An Open Letter to the Struggling Content Creator

I’m here to write a bit about hope. And I wish that by sharing a bit of my story, I can inspire you to write your own. You see, only a year ago I was a different person than the woman I am today. A year ago I was lost, riding an emotional roller coaster. I didn’t know what I wanted out of life, my career, love, really anything. I had lost my spark, and my passion, and all I wanted was to sleep, because that was so, so much better than my reality.

I worked in a job I hated. They were awful to me, and I felt like every single day I tried to walk in with my chin held high, and they would throw rocks at me until I crumbled. When I lost that job, I felt like a failure (I wrote a whole blog post about that earlier this year!). Life was rough.

I took 6 lonely months off, when I decided to start HGL. It started as something completely different than it turned into, but I tried to let it go wherever felt right. It was my boyfriend, John (AKA love of my life) who convinced me to start an Instagram. I started it without a clue of what I wanted it to become.

Suddenly, I found a community of creators. People lived in a world of color, while I was living in black and white. People shared their ups and downs, their triumphs and trials, and their successes and failures. I found a community of people who were just like me. And so I watched, and studied, and took in as much knowledge as I could. I replicated their work, giving them full credit for inspiration, of course, but I just wanted practice.

Over the course of those 6 months, I never could figure out what I wanted to do. I seemed to be ‘wasting’ all this time on Instagram and planning little photo shoots in my house. Oh, and spending all my boyfriend’s money on clothes (ha, sorry John). I was lonely and took a job to support my (healthy) addiction to shopping, and to find my IRL community once again.

And then one day, it hit me. Hard. I was happy. FINALLY. I suddenly knew that I was a creator. That’s it, I just needed to create. If I could do that, I would be happy. So I stopped worrying about how many followers I had, or how many likes my pictures got, and started focusing on my own vision for my brand. I found real, amazing friends in this little corner of the internet. I was waking up inspired every.damn.day!

So, tonight I was reflecting on my life. How even when I feel sad, or anxious, or fearful, I can’t seem to push my happiness aside. It’s there now, deep inside of me. I’m pursuing my passion and learning every day, and now I can’t NOT be excited!

So I wanted to write to you. You, who may feel lost. Who may not feel good enough. Who may be comparing themselves to other creators. And I want to remind you that what you have is so unique, so beautiful… You are a creator. You have special ideas that nobody else in the whole wide WORLD has! You are a special little snowflake, and you will find that happiness that we all crave. All you have to do is let yourself do what you’re supposed to do. Don’t question it! Just let yourself live and be happy. When you find a passion, FOLLOW IT. STALK IT. MAKE IT YOURS!!! Never give up on a passion, because who knows how many we get, right?? My passions include: dogs, spaghetti, and content creation. (Okay, maybe a few more, but who’s counting).

My point is, you will find yourself when you least expect it. So let it happen. Focus on the positive in your life and it will find you. I love you all to pieces, and of course, I’m always here if you want to talk.

All the best,

Hannah xx