7 Years of Blogging

Before we jump in, please check out the following important resources:

- Visit the official Asian American and Pacific Islander philanthropy site here.
- See crucial BLM funding options here.
- Support Palestinian Rights here.
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Hello friends!
Yesterday marked a very special occasion: The seventh birthday of Grins & Needles.

   Last year, I touched base on how my blog has transformed, year-by-year. And any time I celebrate my blog's birthday, I like to change up what I'm going to celebrate about it. So this year, I want to celebrate a few of the recent posts, goals, and aspects of my blog that have made me super proud of the direction my website is headed.

   I want to give a quick shoutout to those of you who have stopped by my blog, my portfolio, my socials, etc. whether you've been here for a short time or a long time. Just recognizing and supporting what I do means the absolute world to me. So thank you, so much. I appreciate you.
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   When I originally created Grins & Needles, I wanted to make it a place where people felt recognized, accepted, and celebrated. Anxiety through my life has been the obstacle that held me back from feeling open and happy, but through writing and sharing my stories and interests with you all, I've felt more like me. I'm more confident now, more extroverted. And I've made so many friends through blogging and being open about mental health. I can talk about both important topics as well as creative topics, all while staying true to myself and incorporating my favorite creative outlets--photography, design, and writing.

   This blog has been such a liberating project for me and once again, I am so thankful for all of you who have shown any support along the way. Some of my posts are more vulnerable than others, but you all have shown nothing but love through it all. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
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   Without further ado, I'm going to talk about some of the more recent achievements that mean so much to me while also discussing where I plan to go from here.

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My Interview Series

   My "Interview with a..." series so far has been super exciting for me. I love to learn about different creative people and what their career fields entail. I do have more amazing people I'm planning to interview, and I'm even currently awaiting responses from a couple of folks at this moment. There are so many amazing creatives who I feel need recognition, and that's why this series feels super important and inspiring. Allow me to talk about the highlights:

Rayna Schwab, painter

She was the absolute sweetest person. I was actually inspired to start this series after I won a giveaway piece from her. Seeing her exhibit at a local café had me absolutely stunned, so I asked to interview her when I picked up the artwork I won.

I learned so much about her aesthetic, her techniques, and her online presence. She was all-around a wonderful person to interview, and her paintings are absolutely stunning.

You can see the post here.

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Miss Vampyr, dominatrix

First of all, an actual goddess.

With this interview, I uncovered the honest and artful truths about being a sex worker. Besides hearing about her career, I also wanted to learn about who Miss Vampyr was as a person. I think there's more of a stigma with sex workers, unfortunately, so it feels extra important to embrace her candid intelligence and beautiful nature in this post as well.

You can see the post here.

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Nick Green, youtuber/streamer

I originally found Nick's content when I saw a recommended collaboration with he and Danny Gonzales on YouTube. After seeing that, and then joining in some of his streams, I knew I wanted to interview him.

Nick is such a cool guy who's rising in popularity very quickly. Being a YouTuber, a musician, and a streamer, he's constantly sharing his creative energy with the world. His fans really supported my interview with him in my blog post's comment section, and that still means so much to me.

You can see the post here.

   Like I said, as far as upcoming interviews, I've got super exciting people lined up. They're all creatives whose work I admire and I think their careers and stories should be highlighted.
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​Sharing my Design Works

   Something I've been displaying more on my blog is my art. Whether they're collages, prints, or branding works, designing is a passion of mine. I think my favorite thing is helping up-in-coming businesses develop their brand story. But in the mean time, creating cohesive collages has been a great exercise in keeping my creative energy flowing.

You can find my pre-made works in the G&N store, and you can order custom works here.

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Sharing my Health and Fitness Journey

   As I've gotten older and have gained weight, I've been trying to reclaim my confidence and to improve my strength. For the past year and a half, I've been sharing my fitness progress on my second instagram. Talking about my interests and bettering my health is crucial for me these days, and I plan to keep writing more posts about my strategies to losing weight, eating healthier, bettering my endurance, and gaining strength.

Discussing my Emerging Interests

   Whether I'm talking about my new obsession with learning about crystal healing, trying out various workout methods, creating artistic works, or fusing my love for music and makeup in a series--as time has gone on, I've felt incredibly excited to talk about my different interests. I'm really stoked to write about so many different subjects lately. No matter what fitness phase I'm in or how skeptical I might be about the energy frequencies in crystals, I've just been taking life in, day by day, enjoying new things.

​Branching out and Documenting Travel

   I haven't travelled much, but my socially-distant trip to Michigan last summer inspired me to document so much more. My friend Megan is constantly finding amazing places and it always fuels us to plan some sort of future trip.

   The idea of travel blogging feels incredibly exciting to me. And if I can create something in the future that incorporates my passion for photography and experience, I want to take part in it.

The Goal to Do More

   No matter what I speak about on the blog, I'm proud to support open discussions of mental health. A visual sign of my anxiety is my dermatillomania. I made a promise a few years ago to no longer retouch my arms and legs in photos (the only exception is retouching facial blemishes in makeup posts if they distract from the look).

   Another change to note is that lately, I've been linking important fundraisers at the top of my blog posts to highlight current crucial topics. I might not write articles on the issues at hand, but if I can use my platform to re-direct people to credible links and resources, I want to do that. I want to positively contribute to society in some way, so any thing I can do with this little blog is absolutely worth it.

   And finally, I'm slowly trying to shift over to all cruelty-free and vegan products. This is a little change I can do to better the environment and to encourage better ethical practices.

   So whether I'm linking important causes, transitioning into vegan/cruelty-free products, and avoiding hiding my dermatillomania, I plan to continue to stay true to myself and to causes that matter.

Thank you guys for reading and for your support through the years. Here's to year number 8!

Keep on grinning!

​Lydia