Sundaze 108

I’ve been floundering from idea to idea this week, starting a lot of projects and then leaving them to gather dust almost immediately. Like much of the world, the New Year’s burnout is coming for me so I took heed of my quiet working week to live gently. A touch slower.

This week, I only had one client booking, one weekly meeting and one off-the-cuff meeting. It’s really thrown me off-course and I feel like this is a part of business ownership that isn’t spoken about much at all. As of next week, I’ll be three years into my journey as a freelancer and I’m feeling overwhelmed and a little beaten down by the girl boss environment that has grown and grown.

Don’t get me wrong: I absolutely love that more and more people are working for themselves and commanding ownership of their lives. But in actuality, I feel more alone in a working sense than ever.

Aside from that — and it’s probably because of that — I’ve thrown myself into the fictional world. I finished several books this week, ironically I’m yet to finish two from my monthly Reading List…(!) But more on that on the 1st.

Brand deal declarations

Earlier this week, the two governing bodies that deal with online media (ASA and CMA) released a new set of rules for online influencers. As this covers any person with influence of more than 3,000 followers, this included Daisybutter and its’ supporting channels.

Having seen the blogging industry transform over the years, I understand where they’re coming from although I think the current legislation is a little bit finicky and confusing.

For total transparency, you can see my labels and their meanings on Instagram Stories, and I’m also going to be changing them on here too. Any sponsored material is always clearly marked with a disclaimer at the start of the post.

This post is sponsored by BRAND. :: This denotes a paid partnership with a brand of my choice. Contrary to popular belief, bloggers are not governed by our talent agencies or managers and we always get to choose and decline our own campaigns. A paid partnership is where I have been paid money to produce a post.

This post contains gifted items/experiences from BRAND. :: This denotes a post in which I have featured items, experiences or an event that was gifted to me. Gifts can either be requested samples (I rarely do this) or simply a surprise from a PR. I am never obligated to post about these.

This post contains an item/experience from BRAND. I have not been paid or gifted in this post, but I have previously partnered with them in the past 12 months. :: This one does what it says on the box. It’s fiddly, but this is a new requirement and one that I hope doesn’t hinder your experience of Daisybutter.

I’ll also be adding this segment to my ‘Disclaimer’ page, where you can find all of my disclosures.

Experimenting with vegan dishes

I’m a month into plant-based eating! And I absolutely love it.

I don’t think I’ve nailed the nutritional side of things yet, because I’ve never felt more lethargic or bloated but this weekend I took to making an actual food shop (instead of eating from the fridge!) and picked up some multivitamins on Gemma’s recommendation.

Having said that, we made some delicious Buddha bowls and a lemony vegetable pasta bake this week and, if you’d like, I’d love to share the recipes on here!

On TV

Hand in hand with my work lull crisis, I’ve watched more than usual on Netflix this week!

FYRE :: Oh FYRE… where did it all go so wrong? This documentary details just what happened in the FYRE fiasco of 2017 and it is equal parts hilarious and shocking. It’s fascinating, particularly from a social media marketing POV.

Sex Education :: Hands down the most surprisingly addictive watch. I have no idea why I’ve taken to this series so much, but it’s been a compulsive watch, that’s for sure.

Kim’s Convenience :: I finished this a few weeks ago but I really had to give it some airtime on here. The slice-of-life series follow the Kim’s, a Korean family in Canada who run a convenience store and have to make it through a series of mishaps and realisations. It’s sooo good!

Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes :: I’m a true crime fanatic so I already knew what was coming in this four-part series, but the unreleased tapes add a new dimension to a truly grisly tale. If you’re also into true crime, skip to the final episode. If not, sit back for a wild ride.

Currently Coveting:

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Links I’ve Loved:

My wonderful friend and fellow long-term blogger Ayden shared a little ‘real talk’ about how blogging has changed and it can feel almost intimidating.
The Truelane Seattle apartment tour is all kinds of interior goals.
An actually useful and interesting article about tracking screen time, on Man Repeller of course.
This short documentary on BBC News details what life growing up in a Chinese takeaway is like and is SO RELATABLE.
Whilst I’m in a bit of a work funk, Charlotte is experiencing a blog funk.
Chloe does it again with a conversation about love rituals: what are yours?
We’ll all have to negotiate something in our life, and this article on The Everygirl is a great round-up of tips.
Lastly, blogging tips and coaching queen Vix Meldrew has an incredible post all about how to disclose your brand deals.