A year in review: sorry to this 2019

I do a yearly recap on this blog because sometimes writing things down just makes it real. And this year? Well, I’d like to leave large chunks of it behind.

Granted, I wanted to do the same thing last year, but 2019 really was on some chaotic energy. Things just happened, almost all at once without pause. I would have an incredibly low day and either that evening, the next day or in that week I’d get life-changing news.

There was a lot of trauma but also some opportunities I’ve only daydreamed about. However, I spent a large part of this year feeling incredibly lost, overworked and traumatized. But there’s been so much light at the end of the tunnel and if you told me I would end the year off like this, I wouldn’t have believed you.

Change isn’t always flashy and apparent. Sometimes it’s subtle. Sometimes you don’t even realize it’s happening until it’s already over and your life is suddenly somewhere you never imagined it would be
from a romance novel I read

The Good

I learnt about the importance of trusting your gut, that niggling feeling about an environment or person. I made the leap to go freelance and now I work alongside a global and immensely talented team doing work I’m so proud of.

Earlier this year, I did a course focusing on social media at Vega and passed with a distinction. All while holding down two jobs and trying to have a life. My blog hit 30k visits and 15k visitors – I still can’t believe over 15 000 people have checked out my work. I stuck to my content-creating philosophy of writing about stuff that I can’t find but want to know about. I’ve had the best December in a solid decade and I feel lighter than ever before. Even if that feeling changes, it’s real nice to be here, right now.

And one of my all-time highlights? I got to interview Thebe Magugu, the first South African fashion designer to win the LVMH Prize.

The Bad

Earlier this year, we lost a court case and once again, I realised how the justice system is not here to help victims. Just because a perpetrator got off or is “not guilty” doesn’t mean they didn’t do it. Believe victims, know that false accusations are pretty much non-existent and there’s zero support for people who come forward.

And unless you’ve been on a stand or attempted to go to court, there’s no way to explain how terrifying, stressful and damaging the experience is. I always say, people think they know but they have no idea. I wouldn’t wish that kind of trauma on anyone.

The Ugly

If you know what I’ve been dealing with, you know.

start ignoring people who threaten your joy.
literally, ignore them.
say nothing.
don’t invite any parts of them into your space.
alex_elle

But besides that, there’s been some other wondrous things that happened this year.

Bought my own laptop (no, it’s not a Mac but it’s fully paid off)
Passed my short course with an A+
Enter the Florpus came out!
Dancing and celebrating birthdays with friends
Watching Kinky Boots at the Fugard
My best friend visiting from Japan
Closing one of my store accounts (real adult shit)
Saving enough money to have a healthy emergency fund

And thank you for reading this blog, enjoying the content and messaging me about it. If you ever doubt how you can help creatives, share your positive or constructive feedback. I write for myself, but just for fun and it’s always wild to know that people care.