Hello! Happy New Year! Yes, I realize it’s already February but I feel like I just woke up from a fat nap and am wondering what year it is.
I have been wanting to making a shift in my content for it to feel more authentic and more me. I didn’t know what that meant for a while, or what that looked like and basically I spent most of my time trying to craft this image and create content I thought other people would expect from me. And wow, does it get exhausting tying to do things that I think I should do instead of listening to my heart.
I remember when I was in art school, I was getting close to graduating and we had to design a logo and a business card. This was my first logo, and I chose to do something that represented me as the person I was. I remember the criticism I got from my peers and professors and someone I thought was a friend. The underlying tone I got from them all was that it was too much of me and that wasn’t something other people wanted to see. That was over 12 years ago and I still think about it to this day.
I started Ali Cali Designs in 2016 and there were moments when I created art just for me because I thought it was neat. There were times I drew things and shared them on IG because I thought it was what other people wanted to see and sometimes I was right and a certain piece of art for more likes than my usual ones. Then I’d keep trying to chase that. Then I’d stop posting completely and pull myself off posting and using social media until I think I’ve grown past it, but then start posting again and post things just because I liked them and thought it was neat and…Well, it’s just a cycle that I’ve been repeating for literally years now!
So I’m going to give this another go. Haha! Okay but this time, I am being INTENTIONAL and I’m trying to be as authentic as possible. I’m a freaking human, I make typos and say dumb shit sometimes. I’m a creative and I have lots of ideas. I know some of them are great! But a lot of them are not! And that’s okay, and guess what, I just want to share those things with others in some way. I just need to express things. That’s really who I’ve been for a long time. I used to have a Xanga. I Tumblred my way through college. I really wrote my heart and soul out on the internet for strangers to see. But now, I actually have a lot of friends and people who really believe in me and have been rooting for me since even BEFORE those days.
So, like i said, I’m giving it another go. I’ve got this new logo which I just think it cute and I feel like it’s my vibe right now. I am ready to put my work out to the world again, and this time, I’m posting what feels good to me and what I want to see. I fully believe that if I stay true to myself, I will attract others who also stay true to themselves. That sounds awesome to me. :)