No longer a travel blog???
I’ve been so excited to relaunch my blog! In this blog post I hope to walk you through why I stopped blogging since we came back from Thailand, why I’m relaunching, and what my new blog is all about!
It feels self-indulgent to call myself a “lifestyle blogger”, but what I really mean is that I don’t focus on one niche. I’ve included “clean-living and cruelty free” in my branding because those are some of the ethical pillars that I choose to live by. However, my intentions with my blog is to act more like a lifestyle journal, niche or no niche. I just want to create the things I love and be excited to share it.
As people, we’re constantly evolving. Sometimes I look back on pictures of me from just 3 years ago and I don’t recognize the girl in the photo. I never thought I’d move across the globe. I never thought I’d buy a 6 acre farm in the country. I never thought I’d love being pregnant. We’re constantly changing, and I grew out of my old blog but I’m excited to be growing into a new one -- and taking you with me.
THE BACK STORY: STEPPING AWAY FROM A FOOD AND TRAVEL BLOG
I started blogging 3 years ago on a blog I lovingly called “Anything But Salad”. I was getting married that year and wanted to chronicle my healthy recipes and wanted to prove that you didn’t have to just eat salad to lose weight! 😂 Fun fact: I hate salad. Hence the name!
My food blog slowly evolved into a food and travel blog when we moved to Thailand shortly after we got married. I wrote about our little adventures in and around Thailand, but I wish that I had shared more. I wish that I wrote more about the everyday challenges of living abroad and that I captured more of the everyday. Truthfully, I think I was distracted with taking it all in. I struggled with the weather. It’s funny, my family loves and thrives in hot weather but I just can’t stand it. The heat made me tired and sluggish. I was also still working full-time, freelancing, and learning everything there was to learn about my camera inside and out. I think even when I wanted to share more, I just didn’t have the energy to do it.
Something I am proud of is that I explored vlogging and started my YouTube channel to complement my blog! It was so much fun exploring a different creative medium. I always loved to write, so being in front of the camera and telling a story was so different for me. I definitely didn’t vlog as much as I wish I had. I got stuck in this weird perfectionist rut where I needed my footage to be perfect. We had just started our photography and videography studio, Forrestal Creative, and I was so worried that if people looked at my personal channel and saw less-than-perfect video work, that would be a reflection of our capabilities as videographers. I shouldn’t have cared. I should have just done fun, low-level vlogs on some of our daily life in Bangkok. I like to rewatch the videos we did make just for the memories: our dogs, the street we lived on, the people we saw everyday, our little condo. On the bright side, we did film a lot and a lot of the footage is just sitting on hard drives! I need to sit down and go through that footage and see what kind of little videos I can put together!
I think a reason why I didn’t blog more on a personal level was the disconnect I felt between the brand I had built around Anything But Salad and who I wanted to be. I was so strictly food and travel that I felt like there was this invisible barrier around what I could share and what I couldn’t. It sounds silly, but I wanted to build a brand around something that I could grow into.
Obviously, the industry is changing and moving away from blogging. Do people even read anymore? I like to read, but I know that I’m an anomaly. Although we live in a content age of instant gratification with mediums like TikTok and Instagram, I still crave writing long-form blog posts. No matter how the industry changes, I’m committed to sharing this way because it’s what I love -- and ultimately, we need to lean into what we love doing! Transitioning my blog and social media to my name, Lina Forrestal, has felt so right.
I worked with an amazing designer to develop my branding and to create my new blog, Karima from Karima Creative. It was my first time working with a professional designer and it was the best experience I could have ever asked for. We started off by doing a discovery call about my goals and filling out her Brand Questionnaire. From there, she designed my logo and mood board, and once those were approved we dove into website design! Karima dubs herself the branding + website fairy god mother and that could not be more true — I absolutely love my new branding and blog and it will carry me for years to come! I’ve also chosen to work with her again on redesigning our photography and videography website, Forrestal Creative. I’m looking forward to making our photography and videography website feel more personal and tell a stronger story of what we offer so we can attract our dream clients!
SO WHAT’S THIS NEW BLOG ALL ABOUT?
CLEAN LIVING AND CRUELTY FREE
When you live on a farm and have well water and a septic system, you really have to be careful about what kind of chemicals you’re using in and around your house. I’ve always been passionate about cleaner products — I grew up with my parents making their own cleaning sprays and opting for more natural cleaning methods rather than relying on harsh chemicals.
I’m passionate about using products that are cruelty-free, meaning, the products aren’t tested on animals. I’m not perfect, but have been more conscious of the beauty products I buy and the companies I choose to support. I don’t live a completely cruelty-free lifestyle: I don’t eat meat, but I do still consume cheese. I eat eggs from my chickens. I hope to share more about this part of my life with you! Read more about why I stopped eating meat here.
HOUSE AND DIY PROJECTS
We bought a charming old house built in the late 1800s! It has good bones but definitely needs a few cosmetic updates. I’m excited to share my renovations and do-it-yourself projects with you!
FARM LIFE
Our charming old house sits on 6 acres of farm land! John and I are both hard workers and are excited to work the land together to grow crops and become more self-sustainable. Neither of us come from a farming background, so we’re learning something new everyday, one little mistake at a time!
We’ve also adopted 1 rescue cow named Harold who we adore. He’s a male cow and doesn’t provide milk, so really he’s just a big pet to us! We also have 7 chickens, 2 rescue barn cats, and 4 rescue dogs. We love animals and I’m excited to share my animal love with you!
GARDENING
Gardening is definitely not a strength of mine but I’m excited and willing to learn! I like to make my spaces beautiful, and I love plants and flowers. I hope to bring you along my gardening journey!
photography
Photography is a passion of mine and I especially have a passion for teaching others and working with beginners! All too often I find the photography community to be tricky to navigate — especially for young, female photographers. I’m hoping to share resources, tips, and some behind-the-scenes from some of my shoots!
life as a first time mom
I’m currently entering my 3rd trimester at 29 weeks! I’m so excited to be a mom and have loved every moment of my pregnancy. I’m looking forward to sharing my life with you as a first time mom and all the fun things we navigate together!
REAL TALK
I’m just excited that you’re here. Think of my visiting blog almost like a matcha date with me. We’ll chit chat, share how we’re feeling, and share some great tips! Whether this is the first blog post of mine you’ve read or you’ve known me since I was blogging at Anything But Salad, I’m so glad that we’ve connected!
Curious to learn more about me? Read more about me here!