For those that don’t know I’m Kristelle and I own Beautifully Unique (more commonly referred to as BU). I founded Beautifully Unique (BU) in 2018 originally selling jewellery that I had made. Handcrafting products has always been something I enjoy, as well as finding it both relaxing and therapeutic. As we know, the COVID-19 lockdowns were hard! To aid in my mental wellness and keep myself occupied I decided to learn and perfect some new skills. This resulted in the growth of BU from just jewellery to a wider range of products. In my first Instagram post for 2022 I said that I would be showing as my authentic self. As writing is also something that I enjoy and find therapeutic, I thought I’d start blogging again and give you an insight into Kristelle as well as sharing some behind the scene BU news.
What can you expect from The Beautifully Unique Blog?
Honest writing in terms of my thoughts, feelings, experiences and lessons learned. I will also be connecting with other Beautifully Unique people as well as shining the light on fellow small businesses.
So now the intros are done let's jump into it!
Authentically Me
I recently took a Social Media sabbatical and it was so needed! I decided to take the break as I found I was constantly comparing myself to others and it was having a negative impact on my mental wellbeing.
It seems (to me) that as a generation we are constantly comparing ourselves and situations to that of others. “They’re prettier, happier, more intelligent, more successful, have a better life (etc etc) than me”. It seems to come naturally to most of us. We probably do it without even realising, I know I did. I would often “pop” onto Instagram to have a ”quick look”. An hour later I’d still be there and 86 weeks deep into someone’s brothers, friends, cousin's pictures.
I began to realise how much of an illusion social media can be. There are people who according to their social media page have it all together (my friend and I call it “doing it for the gram”) but if you meet/ talk with them in the real world their life is anything but. The spark from their relationship has gone, they’re struggling to pay their bills, hate their job, feel depressed etc and often go onto social media to compare their lives to that of others. Isn’t it funny that we know the trap of comparison, yet it's like a scab we can't help picking.
As I mentioned, I was definitely guilty of this. When I was setting up my website I thought that I'd avoid the same mistakes. Oh how wrong I was! I still found myself spending hours looking at other sites and comparing mine to theirs. “Theirs looks cleaner” “Maybe I should have a white border on Instagram” “Is it better to downplay my personality a bit and keep it strictly business”. It...was…draining!! Plus it really took the fun out of what should have been an exciting time. I mean I was launching my business!
A special shout out to my amazing friends MD and JN who listened to it all. On one occasion JN gave me a tough love talking to (which is most unlike her!) her words were “You are always reminding people that they are Beautifully Unique and should value themselves. So why are you questioning and undervaluing yourself?”. It was just what I needed to hear. After taking some time out and reflecting on the above I was able to get back to the joy and excitement (ok and a little stress when I managed to accidentally delete a whole section of the website 3 days before launch!) of building my website. There are still tweaks I want to make to it but overall I'm happy and proud of it.
I aim to be authentic in all I do so my website, instagram page (and now my blog) are a reflection of me, Kristelle. I love nature, I love to travel, I love to laugh, I love making things and am passionate about well-being. As such my brand and page will be a reflection of all of this and more. That's also why I decided to add a blog, as I think it's nice for people to get to know the woman behind the company rather than it being an impersonal, clinical feel as that is so not me. So this is me being authentically me, smiling whilst I walk away from insecurities and imposter syndrome.
I'm an empath (which can be a blessing and a curse) and can be told I'm "too sensitive", but I like to think that my sensitivity is my super power. I often have to have a word with myself and remember that although others may be similar, no one is me and that is where my power lies. It's important that we keep our eyes on our own prize and not put that comparison pressure on ourselves.
It may seem that wherever you look people have it all together and you’re lagging behind, but believe me it's not always the case. A status update, pretty filter or tweet can hide a magnitude of pain. One of my favourite quotes is “Be Kind, For Everyone Is Fighting A Battle You Know Nothing About”.
So with that being said, be comfortable, be your authentic self, be you and be content. Remember that we are all Beautifully Unique and have something to offer.
Kristelle x
**edit** After writing this I still kept on obsessing. What can I say I'm a work in progress hahaha