Disclaimer: I've been quite for 3 months but there's been so much that I want to say. Read until the end, there's a special announcement.
"I used to pray for times like this." - Meek Mills
I'm 28 now.
I'm in the mist of rebranding, reinvention, & isolation, while practicing self-love.
I've been feeling a range of emotions between overwhelmed, depressed, etc.
However, I'm forever grateful.
Initially, I had every intention on going on a rant about how I'm not happy with my life, which is still partially true but God continues to show me that I have so much to be grateful for.
On August 23, 2023, God blessed me to see chapter 28. This birthday felt surreal when I reflected on how much my life has changed since summer 2022. From being in survival mode to loving my life in Houston. Over the years I've often had thoughts of not wanting to live anymore but God has kept me here for a reason.
I'm reinventing myself. I want a new ware-robe. I want to become financially responsible and business minded. I want to work on how I talk to myself. I'm currently working on self-care, self-love, expressing gratitude, and not letting other people's unwarranted opinions affect me. I've decided that I'm okay with being single and not dating until I've addressed certain issues. Plus out of state bae is fun, and I'm young and turnt. Everything I'm doing and plan to do is to set a solid foundation for myself before I enter into the next decade of life.
Speaking of the next decade, the pressure of turning 30 is getting worser. It's 21 months away and it's time to get into isolation and execution mode meaning no distractions, taking care of business first and going outside is secondary, being consistency, and stop doubting myself. I'm fully aware that 30, isn't the end all be all, but if I don't make certain changes now then the 30's will be a repeat of the 20's and the 20's have been ghetto. With the help of God and therapy, the road to 30 is going to be challenging, but worth it.
Now how does this new era impact the blog and overall vision for the brand...
I'm older now and certain topics no longer resonates me with anymore. 22 year old me and 28 year me are different versions of myself. Then, I'm over the pressure I put on myself to be mindful of what I say to avoid offending anybody, and the stress of monetizing this platform has made me contemplate quitting. So I'm going back to having fun with this shit and focusing on my digital shop. I still want my audience to grow, but writing is a mental thing. I also have to say what's on my heart and stop obsessing over if people will understand where I'm coming from. The money and results will come as long as I maintain a certain level of transparency, implement a consist posting schedule, let go of the idea of perfection, and put God first. All of this is what led to me doing a social media sweep and creating separate platforms.
Earlier this year I deleted 300+ people from Facebook & in September I deleted 600+ from instagram. A lot of people are ghost followers aka monitoring spirits, and yes I do believe no matter the size of your following there are people watching to be nosy as well as praying on your downfall. Also, the purpose of social media is to engage and if they're not engaging then they can go. An audience that engages and shows genuine love hits different than accumulating a certain number of inactive followers.
Then, for clarity and content purposes I created separate social platforms. I'm still erica_nicolexo on IG & TikTok where I'll be posting whatever I want on my IG feed and TikTok is for lifestyle content such as vlogs, GRWM, life in Houston, etc. My personal platforms is for me to be me and simply carefree. For black girl content, things to do in Houston, and anything regarding the blog I created a separate IG, Tiktok, & Facebook like page which is titled after the blog 20somethingsxo.
Also separate accounts gives me the opportunity to deactivate my personal pages when I need a break while not falling off with the blog. It's no secret that social media high keys grinds me gears and at times I've felt like I couldn't gain views and new readers if I went inactive. This decision is great for my mental because regardless of how I'm feeling personally it's easy to manage content that's not directly attached to my personal life and if things go the way I want them to go my personal IG will be deactivated.
Now I'm sure some people are still confused as to why I would start an IG account for the blog if I hate IG and the truth is IG is perfect for bloggers. Everybody loves quotes, threads, and aesthetic vibes which is what the blog IG will consist of including other relative black girl content and aesthetically/cute things to do in Houston. I hope y'all are picking up what I'm putting down.
To conclude, my vision for the blog and brand has expanded beyond lifestyle content, and separate accounts with a specific niche and purpose is the best way to showcase parts of my life while also allowing the blog and overall purpose of 20's somethings to become an entity outside of Erica Nicole.
For a while I couldn't get in my mental bag and write something of substance but this post feels true to me and I'm celebrating that I made to post 100. One things I know, two things for certain (Meg's voice), writing is my gift and I'm going to continue to write my ass off.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
- Philippians 4:13
Make sure your following the correct social platforms based off your interest:
20 Somethings: Blog stuff & black girl content
Pinterest: https://pin.it/6NsEbOw
Instagram: 20somethingsxo
Facebook Like Page: Twenty Somethings
Personal pages: More lifestyle content
IG & Tiktok: erica_nicolexo
Positive news: Your girl got approved for an Amazon storefront and please checkout my store and shop with me. https://www.amazon.com/shop/ericanicole
More positive news & the grand announcement…. The Pink Print Shop is open and ready for business. This part of the rebrand was supposed to occur at the top of the year but fear and procrastination held me back. I put a lot of time and effort into this line of business and new digital products will continue to be added over the next few weeks. I pray my digital products help you dream big and become the best version of yourself.
Pink Print Planners
Tiktok & IG: pinkprintplanners
Thank you so much for rocking with me and I love y’all for real.
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