A rebrand and a refreshed start. Yes I left Corporate America.

I have always loved writing. All my standardized test scores were just okay, except writing. Probably because it's actually non-standard and completely free form. During ACT practice tests, I'd wish I could skip all of the other sections (especially science) and only practice the writing prompts. And that's why I started this blog. For the love of writing.

With that said, I'm more than mildly disappointed in my quantity of posts and the time lapse between this and the last one. We'll get better. And especially because there is so much to catch up on. Bites & Booze updates, life/job updates... I'm not quite sure where to start so we'll just start where we left off.

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In May, I hit 20K followers on @cbusbitesnbooze after creating on it for a little under two years, which was a very exciting milestone. I wrote a blog about it. I was proud of this accomplishment and wanted to memorialize how I got there and maybe help other creators along the way too. The growth continued as I adapted to the app (tip #4) and adjusted how I engaged with the platform. The summer months went by. There were weddings and weekend trips and work trips and international trips. I felt a little lost about the page. Yes home base was Columbus, but I was spending so much time outside of the city as well. I was posting less frequently since I wasn't in Columbus as much, yet I was feeling unjust about not featuring some incredible meals just because they weren't in Columbus.

In August, I decided to rebrand my page from @cbusbitesnbooze to @jennysbitesnbooze. The decision happened deliberately on a long run. It was a few weeks after coming back from an incredible trip to France and Italy, celebrating my and Zach's 10 year wedding anniversary. So many beautiful and wonderful moments in those two weeks, yet I felt like I had to limit the European content. But for what? Just because of the handle? That August Saturday, I ran along the Scioto Trail going south... a quiet path with few people and much introspection, and decided I was going to change my name. That afternoon.

By doing it, I would learn that it'd open up so much more opportunity for me to be creative, be myself, and worry less about if my content was aligning with the brand I had created around Columbus, even if it was just a feeling. Jenny's Bites & Booze, despite a different name, continues to showcase who I am as a person, what I like to experience and eat and drink, and what kind of businesses absolutely need highlighted in this city. The rebrand allowed me to feel more open and creative and limitless in my creator potential. And to feel is to be.

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Fast forward just a few weeks later to September. I decided on September 6th that I would leave my corporate job -- something I never planned to do this year or expected to happen in the next couple years even. But when all of my stars align, I can't ignore it. What became so apparent was that I was focusing most of my energy toward a job that was draining me. At the end of each day, my energy was deep in the red and it always felt like a desperate climb to get back up to neutral. I resorted to things like... going out to eat (too much, even for me)... and drinking more days than I should, just to get my endorphin hits. I was using eating out & drinking as a gap-fill and crutch since I was not fulfilled with the majority of my day. Good for the page, not good for my mental or physical health.

At the same time, what I realized is that creating on Bites & Booze has been one of the most fulfilling things for me. Building relationships and connection is my top value. I was not receiving that in my remote job, and was seeking that out through Bites & Booze in whatever form I could get. And it was working. I've developed relationships and friendships through food blogging and it's been a huge source of joy. In a matter of a few days, after realizing it'd been months of trying to crawl my energy levels up, I decided I'd leave my job in pursuit of a life that brings me more joy, creativity, purpose and passion. I wanted each day to average neutral or higher energies. And I had ideas I wanted to pursue that brought energy I hadn't felt in a long time.

So... here we are. Day 2 of not being employed by Corporate America. Day 2 without a stable salary that allowed me the lifestyle I previously had. Day 2 of filling my day with completely different activities (such as this one: blogging for the first time in months) in pursuit of creation and connection. I think I'll continue to wrestle with the idea of unstable income and work on decoupling my salary from my worth. But I'd like to think that if you pursue work and adding value to the world in a way that brings you true joy, the prosperity will come.

I can't wait to share what I'm working on next.

Candid capture from a friend. Practicing using my new vlog camera in Seattle at Made in House, a Korean cafe in Fremont.