I guess it's about time I made an official announcement about what will be happening in the coming months.
Big things are just below.
If you're a regular reader of my blog, or a follower on Instagram, you'll have known that I have been unwell for most of my teen and adult life, with ups and downs. I've gone through so many changes career wise, here's a list.
2003 – Left High School at age 15, pretty much with no choice
2004 – Wanted to become a music producer
2005 – Completed a music certificate
2006 – Completed Music production AND business certificates
2007 – Started taking music production and sound design seriously, bought my first Mac
2008 – Worked for an audio company in service and manufacturing, created Rivet Licker
2009 – Started Electronics & Comms trade, YouTube
2010 – Apprenticeship at an Avionics firm, fixing in-flight entertainment equipment for commercial aircraft, followed by illness
2011 – Illness and completion of Electronics, YouTube
2012 – Attempted an Electronics Engineering Diploma, YouTube for Lush
2013 – ???, Lush, started Instagram
2014 – ???, Lush, then makeup & beauty, back onto YouTube
2015 – Started blogging on Instagram, stopped YouTube
2016 – Studied Beauty Therapy, launched this blog
2017 – RIVET LICKER EVERYTHING and Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry
So we have that list above as a nutshell of how I went from music through audio, to electronics, to multimedia, to beauty, and now science. I never strayed from science, it was something that followed me around for a while.
The other side of that, the not having a choice but to leave high school was made because I had severe social anxiety, but little did I know that I had some other horrible things brewing. Of course, puberty is horrid for most kids, but my puberty brought on a lot of health complications, including sending my immune system into chaos and my reproductive organs on a mission to cause me grief. You see, my Mum was quite older when she had me, so it was a high risk pregnancy. Puberty brought on symptoms that were rather benign as a child, such as painful growth spurts, but as I went through the agonizing teenage years, they got worse. Eventually, when I was 23 years old, I was confirmed to be suffering from Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. And in 2016, just before I turned 28, I was diagnosed with ADHD and Asperger's Syndrome.
My mental health has never been a picture of stability, and a lot of denial went along with it. I knew for so long that I was really different, but didn't know why. Was I anxious? Well, yes. Was I full of guilt? Very much so. Did I feel empty and unloved? Alarm bells. Closure? FINALLY.
At this point in time, I take up to 8 pills per day to manage my PCOS, mental health, inflammation and pain, and one injection weekly, a low dose of a chemotherapy agent to suppress my over-active immune system.
Fast forward. I'm not going to ever be cured, and the medications can suck more than the disease sometimes, but my life is still going on. The official word being that I am finally going to university and learning that science stuff for real. I start in July, so it's not long to go.
What about this blog?
I am definitely going to continue writing! I don't want to let this opportunity go to waste because I'm studying something that I have never formally attempted before, a Degree!
Rivet Licker is going to be around, but I've decided to lower my posts to 1 full story (knowledge pieces etc), or 2 smaller stories (single product reviews) per week. I'm also really interested in hearing what my readers want to see.
Concepts for regular story contributions:
FRIDAY NIGHT FAVES – A hit of my favourite products during the week.
#RivetReview Archive – I haven't updated this in a long time, but all my earlier product reviews, weekly.
Makeup Looks – I usually post these on Instagram, but how about a dedicated post each week?
Please let me know what you would rather see!!! Don't be shy! Leave a comment.
So, in saying that, I'm very happy to have gotten this far in blogging. I hope you all enjoy what I have to say.
xx Lara
Big things are just below.
If you're a regular reader of my blog, or a follower on Instagram, you'll have known that I have been unwell for most of my teen and adult life, with ups and downs. I've gone through so many changes career wise, here's a list.
2003 – Left High School at age 15, pretty much with no choice
2004 – Wanted to become a music producer
2005 – Completed a music certificate
2006 – Completed Music production AND business certificates
2007 – Started taking music production and sound design seriously, bought my first Mac
2008 – Worked for an audio company in service and manufacturing, created Rivet Licker
2009 – Started Electronics & Comms trade, YouTube
2010 – Apprenticeship at an Avionics firm, fixing in-flight entertainment equipment for commercial aircraft, followed by illness
2011 – Illness and completion of Electronics, YouTube
2012 – Attempted an Electronics Engineering Diploma, YouTube for Lush
2013 – ???, Lush, started Instagram
2014 – ???, Lush, then makeup & beauty, back onto YouTube
2015 – Started blogging on Instagram, stopped YouTube
2016 – Studied Beauty Therapy, launched this blog
2017 – RIVET LICKER EVERYTHING and Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry
So we have that list above as a nutshell of how I went from music through audio, to electronics, to multimedia, to beauty, and now science. I never strayed from science, it was something that followed me around for a while.
The other side of that, the not having a choice but to leave high school was made because I had severe social anxiety, but little did I know that I had some other horrible things brewing. Of course, puberty is horrid for most kids, but my puberty brought on a lot of health complications, including sending my immune system into chaos and my reproductive organs on a mission to cause me grief. You see, my Mum was quite older when she had me, so it was a high risk pregnancy. Puberty brought on symptoms that were rather benign as a child, such as painful growth spurts, but as I went through the agonizing teenage years, they got worse. Eventually, when I was 23 years old, I was confirmed to be suffering from Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. And in 2016, just before I turned 28, I was diagnosed with ADHD and Asperger's Syndrome.
My mental health has never been a picture of stability, and a lot of denial went along with it. I knew for so long that I was really different, but didn't know why. Was I anxious? Well, yes. Was I full of guilt? Very much so. Did I feel empty and unloved? Alarm bells. Closure? FINALLY.
At this point in time, I take up to 8 pills per day to manage my PCOS, mental health, inflammation and pain, and one injection weekly, a low dose of a chemotherapy agent to suppress my over-active immune system.
Fast forward. I'm not going to ever be cured, and the medications can suck more than the disease sometimes, but my life is still going on. The official word being that I am finally going to university and learning that science stuff for real. I start in July, so it's not long to go.
What about this blog?
I am definitely going to continue writing! I don't want to let this opportunity go to waste because I'm studying something that I have never formally attempted before, a Degree!
Rivet Licker is going to be around, but I've decided to lower my posts to 1 full story (knowledge pieces etc), or 2 smaller stories (single product reviews) per week. I'm also really interested in hearing what my readers want to see.
Concepts for regular story contributions:
FRIDAY NIGHT FAVES – A hit of my favourite products during the week.
#RivetReview Archive – I haven't updated this in a long time, but all my earlier product reviews, weekly.
Makeup Looks – I usually post these on Instagram, but how about a dedicated post each week?
Please let me know what you would rather see!!! Don't be shy! Leave a comment.
So, in saying that, I'm very happy to have gotten this far in blogging. I hope you all enjoy what I have to say.
xx Lara
Whoa Lara, you've certainly gone through a lot in your life! I hear you on the mental health side of things - it's not something that can be cured, only managed, just like your other conditions. I didn't begin to figure that stuff (mental health) out until my mid-late 20's, so know that you're not alone in that boat. Be proud of how far you've come!
ReplyDeleteRE: Your blog - I wouldn't mind you talking us through your makeup looks. Friday Night Faves sounds good as well.
Thanks for your feedback!
DeleteYeah, it's a nightmare to manage, and everyone around you can be jerks about it!