Marks & Spencer is currently working with a theme called ‘Life. Spend it well.’. Because I’ve collaborated with this great brand before, they asked me with I think is the best way to spend life well, or better yet, getting the most out of life.
When I think of getting the most out of life, I think of my favorite Instagram accounts. A life well spent is a life traveling to the most beautiful places, eating lots of yummy bad food yet still looking like Gigi Hadid, wearing your vintage Chanel with your new Gucci, sharing it with hundreds of followers online and always being happy. I tried to live that life and I guess I got quite close. I left my home in The Netherlands to travel the world, I’ve got a Chanel bag, over 75K followers on Instagram and I can eat quite unhealthy without turning into Miss Piggy. The only thing missing was my happiness.
Pressure of the perfect picture
The pressure of the perfect insta life made me unable to enjoy the things that were happening around me. I was constantly looking for the right shot to shoot a ‘Look at me, I lead an awesome life!’ photo. I had the perfect travel insta life, yet I felt totally lost. Why? I was focussing on what others liked to see, instead of focussing on what I liked to do.
I took an Insta-break and when I arrived in Sydney I slowly picked up my phone and laptop again. In January 2017 my boyfriend, Rick, and I were asked to create content for my old employee in The Netherlands, a Dutch watch & jewelry web shop. Why? Because he liked my Instagram content so much. The content I was so unhappy with!
Rick and I took on the challenge and realized we are a great content creating team. From then on we started doing more fashion shoots. We would go for a coffee, explore a new neighborhood in Sydney and if we would find a cute spot to shoot, we’d take out our camera. And after the shooting, there was no pressure anymore. We got the shot, our job is done. That’s how we’ve been doing it ever since.
Feeling comfortable and at home
Taking away the travel/lifestyle part out of my content was a great decision. I love not having to photograph everything I do. Believe me, 90% of the things I do aren’t Insta-perfect! Plus, I don’t really enjoy traveling that much. Yes, I want to see what the world has to offer, but I realized that I’m way happier being in a place that makes me feel at home. Sydney is that place for me right now and from there on we’re taking trips. Next up: Bali, Malaysia, and Vietnam!
Enjoy life to the fullest (in jeans!)
Anyway, to answer Marks & Spencer’s question, after a way too long introduction: I enjoy life to the fullest when I’m browsing around a cool city with my love Rick. Grab a coffee to go, take some cool photos, walk around a bit and treat ourselves to a burger and a beer afterward. No fancy restaurants, cool hotspots, tropical beaches or infinity pools, just a great city where I feel comfortable.
I also realized over the past year that I love doing all this while wearing jeans. So to make this story complete, I put on Marks & Spencer’s latest mom jeans during this shoot. Investing in clothes you really love is also a way of enjoying life. Why purchase the latest trends, when you can buy something you’ll feel great in for years? I have a few favorite jeans – these Marks & Spencer ones being one of them – and every time I put them on I feel like a million bucks. I combined these jeans with a white shirt (cause those are always in style!) and a pair of gold pumps to spice things up a little
How do you get the most out of life?
What I’m wearing:
MARKS & SPENCER mom jeans
MARKS & SPENCER white shirt
MARKS & SPENCER gold pumps
MARKS & SPENCER leather bag
MARKS & SPENCER lace white bra
In collaboration with Marks & Spencer and Shoppinglinks
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