It all started this past summer—I felt purposeless, lost, and unsure why. I didn’t know where it came from. I had just spent the month traveling, exploring new places, and creating content of my adventures. For years, I’ve dreamed of being in a spot where I can support myself with the money I make from content creation and brand deals to travel the world, and this summer, I got a glimpse of that lifestyle. The brand deals were coming in, I had more financial freedom, and I was able to fully live off that money during my month-long hiatus. But once the initial excitement wore off, I still felt a void. Something that used to be enough wasn’t anymore, and I was frustrated. Initially, I started looking for the answers in other creators—something I’ve been guilty of ever since I started this journey (and I’m actively working on), but naturally, this only led to more confusion and comparison. I realized that the thing I needed the most was a break. My mom had recently told me in another context, ‘When you don’t know what to do, don’t do anything at all,’ so I decided to take her advice here. 

A break is obviously not a groundbreaking idea, but it felt foreign to me as someone who has constantly felt the self-imposed pressure to post daily (or multiple times a day) to stay relevant and grow their audience. I was uncomfortable with the idea of letting my platforms stay idle for an indefinite time, but I did it anyway. I swapped my usual doom-scrolling for a book, I bought a Brick (more on that later!), I spent quality time with myself and leaned into anything that sparked interest. One night, after a long shift at the restaurant, I watched The Devil Wears Prada, simply to rewatch a favorite film, but I was reminded how much I’ve always loved the fashion and editorial world, and that I had a long-lost goal of reading books about designers and further educating myself on the industry in general. The next morning, before I was about to head out the door to Barnes and Noble to buy some designer biographies, I quickly glanced at my bookshelf, only to spot a biography of Anna Wintour lying right in front of me. As if the universe was leaving me breadcrumbs, I picked the book up and began reading. 

I couldn’t put the book down. Say what you want about Anna Wintour, but there is no denying that she is a fascinating woman and an icon in the fashion industry. She had a goal and a vision, and didn’t let anything get in the way when it came to making it happen. While her actions were debatably problematic at times, I found her tenacity inspiring. 

It reminded me of another time her influence shaped me. My freshman year of college, I was figuring out my major and took classes from all departments—anthropology, business, and one that was called “Intro to Apparel Merchandising”. Honestly, just seeing the word ‘apparel’ in the course title was enough to convince me to sign up. I knew I always liked clothes and shopping, so I decided to see what would come of it. One day during that fall semester, our professor showed us The First Monday in May, a documentary about the 2016 Met Gala, “China: Through the Looking Glass”. I was absolutely captivated by the film, learning about how the Costume Institute, Vogue, and the world’s largest designers collaborate to bring the Met Gala to life each year. In fact, this documentary was the deciding factor in choosing “Merchandising” as my college major. Looking back, I realized I was actually more interested in fashion design than I was in merchandising, but at the time, I figured if this department is showing me films like this, then that’s where I want to be. 

Feeling my inspiration slowly coming back, I decided to continue editing the revamped travel recommendation website I started working on earlier in the summer. But as I looked at it again, the vision felt out of reach—like looking through glass I couldn’t quite wipe clean. I knew I needed inspiration, something that could help me see more clearly. So, drawing on my renewed love for the fashion world, the MET Gala, and Anna Wintour, I went straight to the source—Vogue.

As I read through the three Vogue (and one Harper’s Bazaar—sorry, Anna!) magazines I picked up at my local bookstore, it finally hit me: What if I made a website inspired by the fashion and editorial world I love so much? Instead of only talking about travel, I could talk about all of it—travel, fashion, lifestyle, and beauty—and release monthly “issues” like a magazine. It would be the perfect way to bring everything I love into one place: styling clothes for the season, writing about my travels, sharing my latest beauty routine, and capturing the lifestyle moments that shape me. As soon as it hit me, I could feel the frustration and fog start to clear. It felt like the perfect answer I’d been anxiously searching for in the past couple of weeks. I’ve always loved writing, photography, editing, and storytelling; I’ve always loved curating—and this would be my space to do all of that. Not confined by algorithms or trends, but a place for myself—to be creative, to curate, and to tell stories. 

After almost two months of ideating, creating, and executing, it feels incredibly rewarding to see this vision come to life—built from inspiration, imagination, and intuition. This blog is my space to connect with you more deeply, to share inspiration, and to create content with intention—an editorial lens on life, fashion, travel, beauty, and beyond.