Now & Then: How My Blog Brought Me Back to Life After Getting Laid Off

If you haven’t seen the April issue of Washingtonian magazine (or if you don’t live in the area), I was featured in their “Spring Forward” fashion shoot, alongside a bevy of influential DC fashion bloggers (who all look stunning, by the way!). After working in the journalism industry for a few years, I was used to seeing my byline in print, but I have to say, it’s absolutely surreal to see a full-page photo of myself.

I can’t really quite describe how much this feature means to me, because a year ago, I was in the worst state of mind. First of all, Lady Gaga lied to me. Yes, Lady Gaga… there’s a quote by her that basically says, your career will never wake up and tell you it doesn’t love you anymore. Well, she was wrong because I was unceremoniously laid off from my full-time (at the time, my dream job) at a local glossy. I wish I could permanently block out that memory, but I can’t because I was wearing waterproof mascara and I had to take a mental note that it actually worked (it was Maybelline, by the way). I was devastated, to say the least (about the lay off, not the mascara). I spent eight months applying for jobs… 54 to be exact, and it was mentally and physically exhausting. My daily routine became so redundant, and it went something like this: wake up, eat, go to Starbucks, blog, apply for jobs, snack, take a nap, watch Law & Order SVU, blog… and repeat.

Aside from seeing every episode of every season of Law & Order SVU (thank you USA for those Tuesday marathons) and going through a difficult career identity crisis, the best and only thing that really gave me the inspiration to wake up everyday was this beauty blog, my beauty blog. Whether I was shopping for new beauty products or writing about it, as cliché as it sounds, this blog was my escape from the not-so-great things that were going on in my life. Simply put, my blog brought me back to life again. And for that I’m truly thankful, because I don’t think it would’ve led me to this amazing opportunity with Washingtonian. Special thanks to my friend/mentor/former boss/best fashion editor ever, Kate Bennett (I heart you even though you have an absurd collection of fanny packs).