The Next Chapter

I’ve started this blog post multiple times - unsure of what words would formulate or what I really wanted to say. Today is my last day at my corporate job. I put in my notice last month; and today my cubicle is empty, ready for me to start this next chapter of my life.

The beginning: 2019

The beginning feels safe, the middle is messy, and today is the end of a chapter. An overview of each may be helpful, as it’s led me to where I am in this journey. So, I will give you the gist and then get into some details.

Two years ago, Jack and I moved to Atlanta, Georgia after graduating from Michigan State University. Jack’s role in consulting had him traveling almost every week prior to Covid-19, while I walked 0.2 miles into the office each way. Walking home for my hour lunch, scurrily jotting down blog work in between, and walking back home at the end of the day. It was a pretty simple routine. Add in some social hours and new friends, we felt really lucky to adjust to Atlanta SO well. 

Remote working: 2020

During Covid, we both were home together for 4 months. It was honestly wonderful. In late April, we put in a deposit to a local Goldendoodle Breeder (read more about that here) and continued to coexist and work in our 847 square foot bedroom apartment. At the time, I was fed up with Instagram’s algorithm and thought that maybe I should start a blog. Something that I could call mine, and if social media disappeared tomorrow, then I would not lose munch. It’s funny how that worked out today 🙂 I recruited my sister’s boyfriend who is a computer science genius at University of Michigan to help me build the back end of this blog - coding, domains, all foreign things to an interior design major. Oh, little did I know…that was only the beginning. An idea fueled by passion and determination, but not discouraged by set backs, business expenses, or life.

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The last year

I’ve wrote this before on Instagram or on my blog, but there are times in life when you realize what exactly life means to you. Who you spend it with, who you share it with, and how you live it. You don’t understand the magnitude of those words until you’re painfully forced to live without someone you love most. 

Jack and I came back to Atlanta in mid-July of 2020 after a heart-breaking, life-altering tragedy. Those words do not even adequately convey our lives since then - but it’s something to say: I realized I wanted more than corporate hours and couldn’t be tied to a cubicle day by day. However, for some personal reasons, I wanted to have at least two years under my belt in design before determining what’s next. There are a LOT of things that happened in between that we’d need a bottle or two of wine to even brush the surface; but we’ll leave that in the past. It took me about 6 months to find my passion for Interior design again and honestly, most things in life. Everything except my Paige. This Paige was my hobby, my new invigorating passion, and building it brought more joy than I can express. It challenged me and tested me, and writing this today, it’s only a little over a year old. I chuckle at that; I feel like it’s been much much longer.

In May of 2021, my corporate job made the requirement of being back in the office full-time. One of the HUGE benefits of working remotely was the ability to also work on the blog in my free-time. The time I would spend before work on blogs to-dos was now replaced with showering, doing my makeup, and prepping for a day in the office. For the past four months, I’ve been running full-steam. Working almost 80+ hour weeks between corporate and blog, I am physically and emotionally exhausted - borderline crumbling some days. If we weren’t traveling on the weekend, I would spend 12 hour days in the kitchen. Every waking moment, I dedicated myself to building this mini empire of a blog. Again, I chuckle because there are SO many things I want to do with it - yet find myself running through daylight faster and faster.

If you are ever curious of what blogging entails, I’ll give you a front row seat to it - and you will be so overwhelmed by JUST that, you’ll have a great appreciation for all that happens behind the scenes. 

A recap

August 2020: A Paige Of Positivity blog launched. 

May 2021: Required to be in the office full-time. 

End of September 2021: A new chapter. 

Today marks the end of the first chapter. My first ever corporate job. After a little over two years, I’m leaving the 9am - 5pm cubicle for something different. I’ve learned so much here and really built a strong foundation of my interior design knowledge. I credit the people and projects who guided me and led me these past two years.

Key point: I still love interior design - it challenges me creatively and intellectually (and humbly, I’m good at it.) I also LOVE my blog, this Paige is a part of me. So how do these align: I will be working reduced hours, remotely at a smaller interior design firm based in Atlanta. I will have a full day's worth of time for apaigeofpositivity. You might be like: that’s it? You’re not going full-time apaigeofpositivity like you may have expected me too? 

No, and here’s why: I love interior design and I love food blogging. I cannot financially support myself with apaigeofpositivity income at this time - and at 24 years old, I’m not sure I want to, just yet (pending that day comes). The community and culture of a company is also important to me - I like networking and working with others. I also just love to learn. Looking back, I wouldn’t change my path - as it led me to where I am today. Corporate gave me a lot of responsibility, a strong financial backing, and a lot of insight on how businesses run.

I’m grateful to be able to have this option to do BOTH. Have I already doubled my income from the blog last year? Yes. Have my expenses increased? Absolutely. Do I want to take the blog full time? Not yet. I want to learn more, I want to do more, and my ultimate goal right now: receive enough sessions & page views on my blog to partner with an ad agency. This new transition will allow me to spend afternoons on the blog and wrap up my work *hopefully by 8pm* instead of 10pm or 11pm every night. It will allow me to take Sundays off in the kitchen, instead of photographing 4-10 recipes in a day. It will give me more time to spend with people I love - while living out my passions in a design and food blogging career.

That thing I said about life earlier - the people you spend it with and the people who share it with you? The past 6 months, my blog work has run my life. I understand the investment of blogging and I want to be the best. I want to do it right, and do it well. That does not happen overnight Truly. In every single spare moment, I am ‘on’.  It has creeped into everything I do, admittedly. And that isn’t necessarily the best thing for me, my relationship with Jack, my family or friends. 

This opportunity feels like it was meant for me - a blend between two careers I’ve chosen. A door that has been opened that needs me to walk through it. It’s not the corporate lifestyle I’m used to, and will probably take me a little while to adjust; however, I’m confident this is where I’m supposed to go next. This opportunity would not be possible without the daily love and support on this blog - thank you doesn’t feel like enough. I can’t wait to take you along in this next step: cheers to another chapter. 

-Courtney Paige