• Blog
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
  • Contact
  • About
Menu

Brittany Bathgate

Street Address
City, State, Zip
Phone Number

Your Custom Text Here

Brittany Bathgate

  • Blog
  • Follow +
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
  • Contact
  • About

SNAPSHOTS OF LOS ANGELES

April 11, 2018 brittany bathgate
  Marina London  Dress /  Cult Gaia  Bag 

Marina London Dress / Cult Gaia Bag 

Each week differs from the next in the blogging industry; you never know which opportunities are lurking around the corner or which life-changing email is seconds away from dropping into your inbox. Okay, life-changing might be an exaggeration, but when Superga proposed to whisk a group of incredible girls and me to Los Angeles for three days, in celebration of Alexa Chung's recent collaboration with the brand I knew this was going to a career highlight! 

After a rocky start to the year and feelings of demotivation starting to set in three days packed with sunshine, good food and endless giggles were precisely what I needed. All captured effortlessly by Fen in the video below. 

Travelling, especially with a great group of people, has a beautiful way of invigorating the soul and Los Angeles couldn't have been more ideal for that. The art deco inspired Shangri-La hotel in Santa Monica was our home for three nights, albeit over in a flash, waking up to a beach view each morning was enough to put a spring in my step. Along with their attentive staff and sinfully indulgent breakfasts. (Liv and I might have pigged out on french toast and pancakes more than once)  
Highlights also included; lunch at Rose Cafe, (if anyone can make a bowl of cauliflower look appealing, it's this place), paddling boarding with Paddle Method by the Marina and views from Griffiths Observatory. 

 Reformation / Melrose

Reformation / Melrose

  Monc  Sunglasses

Monc Sunglasses

LA-18.jpg
  Shangri-La Santa Monica

Shangri-La Santa Monica

Thank you Superga for an unforgettable trip!

In Travel, Diary Tags Superga
Comment

CALIFORNIA LIGHT

March 28, 2018 brittany bathgate

Jacket: Joseph / Shirt: Arket / Jeans: COS / Bag: Joseph / Earrings: Common Muse / Shoes: Aeyde

Not the usual outfit you'd expect from LA  I know, but according to locals they are amidst a cold snap, 16 degrees and sunny however is positively balmy for us Brits and any chance to walk outside without a coat and thermals on comfortably is bloody great in my books.

 
So where have I been since my quite 'woe is me' style entry? First and foremost I must thank you every one of you who took the time to comment on my previous post and the accompanying Instagram post, I was extremely touched by how many people offered advice, shared their experiences with working freelance or simply yelled 'ME TOO'. I realised I'm not alone and 90% of self-employed people battle with the same lows as I do. Emotions are on the up though! I'm now in my second full week at the studio, I've started running again, I'm listening to more podcasts than ever, and a blog relaunch is in motion. 

Secondly, I took a trip to Los Angeles! (More about why and what we did coming soon) It's genuinely magical what three days in the sun spent laughing hysterically alongside some inspiring women can do for the soul. These shots were taken impromptu beside our hotel in Santa Monica just as the sun started to set. Californian bloggers have got it good over there. The light, the architecture, the colour palette and the laid-back atmosphere all form the ideal recipe for content creation. With a view of grey skies and red brick houses out of my window as I write this, I'm pining for those clean back drops and warm rays again. [Spring, are you there?]
Credit goes to Liv, the glow-getter, for capturing my Miami Vice meets Beatles fusion. The unexpected always turn out to be my favourite photos. 

And thirdly, in an attempt to put a structure in place I'm learning to separate my weekdays from my weekends. In retail, working at the weekend was the norm, days seemed to blur together, and I never got the chance to unwind at the end of a week. Working for myself now gives me the freedom to step away from the screen, take back my weekends and use them for me. The Girl Boss movement (as inspiring as it is) sometimes implies as female businesswomen we need to be working round the clock to succeed, but I disagree giving yourself a break is as important. Saturday's and Sunday's, for me, are now spent catching up with friends, reading the backlog of magazines accumulated since Christmas and putting in small outings. The most recent being Damien Hirst's 'Colour Space' at Houghton Hall.    

 

Photography by Olivia Purvis

 

Tags Joseph, COS, Aeyde
Comment

THE FREELANCE BLUES

February 26, 2018 brittany bathgate

Coat: COS / Roll Neck: COS / Trousers: Acne / Trainers: Veja / Bag: Joseph / Earrings: Common Muse

 

Today I'm diagnosing myself with a severe case of the 'freelance blues'. By no means am I throwing the towel in or saying I dislike my new career path. I still love this corner of the internet, sharing and engaging with everyone is still the number 1 reason why I'm in this industry. It brings me so much joy. This is simply me telling you 2018 didn't quite start off the way I imagined, and without beating myself up too much I've decided to hit refresh (taking inspiration from Laura Jackson's New New Year) on the year. 

Three months ago, I left my job to get a taste of the self-employed life, filled with enthusiasm and motivation I was raring to go. Self-employment before the age of 30 felt (and sounded) like a dream come true. I'd read countless posts from others in this industry heralding the leap as the best thing I'll ever do, how fulfilling it is, and how I'd never look back. 
But nothing could prepare me for the unbearable loneliness and the challenges, mentally, freelance life brings with it.  

The first few weeks felt great; just as I'd imagined, I woke up at 7.30am each morning, made breakfast, wrote to-do lists, ploughed through emails, edited photos all in the comfort of my own home. It seemed too good to be true, but this sense of ambition and self-direction quickly turn in to anxiety, loneliness and even fear. The 7.30 wake up calls, soon turned to 8.30, then 9.30 and before I knew it, I was pulling myself out of bed post 10 am. While my motivation levels were plummeting, my procrastination levels were skyrocketing, and I didn't know why. A catch 22 had formed; the more anxious I felt about not pushing myself to work, the more lonely I felt, but the more alone I felt, the less I wanted to work. Using social media as a form of procrastination only made the situation worse because that's when the comparison starts, and we all know how toxic that can be. 
Sat at home on my own all day, every day, all I could think about were my old work peers, how I missed them, missed being needed, and missed having a purpose. But during some of my most stressful days, juggling my former job and blogging all I dreamed of was the freelance life. So now that I finally had the freedom why wasn't I enjoying it? And where was my drive? 
Unbeknown to me at the time, I was (and still am) experiencing new unique stress, of financial instability and lack of emotional support. When you're used to regular income and always having a social network around you, you take it for granted. I hadn't fully realised how positively my previous job impacted my life. Financially but more importantly, mentally. Not having that security blanket all of a sudden has left me feeling incredibly lost. Some days I think 'yes, I've got this' other days I think I've made the worst decision I could make.  

The mental, physical and financial challenges that come with working for yourself is a huge topic, but discussing it and overcoming the battle in small chunks is better than brushing it under the carpet entirely. Below are some things that are helping me to manage said challenges. 

A shared studio space - Working in solitude five days a week isn't healthy for me. To overcome the loneliness, I'm going to start using a shared studio space. Not only will this get me out of the house more frequently and add structure to my day it will also be beneficial to bounce ideas of other people. 

Running - Endorphins are my best friend, and there's nothing like a morning run to set me up for the day. Excercise is crucial for my mental health; it gives me time to think if I need it or time to empty my mind of all the rubbish stifling it.  

The Fringe Of It - Amongst the podcast boom happening right now is this gem! Liv Purvis (What Olivia Did) and Charlotte Jacklin (Betty) have answered my podcast prayers. Putting these two out of touch grandma's (their words not mine) on in the background while I'm having breakfast or getting ready for the day is just like have two friends nattering in the background. They're only two episodes in, but they've already covered two crucial topics that I struggle with daily. I realise I'm not alone when I listen to these two and I'm currently living by their 'only speak to yourself how you'd speak to your friends' motto. 

Cate St Hill's '10 things I've learnt since going freelance' - Re-reading Cate's post on how far she's come in the last six months is hugely reassuring and is just the motivational boost I need. Despite making the transition look so seamless she talk's through own struggles of finding a routine, learning to switch off and overcoming self-doubt. 

Sharing more - I'm noticeably silent on social media when it comes to talking about my struggles with this industry, I just don't have the confidence, but when I posted a small rant on Instagram (see here) last week, the positive response was far from what I expected. Those who reached out restored my confidence that week, and it opened some interesting discussions. There's more to me than what I'm wearing, and engaging posts such as these feel more rewarding not only for me but my audience. Here's to opening up a bit more! 

  Photography by Jordan Bunker

Tags Joseph, Acne, COS, Common Muse, Veja
Comment
Older Posts →