Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained

Goodness, I don’t even know how to begin this post. Over the last few months, I’ve been re-evaluating what I want out of my life and career since my world changed drastically last year when we moved to Hawaii from Germany. I had an excellent massage and skin care practice, and I was working as assistant editor for a vintage magazine that I love, I was traveling quite a bit, and generally loving life. Then all of that ended abruptly with the move across the world. Then shortly after getting settled into our new location, the world completely turned upside down for everyone with the pandemic.

Finding a traditional job in the marketing or wellness field is just not in the cards for me right now. However, I’m not one to just side idle and let things go to hell around me. I’ve always been able to re-invent myself when life changes, so that is once again what I plan to do. I figured that there is no better time for me to devote my energy to building my brand and making this a viable revenue stream. Not only for personal reasons but also to have the ability to provide valuable content and stay up to date with changing technologies and platforms.

So, I revived my YouTube channel and have started offering one-on-one online Vintage Style and Beauty Sessions, but I feel like I’ve ignored this blog for far too long. I gave it a facelift a few months back that I’m really proud of, so now it’s time to really show her off.

For those of you who have followed me from the beginning, you’ll see a few changes in how I use this platform, both for my creative outlet and for monetary purposes. The joy I get from writing is palpable, and I need to get back to writing more. This blog is the best way for me to channel that passion. But as a marketing specialist, I see a blog as so much more potential for building my brand. My brand of Chronically Overdressed is spread across many different platforms, and each of them has its own unique benefits and challenges. I don’t expect everyone to follow me on each of the platforms that I’m on, so I will try and share as much across each forum as I can. However, there will be times that I only share certain things on specific platforms, as that is the best format for the content that I’m sharing, so I do encourage you to follow me on the different platforms to get the most out of my content.

Why am I’m sharing this all with you? Well it’s for three reasons:

1. Because I value you as followers and supporters, and want to keep you informed of changes I make.
2. I want to stay as transparent about my intentions as possible.
3. I’m using this as a way of staying accountable to you and myself.

I started this blog more than seven years ago as a hobby and creative outlet for my writing and sharing my vintage style. Over the years, my readership has grown, and I’ve added other social media platforms. Now is the time to really make this my business and something that can potentially fund my adventures for years to come.

So here are some of the changes you’ll see on the blog:

1. Addition of my YouTube videos

   I’m working towards getting monetized on YouTube so I’ll be linking my videos here when I post them to YouTube. My plan is to post a new video each Monday. You can absolutely watch the videos directly from this blog or on my YouTube channel. You can get notifications of my YouTube videos by subscribing to my channel and by signing up for notifications here on the blog.

2. More regular blog posts

   My goal is to post a new blog post each week in addition to the videos. I’m aiming for Thursdays, but we’ll see how things go as I start to create a content schedule. Of course, my posts will always have a vintage flair to them, but I will also be posting some of my past travel photos and adventures as I have a lot that I never shared on this platform. I’m also always open to hearing suggestions for what you’d like to see and learn.

3. Addition of ads and affiliate links

   As an additional revenue stream, I’m partnering with companies to run ads on this site and promote items that I use regularly. I’m also actively seeking out modeling and collaboration opportunities with vintage reproduction companies, beauty brands, and other products and services that align with my style and values. These are ways to help support my brand and for me to continue to provide exciting and valuable content for you. Please note that although I don’t have control over some of the ads placed on my website, any links to companies or products will always have my blessing and be for items that I use or fully stand behind and support.

The Future of Chronically Overdressed

Once this pandemic is over and we can travel again, I’ll be adding a travel and food component to all of my platforms, of course I will always tie in my vintage style to this new concept. Our plan is to move back to Europe in the near future and, once again, start exploring beautiful and historic destinations there. However, since we are currently in Hawaii we hope to visit some locations in Asia and possibly even Australia and New Zealand, once we can move around more freely and safely.

I think the most challenging part for us in this pandemic has been the inability to travel, so I hope that you’ll indulge me in seeing some of my past travel photos and adventures for now.

I plan to continue to offer my Vintage Style and Beauty Sessions and grow this extension of my brand that helps me stay connected to the community and provides a valuable service to new and existing members of this vibrant vintage community.

My gratitude goes out to all of you for joining me on this journey. I hope to continue to create content that is interesting, valuable, and entertaining.

Much love,