hey friends -  

     I want to talk a little about starting BH. Some people don't really care about the story behind a business or a new venture, and they just want to shop some cool clothes and see some fun pics - which I am not knocking. Please, by all means, shop away. However, I am a sucker for stories. Tell me everything - your how, what, why, when, your creative and thought process, what gets you out of bed in the morning, and what thoughts are keeping you up at night. If you're like me, and care to know these types of things then stick around. If not, then please click back over and SHOP AWAY. 

      Future blog posts won't always be so long or personal. Lots of style related content and creative inspo - honestly whatever I'm feeling in the moment. So I'm sorry for this novel of a blog post, but it *might* not happen again.

        I like to call Blue Honey my project. Ali, my best friend and roommate, gives me a hard time for calling it that, but it's really what it feels like. Fashion is something I have always loved and been interested in, but I never really saw it as a something I could make a sustainable career out of. I have dreamt of having an online clothing shop since high school, but I never let myself think long enough on it to make a designated plan for it.

       I started my first semester of college at UCO as psychology pre-med major. I quickly (lol) changed it to strategic communications with a focus in public relations and marketing, which eventually evolved into internet marketing specifically. I planned on graduating with that degree in search of a marketing position for a clothing company. Sounded like a good plan to me. It made sense, sounded good, and it was using my degree while living somewhere in the realm of fashion. While I still plan on graduating with this degree, my plan has changed somewhat drastically. I just couldn't shake the thought of wanting to have my OWN store and do my own marketing with my own brand. Full control of my own project. Sounded like a dream to me.  But I had NO idea where to start.

       The end of 2017 and a good chunk of 2018 was a little bit of a difficult time for me. I was in a weird transition, and I felt very stuck with a negative mindset in every area of my life. I was confused about what I was doing, where I wanted to end up, and how I was going to get there. On top of a couple of external situations that weren't particularly ideal. I was really struggling to be happy and feel productive in this time. I prayed for months for clarity and for God to lead me in the direction He wanted me to go. 

       Fast forward July 2018. LONG story short, I reluctantly went on a missions trip with my church and Ali to the Dominican Republic. I had agreed with Ali to go months prior, but didn't think I would end up being able to afford it or afford to take off work for that long. But, to my surprise, I did. In hindsight, I know that God was leading me to this trip to shake my whole world. 

      In the DR, I got to fully immerse myself into a different culture and be the hands and feet of God. I got to unplug. I prayed hard that week with no distraction. I left that week with so much confidence and clarity. God changed my perspective, my heart, and my faith. That following week, nearly every prayer I had prayed for months about was answered. Some were answered by closing doors I knew I needed to close. Some were answered by cultivating relationships with the right people at the right time. I needed to change my perspective. God works in the weirdest of ways sometimes. Every single thing has a purpose, whether it serves immediately or months or years later. It all weaves together in His divine orchestration. 

      I was confident it was my dream to open my own online clothing store. The week after the DR, that dream became a real possibility quicker than I ever thought it would. Some great friends of mine asked if they could invest in what turned out to be Blue Honey. They encouraged me to just go for it. I'll never stop being immensely thankful for this. In a few short weeks we filed for an LLC, booked plane tickets to Chicago for October market, and hit the ground running. I couldn't have done it without them. 

      Of course there is so much that happened in between then and now, but I won't continue to bore you with all of the details. I love what Blue Honey is now, but it is not yet what I envision it to be. I have so much vision for what I want this shop and brand to be, and I'll make it happen. I know it won't be overnight. Stepping out in faith can be a difficult thing to do, but it is so worth it. With the right people in your circle and motivation to make whatever it is you want to do happen, you can do anything. So, if you have a dream to do something, do it. I used to hate when people said that to me, because it is obviously much easier said than done. However, if you never just go for it and start, you'll never know. You can't always wait around for a master plan to fall into your lap. Just start and go day by day. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. But I promise, either way, you'll regret not having at least tried. SO cliche, I KNOW. Don't let anyone tell you your dream is weird or unconventional, and don't let anyone (including yourself) hold you back from doing something you have always wanted to do. 

       Blue Honey is a brand that encourages wearing and doing what you want without fear of what others will think. Form your own style and use it to express yourself. Stand out wearing BH. 

      So anyways, I love and believe in this project, and I sincerely hope all of you will too. If you've made it to the end of this, I'm super impressed. Thanks for taking the time to read a little about my heart behind this brand, and for checking out the site. Stay tuned.

Blue Honey. We're sicker than ur average.