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Back in my early days of developing my style one of the most important things I realized was that I didn’t have to live a certain lifestyle to dress the way I wanted. Part of what helped me realize this was the emergence of blogs—instead of just seeing celebrities on red carpets and actresses in magazines, I also saw incredibly stylish women who were waitresses and secretaries—and students like myself. Seeing women in ordinary jobs that had unique style helped me realize that I didn’t need to live in a city or have a glamorous job to start wearing the vintage dresses I loved. My part-time job as a cashier didn’t have a uniform; I could wear whatever I wanted to classes, even though I was living in the middle of nowhere, at a tiny university campus, studying and working in a convenience store. Did my vintage dresses look odd in convenience store? Perhaps but they made me happy.
This lesson that I could start dressing the way I wanted—start living the way I wanted—even though my living conditions weren’t perfect has been invaluable for me.
Because it is about more than fashion, it is about living the life you want now, where you are. These days I get people asking how they can build a life like mine is to start now. If you’re waiting for the perfect job, the perfect house, the perfect partner, etc then you’re going to miss out on so much of life. Even my life isn’t perfect; I post content from my shoots in nature, my walks with my dog, my forays into foraging, but between that time I am often bound by work, stressed about money, homesick from living so far from family, etc etc. But the downsides or reality of life don’t mean I can’t also steal moments of joy. Sometimes it’s not about a perfect life, but a perfect hour in your day. That time you set aside for a hobby or passion. That weekend you spend exploring your region and picnicking in the nice weather because it can’t happen during the workweek. Accepting this dichotomy of life--that there are ups and downs--has freed me from the expectations of every aspect of my life looking picturesque, of being perfect.
There is joy to be found in imperfect moments, imperfect lives. Romanticizing your life, living a cottagecore lifestyle isn’t about every aspect being ideal, but finding time and joy even if some weeks there are only a few fleeting moments of joy to be found.
All the best,
Rebecca
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