My Life As A Blog — Guest Post By . . .

Blogger: Rachel Mercier

Blog: mercierbeaucoup

Twitter: mercierbeaucoup

I started by blog over a year ago as a very personal creative outlet.  At the time, I was on a straight and impressive career path, working in city planning and economic development in New York City.  Although my job was intellectually fulfilling and validating, I found myself longing to break out of such a stringent professional mold to embrace my creative self.  I was on the brink of 30 and suddenly my life started flashing before my eyes.  Would the rest of my life be bored meetings and negotiating egotistical politicians? I always had “unrealistic-seeming” fantasies about quitting my job to pursue creative projects, but they all felt very far-fetched and impossible.   I can remember coming home at the end of each day feeling unfulfilled and completely lost.  As a creative outlet (and out of sheer frustration), I decided to start a blog to at least provide a space for me to dream and write about all of the non work-related ideas floating around my head every day.  I began blogging about the things I love – stationery, floral design, wedding details, daily inspirations, yoga, inspiring people, and used my blog as a very selfish space to do whatever I wanted assuming nobody would ever lay eyes on it accept a few family members and friends.  In fact, I kept this blog very private from my professional community for fear of being mocked and discouraged.

Much to my surprise people started reading my blog!  Like real people that I didn’t know.  How did they find me?  No idea.  Why did they read my blog and what drew them to me.  Not a clue.  My subscription base grew and grew and I found myself encouraged and supported by a wonderful audience of people, most of whom I had never even met.  How exciting… and so scary at the same time (that could be a whole other blog post).

My life has completely changed since starting my blog back in January of 2011.  The creative outlet of my blog has allowed me to fully explore my creative interests that were once just floating in the atmosphere of my head.  In September of 2011, I quit my full time job and set out to pursue both stationery and floral design.  In October 2011 I launched my own e-commerce stationery site called Mercier Beaucoup Stationery Shop, where I sell a curated selection of stationery goods from amazing letterpress and print studios around the world.  More recently, I have started pursuing floral design under my personal name, Rachel Mercier Flowers, and have been lucky enough to work on some beautiful projects!

Everyday I wake up, and say to myself, I’m really doing it.  And all because of a blog I started as a way to practice and apply being creative every day.  Mercier Beaucoup has completely changed my life in the most positive and challenging ways.  Part of the adventure (and challenge) has been not knowing what is around every corner, and trusting myself and the process to lead me the right way.  As a career woman who had a very rigid idea about what a career is, embracing a new path has been the most wonderful learning experience.  I can’t say that every single day is smooth sailing.  Of course, being a blogger and small business owner has it’s own set of challenges. For example, not having a steady paycheck or lighting a fire under my own ass when I need to.  I can say that following my heart and using my career-woman work ethic to continue chipping away at what I know I love to do has not failed me. I have learned it’s possible to be both creative and career-oriented.

May you all write about what you love, and not be afraid to share your inner most thoughts with the world around you.  Chances are, lots of people have had the same thoughts themselves and will take comfort in knowing they are not alone.

I hope you enjoyed Rachel’s post, which is part of an on-going series on Blogstar. If you would like to contribute your own My Life As A Blog post, please email me at sbrydenbrown[at]gmail[dot]com.