebrate another New Year’s Eve once again.

On a personal level, this year has been a good year for me. It’s been stressful at times, with our house renovations, it’s been non stop with with all the trips I’ve taken and for the most part it’s been lots of fun. I’ve felt and seen myself evolve a lot, in more ways than one and I’ve been able to do a lot of things that I really wanted to do this year. I’ve proved to myself that I can do the things that I set out to do. I think my motto for this year has become ‘if there’s a will, there’s a way’. Each month has brought along a new adventure, more quality time spent with some of my favourite people and progression in our house renovations – which has been so exciting to see.

I thought I’d share a few of my favourite things about this year to briefly round things up.

Buying my dream pink sofa. I’m going to bring back the most over used acronym of 2012 here and simply say, YOLO.

Eating out all the time. It’s actually bad and something I plan on cutting down on in 2018 but boy, do I love food and I just love eating out and trying new places. If I could even attempt to add up the amount of times I’ve eaten out this year, I’d probably be sick, so I won’t even try. Lets just say, it’s been a lot and I’ve enjoyed every overindulgent mouthful.

I’ve created some of my favourite creative/lookbook videos yet. Two of which you can see here and here.

Towards the end of the year I upped my photography game and finally began to learn how to edit photos. I’ve also got back into taking self portraits, which has been a great way to help me practice and I’m loving the creative process of it.

I got to spend so much quality time with some of my most favourite people…and that leads me onto my next point…

I went on 11 trips abroad in 10 months, which was sort of my new years resolution, if you can call it that. It’s been one of my favourite and most fun achievements as I got to tick off new countries and I also got to go on many of these trips with some of the people I’m closest to, which has just been amazing. I actually dedicated a whole video to this, which you can watch here.

Basically, I’ve had a pretty good year. For the most part what’s made it good is just enjoying day to day life; Getting to work more on creative projects and as a blogger which is something I love, spending time with friends, going out and having fun and getting to enjoy the home that Damien and I have been working on for so long. I feel grateful for what this year has brought and the memories that it will leave me with. So I’ll say goodbye 2017. Thanks for reading and I’ll catch up with you next year!

Samio x

Thanks to Onyi for helping me capture these shots

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December 31, 2017