Recently I have been feeling an overwhelming itch to blog again. There's something about writing that I just adore, and I massively missed having a platform to share whatever is on my mind. Initially I decided it was time to rebrand and relaunch Chelle Belle, but technology was not on my side. After lots of fiddling around with things, I was no closer to making it as I wanted, so here we are with a brand new page. Although it wasn't the original plan, I'm happy that Chelle Belle is still live and I now have a brand new space for this next journey.
Some of you might have been around since my Chelle Belle days (if so, thank you for sticking around!), and some of you might be brand new here (in that case, welcome!). Regardless, I'm glad that you're here and I hope you decide to stay.
This first post is pretty much going to be me addressing the elephants in the room: Where have I been and what's happening now? We'll start with the former.
Where have I been?
At the end of 2021 I made the decision to stop blogging on Chelle Belle. I was entering a new chapter in my life - becoming a teacher, and I felt like I had outgrown that platform. I started Chelle Belle at the age of 16-years old, in the middle of my GCSEs, seeking a space to be creative and write without pressure. I loved every minute of it. However, by the age of 21 I had an English degree under my belt and was ready to take on the crazy venture of becoming a teacher. Some of you guys watched me grow from taking my own GCSE exams to entering teacher training to teach others for their GCSE exams. CRAZY! With that being said, I felt like it was time to try new things and let go of Chelle Belle. In the time I have been gone, I have earned my second degree (PGCE in Secondary English) and I've now been a fully qualified teacher for the last 2 years. It has been a wonderful adventure. Perhaps I'll share some parts of that journey here in the future.
Chelle Belle continued to grow in numbers and we reached over 120,000 hits! This surpassed a goal on my bucket list and I never expected to actually achieve it. I'm so grateful for everyone who contributed to that. I hope we continue to grow and flourish over here too.
What's happening now?
I now feel like it's the right time to start blogging again, but this time we've switched things up. Two things I have always loved but have become an even bigger aspect of my life in the last few years have been reading and travelling. If you know me in real life or you've been a previous loyal follower, you'll know that I LOVE books and seeing the world. Growing up I've always been a bookworm and I sometimes shared book content on Chelle Belle, however my love for books has skyrocketed since becoming a teacher. I think teaching literature has helped me to develop an even greater passion for books than ever before. I randomly started sharing my short book reviews on my Instagram stories one day, and I'm amazed at the positive response it has gotten. I didn't think so many people would enjoy hearing my thoughts on what I've been reading. That gave me the idea for Pages And Pathways. A space for me to return back to my love for writing, and an excuse to share bookish content, along with bits of travel and lifestyle too. I'll still be doing my short Insta story reviews too, but now you can get in-depth ones here too.
On Pages and Pathways, expect to see book reviews, travel content/experiences, lessons I'm learning whilst I navigate adulthood (I still can't believe I turn 25 this year!), and maybe a little bit of teaching stuff sprinkled in. I want this page to be a glimpse into some of the best parts of my life. I'm incredibly excited for what is to come and can't wait to get started.
I've created an Instagram page @pages_and_pathways so that you can share your requests and feedback with me. If there is a particular book you want me to read/review, or specific content you want to see from me, feel free to DM me over there. With it being the summer holidays, I have lots of free time to write, so expect to hear from me again very soon. I don't have a schedule at the moment, but I will make sure to update the Instagram page when a new post is live!
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