A love of blogs came early for me. Actually, I think it might have been prior to even having a facebook account! There were two style blogs I followed back then, just two. Both of these people have gone on to do amazing things.
My friend Courtney witnessed my love of street style when I lived with her. She bought me a copy of The Sartorialist one year for my birthday. And I never looked back really. It was never about ‘fashion’ for me, as such. It was about personal style. I’ll admit...I’m obsessed with personal style. What makes one person dress so differently from another? What are their lives like? How do they express themselves? What do they do with their evenings? I’m fascinated (nosy).
So really, I have a fascination with life and individual experiences.
I’m a chatterbox, anyone who knows me well, knows this. But the one time you will see me sit there and shut up, is when someone is telling me something about themselves or an experience they have had. I will be utterly enthralled. I will listen and learn.
And so Sweet Apple was born. This little corner of the internet where I get to be all obsessed with personal style and life and all the good things about this world (food, wine, travel and interiors). And anyone who likes the same things as me can come visit with a hot tea or a glass of red and join in the fun.
And the site has just kept growing.
So where to from here?
I have been doing my research and I have come up with an idea and I want to offer complete transparency about what I’m thinking (I’ve always been an over-sharer).
You guys have been a part of the journey of Sweet Apple and offered me relentless support, pushing me to keep doing what I do. You offer that support by continually coming back to visit me and sending me kind emails, telling me you really enjoy the site. So it makes sense that you will continue to be a part of the journey that I am taking now.
There is no doubt that the style blogs, OOTD etc, pull the biggest traffic to the site. But I am well aware that Sweet Apple can seem like a bit of a split personality at times. Some of you are just interested in the writing, photography and creativity, and some of you are mostly interested in the style. This is completely fair enough.
So what I am doing is splitting the site. I am in the process of creating a new site that will focus mainly on style. Street style, advice etc. I will still let you know on Sweet Apple when I am posting on the additional site, so you will always be in the loop.
But then it is up to you. You will be free to head on over to the other room with the heels and handbags, or stay right where you are.
Where it really gets exciting, is what I plan to do with Sweet Apple.
As most of you know, I was thinking about going back to school next year to study journalism. But things really are moving away from print and on to the net. What do you come to a site for? You want information or inspiration – fast – anywhere – anytime.Or you want to be entertained. I could remain stuck in old ways, or I could create something new. I want this site to become a creative hub. I think our generation still has a love for art, culture, good writing, story-telling and music. But often, we are too time-poor to read a whole book or scour the internet for talent. We want to be able to access beautiful things on our iphone whilst in the waiting room at the doctor.
What I am proposing, is to open Sweet Apple up to writers or creatives who would like to write a piece for the site. They are free to use their name, or not. I will monitor comments and make sure that only positive or constructive feedback is given. And any nasty farkers who want to rip someone down (please see my post Tall Poppy Syndrome) will be deleted and blocked from the site. Free to spread their hate elsewhere.
I deal with them, so you can just focus on creating beautiful things, showcasing them to the world, and getting your name out there if you so wish.
The hope is that each person who posts, will then tell their friends about it, and share it on social media and the site will become a great place for people to come and read beautiful poems or stories about life. Or opinion pieces about the world, travel and funny experiences. Did you try a delicious wine or find a fabulous online recourse? Share it with me. Did you cook something delicious and healthy and take some nice pictures of it? Send it to me, and you can have your little moment of fame on the website and make others happy. If you are a blogger and writer and want to drive more traffic to your site to get noticed…write something beautiful for me and I’ll pop your link up with the piece. Did you read a beautiful book that changed your life? Write a review for me. Are you mildly funny? Write something witty and make me laugh. We will share information with each other in a safe way. And I will look after the site maintenance/marketing etc, so you don’t have to.
Also, I get to choose what goes on the site. So I will ensure the reads are great quality and if you like the things that I like, chances are you will also like what goes up on here!
I want to breath new life back into creativity and art and help it fit into the world we live in today. This will be a site to come and indulge in some beauty and honesty.
It is going to take me a while to get all of this off the ground. But trust me when I say, I am working on it. There are some really talented people out there just bursting to share, but they aren't sure how, or are apprehensive. Let's get as much talent out there as possible. It will make the world a more beautiful and interesting place to live.
So keep watching, I'm excited to see where we can take this together. If you know of anyone, or you are someone who would like to contribute. Flick me an email. In the mean time I’ll keep on chatterboxing for you. It’s what I do.
Much love,
Your Sweet Apple XX
