On this day in 2017, we took a leap and published our first-ever blog post. Writing this one year later, I truly cannot believe where that blog has taken us. During that time, we created some truly meaningful content, met countless incredible people, hosted our first ever fashion show, launched our online store, and have now joined the team behind Romás by Linda Rowe Thomas, a world-renowned fashion designer right here in Little Rock.
Not every step of the way was easy—in fact, most of them weren’t. We spent almost an entire year working our asses off with little to show for it before everything started to fall into place.
But I would not trade one minute of it—good or bad–for the world because it has brought me to where I am today. To be honest, we may not be able to dedicate quite as much time to creating full blog posts for E of E this year with our other responsibilities, but we would rather do fewer, better posts than compromise on quality.
We are incredibly excited for all of the opportunities this year holds, and if you want to see even more of our adventures, head over to Instagram and follow @romasbylrt !
-S
Did you know that we almost didn’t start our blog on this day last year? Sabrina and I were both having doubts about it, and I remember Sabrina turning to me and saying that we just weren’t ready, that the website wasn’t just right, etc (she’s a bit of a perfectionist). I remember telling her that we will never be ready, but that it was time.
And man, I am so glad we started Ensemble of Elan.
From writing about the might of femininity in one of our first posts, “There’s Power in Pink & Polka Dots” (still one of my personal faves to this day) to discussing science and going green in “Science Not Silence,” I’ve poured my heart and soul into this blog, and it’s given back to me tenfold. It’s given me a voice, it’s given me endless opportunities in the fashion industry, but most of all, it’s given me an amazing family of creatives who share the same passion as I do.
-H
Our one piece of advice to you–if you are trying to convince yourself to take the plunge and go after your dreams–is to just do it. You would be amazed at what you can accomplish in only a year. Even if you are afraid of wasting your time on something that may never come to fruition, just remember that that time will pass by regardless. It’s up to you how you use it.
We’ll leave you with some of our favorite quotes from blog posts past:
“If you do feel way out of your league or completely terrified that people are going to discover that you actually aren’t as intelligent or creative or whatever as people think you are, keep going. Someone (probably a lot of someones) saw something in you, even though you couldn’t see it yourself. Try to give yourself a little credit, and if that’s still difficult for you, remember it’s better to be humble and keep striving to better yourself than to think you are the most amazing person who has ever existed and stay exactly where you are.”- Half the Story
“To us, dress with purpose means to present yourself to the world with intention. Intention to freely express your true self. To empower yourself and inspire those around you. And to shine a light on the issues that are near to your heart.”
“We’re encouraged to step out of preconceived notions for what is traditionally feminine in order to rise up the ladder, but I think in doing so we’re ignoring the fact that there’s a lot of power in femininity. There’s a lot of power in polka dots.”
Photos by: Errick Jacson, The Gray People Photography, The Green Brothers, Rainwater Reflections Photography, Nicole Morgan, Demetrius McCullough, and yours truly 😉
Ensemble of Elan 