Wow. Four years of Wohnglück Hamburg. Four years in which each year was different from the previous one in many ways. In the first year I spent every free minute sitting at my laptop writing blog posts and producing content, but in the second year I was able to take part in great events and travel a bit more. In the third year, the idea for Wohnglück Design was born and the past year can be summed up pretty well in one word: Peace and quiet.
You could say that I slowed down and am very happy with this decision. In the first few years I was amazed by all the feedback, the rapid growth of my account, the great acquaintances I made and the exciting collaborations that were made possible through Wohnglück Hamburg. Now I am particularly grateful for one thing that I have taken with me from the last year. Or, to be more specific, I have learned from the last year. Saying no sometimes and doing nothing.
I can't deny that I was flattered that my account grew so quickly and that many things became possible as a result. But above all, I can't deny that my heart and soul is in Wohnglück Hamburg and that I bust my ass for it. And all of this on the side. Because I do something else full-time. This often led to an internal conflict. I constantly put pressure on myself to produce enough content, thinking about which corner of my apartment I hadn't photographed yet to show something new. As soon as I was out to eat somewhere or in a cool shop, all I thought about was taking one more picture for Instagram. After all, you need content to keep growing. But should that be the intention behind it? To generate growth?
Today I can answer the question with a clear “no”
However, I can't deny that paid collaborations aren't attractive. Earning money doing something you're passionate about is what many of us strive for, isn't it? I also don't want to deny that I've accepted collaborations purely for the money. But that always involved a bad gut feeling that made itself known the moment I pressed "publish." And when it came to the tax return, I asked myself whether it was really worth it.
When I started blogging, I always imagined that only my family and friends would read my posts. That helped me to write freely and in my "Sarah slang". I blogged, took photos, thought up new content and wrote stories because I loved doing it so much. The inner pressure to do it only came over time. Going on holiday at Casa Cook without uploading pictures? Unimaginable! Not giving tips for New York? Never! I wanted to share it with everyone because I love this kind of content too. But always with a little unconscious pressure on my part.
In 2020, a lot should change
Now you can write about how unbelievably crappy this year was. But are you allowed to say something if it was actually completely OK, or do people look at you strangely? It started with our stand for Wohnglück Design at the Blickfang trade fair. Wow. After only four months, we were allowed to be represented at a trade fair with our products. After great feedback at the trade fair and about Wohnglück Design in general, we gradually expanded our product range and also included third-party brands. Our most important resolution here is that we only choose products that we would buy ourselves. Because I definitely don't want to advertise something that I don't fully support anymore. And we have big plans for Wohnglück Design in particular that we can hardly wait to finally get started on. But everything in its own time.
However, that probably doesn't sound like the calm I was talking about at the beginning. This calm crept in very slowly in the form of a number.
Let's talk about how important the number of followers on Instagram is. There's no doubt that you feel flattered to have a lot of followers. It's also understandable that you can use this number to earn money. There's also no doubt that these followers expect to see new content every day. And it was precisely because of this topic that I calmed down. It sounds contradictory, but it was because I suddenly lost some this year. You're probably thinking, Kilefitz, she still has so many followers. But if it was all about generating followers for years and I was the only one putting this pressure on myself, you can imagine that I struggled with it at first.
I asked myself what the reason could be. Is it because there are fewer stories or do people just not like what I do or how our apartment looks? Should I maybe advertise? Or paint a wall.
Questions upon questions to which I now just want to say: Bullshit! And even if only my family and friends like it, the intention behind it should always be to create Wohnglück Hamburg, because I enjoy doing it and am passionate about it. And if other people like it too, that's great and I celebrate it. What good are the followers who think every time they see my stories "Boar, not that old woman again" or who would like to dislike my pictures? Nothing. And I don't want them either. It's all the more awesome that you're here! And that's exactly what I'm grateful for.
Everything takes time
I can't deny that it took a while to get to this point. But since then, it's as if a switch has been flipped inside me, which has made the inner pressure disappear and I've become more relaxed. I upload content because I feel like it, regardless of whether it's every day or with longer breaks in between. I enjoy a visit to a restaurant without letting the world know about it. I'm in a cool shop without posting about it. And I definitely don't paint a wall to show something new, but because I love it. And that's a good thing. After all, isn't it about finding the right balance? Some things you just want to keep to yourself because they're too private, while others you're only too happy to share with the community.
But I don't want to forget one last point that contributed to the aforementioned calm. You could call it "arriving". Arriving at myself and my style. Once you've found it, not much changes in that regard. In the past few years I've replaced furniture like my sweaters, and now calm has returned here too. Both in the furniture and in the wardrobe.
I've actually gone a little further than I originally intended. All I can say is: It's great that you're here and here's to an exciting fifth year of living happily.
With rough edges, but a large portion of passion.
