the Elle next door: WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM ME/"ELLE NEXT DOOR" IN 2018

Let me start by saying that the title of this post makes me feel simultaneously like a self important twat and like I wanna vom but I couldn't think of another way of saying, "look guys here's an update on how I feel about blogging and social media and what I'll be doing this year so yay come join the ride" so we're gonna roll with that and see past it, yeah?

So anyway, 2017 was a bit of a weird year. I started off plunging myself into work harder than I ever have (nope, didn't think I could work harder than 5:30am - 11pm days but apparently it's possible. Lol. Lol for being insane) after becoming single, I travelled to 4 countries last January and it kinda set me up for the rest of the year. 2017 was the year that incredible, amazing, mind blowing things happened but it was also the year that I had the most meltdowns, the most stress, and the most "is it all worth it?" (it was FYI) moments and I knew that 2018 had to be different for me. More than anything because that work load and that amount of stress and pressure just isn't sustainable.

So, here's what you can expect from me as a person (spoiler: basically still a total klutz making a twat of myself on a regular basis but just a more chilled out twat) and what you can expect from this blog, youtube and my social channels (mostly the devil that we call instagram).

Honestly, I struggled a lot. I felt like I was letting myself down, I felt like I was letting you guys down, but mostly I just felt well and truly stuck because as much as I wanted to blog, I also couldn't invent extra hours in the day. So anyway, this year is the year that I get back into blogging. I truly truly believe that with Instagram slowly killing itself via the algorithm and Youtube's glitchiness generally being as annoying as Kim Kardashian, I think blogs will have their moment again and I really can't bloody wait for it.

So yeah, that was a really long winded/probs boring af way of saying expect more, and hopefully lots better content over here this year.

Bye Felicia to Instagram

OK, so obviously I'm not saying bye to Instagram. As it stands it's probably one of my biggest platforms right now, it's still a place that I love to create content for and will always be one of my favourite ways of seeking inspiration from others however... and I'm almost a little bit embarrassed to admit this but screw it... last year Instagram killed me a little bit inside.

As I saw it growing and growing and taking over my other platforms, seeing brands take more notice of it than my blog, youtube or any anything else for that matter, Instagram became a place that wasn't purely for enjoyment and actually a place that caused a lot of stress and a lot of tears. I fretted over everything. Engagement on photos, how many followers I'd had that day, a slightly sarcastic shitty comment that usually wouldn't bother me... it honestly took over so much of my life and my god it's just not worth it is it? I don't blame myself or feel like a first world problem twat with no perspective like others may say when they see people complaining about the algorithm because this is my job, and it's one of my biggest sources of income and most importantly, I've worked my bloody arse off to get it to the position it's in right now.

But here's what I've learnt and my kind've "final thoughts" on it. The algorithm is shit and one week it might be your best friend and the other it might hate you more than Blair hated Serena when she found out she'd slept with Nate. One week you might grow 1000 followers, the other you might not move. The only thing that is consistent is that you literally can't do anything about it other than carry on posting content you like.

So for 2018 if I'm honest, you guys probably won't notice much of a difference with my instagram (apart from mostly posting once a day rather than twice), it will still be bright and colourful af and very London-y/me generally telling you how much I've failed life that day. But I personally will be posting my photo and then putting my phone down until I post again. Because I've already wasted too much time refreshing and actually, I just want to bloody live my life again rather than being defined by numbers.

So yeah, if I don't like/comment as much on your photos as I used to, I promise it's not because I don't love them, it's because I've decided to actually live my life through my eyeballs and not my phone camera and actually, I'm really excited for that.

Hey YouTube, I like you...

One of my favourite things to happen in 2017 was that I started to focus on YouTube and my god have I loved it. It's not my biggest platform, but it's ticking over nicely and I have the loveliest little community over there that genuinely say the nicest things - and are also beyond helpful with any life questions that I have no idea about - and honestly, that's what it's all about. This year I'm so excited to pump more time and energy into different kinds of videos. Yes I will always be buying clothes and filming hauls and yes I still travel lots so that won't change... but I'm excited to film videos that will hopefully help you guys too. Break up videos, dating stories, friendships... you name it, I am so excited to plunge myself into it.

Lol at somehow turning a motivational message into a sexual innuendo.

(Not so) little ole me

I will try my best not to be a tree hugging hippie tosspot with this section but honestly, this year for me is the year of fun. All my life I've been so work oriented and motivated and whilst I am so thankful for that and completely aware that I wouldn't be in the position I'm now if I wasn't that way inclined... you kinda get to a point where it's like, if I'm not actually stopping to enjoy life and reaping the benefits from the hard work, what is the bloody point? So yeah, here's to a hopefully happier, more chilled and more fulfilled me because life really is too f**king short isn't it?

So this year I am going to laugh until I cry (on a daily basis with Ally no doubt), travel the world and see it through my eyes and not my phone/camera, work with the brands I adore because I'm full of excitement to do so and not just because it's a means to an end. I am going to live my best bloody life and not just say I'm living my best life on Instagram whilst behind the scenes having a meltdown.