february was A Month. i had a lot going on in january: holidays, settling into my new apartment, friends visiting, etc. so when february rolled around i was playing catch up on a lot of things i still needed to get done.
starting with: the new AHN.STUDIO office! it’s been a long time coming. the previous office was a little more than a walk-in closet. i was just trying out the whole “office life,” at least to get through the winter holidays, then i was going to reevaluate what the next step would be. an upgrade, that was the next step. with all the new products coming in 2024, we need wayyy more space for inventory. one can expect a spring shop update for march eheh.
much of february was actually preparing this blog! wordpress, we are still in the Enemy stage of this Enemies to Lovers saga, but i see a happy ending for us. i’ve been “researching” blogs for round a year at this point, observing how food blogs operate, but nothing prepares you as well as doing the actual thing. a point i hammer home in my How To Start A Successful Small Business video, the quickest way to learn is by gaining experience. i was definitely being a perfectionist setting up the blog. making sure every background and text was the perfect color, all the pictures were the same size, i probably expended more brain cells than necessary on it when i should’ve taken my own advice and just published it, but then there were issues with the domain and… okay we’re not going to get into that. this is a *happy space* <3 WE’RE HERE NOW!
speaking of *happy spaces*, i’m back in my journaling era wooo~! my friend took me to a cafe at the beginning of the month for a Journaling Date. honestly i thought i would just make a cutesy little spread with some stickers and not much substance. is it dramatic to say that day changed my life? i haven’t journaled in so long. the last time i took out my stationery and filled a page must’ve been over a year ago. i’ve fallen into the habit of collecting stationery just to look pretty in a binder, never to be used. but journaling that day was so refreshing? maybe it’s because i was in a cafe with a friend, not at home forcing myself to do some soul-searching before bed, but it was so freeing to create a spread without much thought. we did a 2023 ins & outs prompt. something simple that could be as serious or light-hearted as you’d like. idk that day sparked something in me. over the next few days i made so many spreads. now i was listening to ambient music and stickering before bed, instead of scrolling my phone until the AM.
the end of 2023 was rough for me ngl. i was stuck in an unproductive phase of burnout and i couldn’t help but compare myself to others on social media. which is kinda crazy considering my vlogs make my life seem so put together, i should be the FIRST to know what you see on social media is not always what you get. but it’s HARD. your brain doesn’t want to believe you… i knew something needed to change, but i couldn’t figure out how to get a routine to stick. but journaling was like a new source of inspiration.
i think it’s something to do with the privacy and vulnerability a journal provides. and the FREEDOM to write and decorate it however you want. because of my occupation, few things i do are private from social media. so taking the time to journal for myself was an exercise in creativity that i’d been missing. also the self-reflection i was doing in between all the stickers was something serious. i had like 3 different epiphanies in the span of a week.
so i’m back to journaling, and i’m feeling quite good these days. it was a gloomy month in LA. i’ve been fighting for my life every day not to crawl back in bed when i hear the rain. but it’s starting to clear up! february was a month of reflection and resetting. getting back on my feet and finding inspiration again. march is a fresh start. i deep cleaned the apartment this week, prepared the blog for launch, and finalized plans for a spring AHN.STUDIO shop update. march is also my birth month! i have some family coming to visit, and at the end of the month i may or may not be in a different country.
march will be a fresh start, but also a busy one. much to look forward to hehe.
take care friend,
annika
Girl you’ve come so far 😭😭 so proud of everything you accomplished, can’t wait to see what’s next 🥹 take care <3
hola Ann, solo soy un pequeño ser orgánico más en este diario de días llamado “blog” no podría describir en un solo comentario lo feliz que me encuentro en este momento de saber lo lejo que has llegado, he sido una pequeña seguidora hace más de 2 primaveras de las cuales he aprendió demasiadas cosas; deseo y aspiro a llegar a ser una persona tan creativa como tú en un futuro. ¡Cuídate querida Ann! 🌸✉️
– Angelina ( mii days )
Annika you inspire me so much 🫶🏻
So proud of you! I’m so happy you’ve been able to find an emotional outlet with journaling. And happy early birthday! 💟♓️
Just wanted to let you know that we are so thankful for how you make us smile with your content and everyone is so proud of all of your accomplishments and goals you set for yourself! You are doing amazing and don’t compare yourself with others because if everyone lived the same life the world would be so boring, and you are someone who makes it shine! Love you annika, can’t wait for the next chapters of your life!
AHHHH oml, you’ve been such an inspo for me….I hope your birthday goes well for you! I look up to you smm 😀
You’re so cool! I’m happy I get to share a birth month with someone like you! <3
Happy March!! Let’s make it a good month ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚
I’m so on board with the 2024 journalling Renaissance omg. Happy March!
I can’t believe it is March already — where has this year gone! I think journaling is both the easiest and hardest thing to do. I am excited to see where this year goes for everyone 🙂
So happy for you Annika!! You are clearing inspiring me. Thank you for being my comfort youtuber and blogger as well.💖
Oh gosh. February kicked my butt too. Major depressive epsiode in February and January too truthfully. I’m trying to get into the routine of writing in my own journal. I called it a journal but it’s really more of a diary. I use it for venting a lot. I feel that, sometimes, just writing out what’s bugging me can help. Not all the time, but sometimes. January was also rough for me– see, again, the depressive episode.
I’ve been struggling with getting employed again. I don’t know if anyone else is job searching right now but it’s… It’s *hard*. And so dehumanizing. And no one seems to understand that unless they’re my age. It sucks. I thought I’d be working again by now. And I’m not. It’s definitely part of the reason I’m so stressed.
Here’s to a better march!
this is so exciting, i’m pumped for this!! you are not alone, wordpress is hard hahah… definitely a learning curve so don’t feel bad about it!! i’ve been journaling more too and it’s so freeing to process in a space that isn’t just your mind