When I Grow Up

Welcome! My name is Megan and I have a confession: I’ve always wanted to be a blogger.

Well, originally, I wanted to be a nurse like my mom when I was in the first grade, the first time anyone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. Then I found out I don’t like blood so much, but I did like the scrub catalogs my mom got, filled with countless colors and patterns. So, then, I decided that I would be a fashion designer instead.

Time goes on and I become convinced I need to become something more practical, so I settle for an interior designer at the mature age of 7. Fourth grade comes along and by now I’ve done a lot of reading, checking out countless books from the library, so I figure, why not go with something I know? Writing. Well, 10-year-old me is convinced for a while that I’ll write novels until 13-year-old me tells myself to grow up again, and that journalism would be much more sensible.

From there, I discovered that pictures were worth a thousand words, far more than the value of text, so as a sophomore in high school when encountered by an English teacher with that same question, I blurted out, “photojournalist.” That was until I joined yearbook junior year and my 17-year-old self fell in love with the shutter of a camera and considered becoming a full on photographer, maybe for weddings.

I love weddings. Everything about them, the cake, the flowers, the hair, the makeup—makeup artist! That’s it! No, let’s be realistic. So, it finally came time to fill in that ominous bubble on the SATs, enforcing yet another reality check for me, in which I ultimately settled on graphic design.

And here I am later, one year of college under my belt, still getting asked by “real adults” what I would like to be when I grow up. In reality, my major is quite broad and I could end up doing anything from animation at Disney to logos and letterhead at a firm or layout at a magazine.

The truth is, however, I want to do all the things. All the things I mentioned before, that is. The fashion, the decor, the writing, the photography, the makeup, the design—and blogging allows me to do just that. Nevertheless, even now I still have that nagging voice telling me to be realistic and choose wisely instead. Instead of what, though? What could possibly be holding me back from the next so-called “lifestyle blogger” and joining the Essie Buttons and Claire Marshalls and All That Glitters?

I’ve been #teaminternet since before that hashtag was even born. I’m a part of a generation that has fueled the social media phenomenon, for better or for worse, into becoming the influence it is today. It all began with the usual Facebook and Instagram (mind you, before Facebook bought them out) that all the other high school freshmen had. From there, I went to venture out and seek what else the internet had in store, turning to my first social media love: Tumblr. This was my first taste of the vast potential of the World Wide Web. Here, at a pivotal point in my search to find myself, I discovered some of my first genuine interest and had a place of my own to curate and explore these things. Beauty, fashion, food, art, and design. The internet made it possible to have all of these things in one space.

From there I began lingering on each and every social media platform; keeping up with the latest and greatest on YouTube, Bloglovin’, Twitter, Buzzfeed, anywhere my Wi-Fi would take me, into the wee hours of the morning. In fact, I’m drafting this at 5 am as we speak. I digress. Nevertheless, it never seemed to be enough. Suddenly, just following these internet personalities no longer quenched my thirst. I had a desire in me to find exactly what they had. I just didn’t think I could ever find the courage. I’ve made millions of excuses why I shouldn’t just do it:

What would I even write about? How would I find my voice? When will I find the time? And from there they just kept snowballing into mountains of reasons not to. It wasn’t until my roommate questioned me, “Well, why not?” And I had to think, honestly, why not.

Such a cliché, I know. But, after much consideration, I finally realized I wanted to do something myself. I was tired of sitting around and waiting for things to happen. I was tired of my own excuses. I wanted something I could “channel my creative energy into” (Please bear with my clichés!). I wanted something that I could make mine.

I realized that now with the burden of school, I had put these things on the back burner. Things that I truly appreciated and admired and even aspired to be a part of. My Tumblr posts have dwindled off, my Luvocracy luvs have become infrequent, and my Instagrams are now subject to the occasional #tbt. This is my chance to change that.

With this blog, I have the intentions of combining not only my love for the internet and my interests once more, but also with school, therefore creating a space in which all of my realms can fuse together. I plan on opening up my life as a beauty-and-fashion-obsessed-wannabe-foodie-student-studying-graphic-design in hopes that my tutorials, quick OOTDs, recipes, and DIYs can relate to anyone else out there.

I have finally come to acknowledge my own potential that is awaiting me and I invite you to take this journey with me. So here’s to going from Private to Public, and with that I christen this blog The Megan Chronicles. See you on the flip side!

All my love,

Megan