Collaboration Vacation

This pretty little dress is a vacation dress dupe and I love it completely.  It's well made, fits perfectly and is so very pretty for so very little cost.  With so much going on, we decided to reallocate our vacation fund to other bills and all but a couple of days which happen to be coming up next week of our vacation time has been reallocated to other things on the schedule.  With the prices of gasoline and everything else being so high, this just wasn't the year for a trip, but I have this vacation dress dupe, so I thought I'd wear it anyway and write up a little post on vacations of another sort.

For just a few weeks, since we won't be going anywhere except on a little long weekend excursion that we make every year to a nearby resort town, I've decided to take a much needed break from deadlines.  As much as I love collaborating with brands, the deadlines can be a little harsh, especially when combined with my extra full work and home schedules.  I'm writing this post in advance, because when I post it, I will be working the hardest week of my year.  I typically put in 75 hours bookended by two 40 hour weeks (my typical work week is 30hrs).  It's not just a lot of time, it's very physically demanding and when it's all said and done, I usually get sick and have to be on the couch for a few days.  It's not something I look forward to, but it does pay for a few pretty dresses, so I do it with that goal in mind. 

So, with this extremely busy month staring me in the face demanding all my time and energy and then some, I don't have a minute to spare for collaborations.  When I have the time, I love the challenge, when I don't have the time, I find myself overly stressed trying to work everything in.  I once did multiple collaborations with a brand that was constantly pushing the deadline.  At first they said 40 days from delivery to blog post, by the end of our time together, it was usually 10 days from delivery to post and they kept requiring more content in those diminishing amounts of time.  They never paid me; I never asked and they never offered, although I always met their requirements and always before the deadline, and I knew they were paying others.  Part of me loved the challenge.  Part of me was grateful for the opportunity.  And a small part of me dreaded each new collab because I knew it was going to me mean more work in less time.

I was sad and a little hurt when that collaboration ended, they ended it, but overwhelmingly, I was grateful for out time together and relieved to have the pressure off.  I'm far more selective these days in what collaborations I'll accept because I don't like to do anything if I can't give my best effort and full attention and lately, all my best efforts are being spent on my work and family and I have a limited amount set aside for creativity.

For the time being, I've given myself permission to vacation from collabs and just relax a little.  Or maybe relax a lot, we'll see.  And, when I say relax, it's very much a mental sort of relaxation because with the school year starting and two children getting closer and closer to graduation, my schedule got even busier. 

I'm taking a vacation from spending my weekends getting up at 5 a.m. so I can take photos at dawn.  I'm taking a break from the endless outfit planning and accessorizing.  I'm taking a break from the days spent editing photo and video.  I'm taking a break from keywords and hyperlinks and promo codes.  What will I do instead?

I plan to sleep in, get in a few good workouts, read a book and sip coffee on the stone patio as all the cats gather for their share of attention.  I plan to have less screen time and more home time, cleaning, taking walks, listening to stories about my family's day time.

I intend to spend more time on the little crafty projects that have been sitting neglected on my sewing table.  I intend to wear my pretty clothes instead of just saving them for photos.  I'm going to go places when they're open instead of getting there at dawn just for pics.

Don't get me wrong, I love the collabs and I love all the brands I work with, just like I love my job, but I still need a vacation now and then in order to get some rest and feel refreshed to come back and work hard again.  

That's something I haven't really had much of with the blog even during all the lockdowns.  In fact, I got more work than ever because I had a farm so I could still go outside and take nice photos without people coming unglued.  Add to that the fact that I was putting in 9 hour days working from home and I'd say it's well past time for a little getaway.  I've earned it, I need it, and I'm going to enjoy a nice vacation from deadlines.

Shopping Info:  Blue Floral Vacation Dress-$44, Elvira Square toe Ballet Flats from Vivaia