Blogging hasn’t always been my only career. For a very long time, I found myself balancing the workload of blogging at Twenty First Century Gent with a full time job. Almost every evening and weekend would be spent frantically shooting new content and attending events. My biggest stress? The need to quickly transition from the standard corporate office environment to a more social, and often more presentable, environment. A lot of people reading this may be in the same situation and, while I am now fully dedicated in my quest to become a trailblazer in the world of fashion, travel and lifestyle, there were a few things I learned over the past twenty months.
Twenty First Century Gent was really created as an extension of my inner creative self. Society often funnels us into the doing what is ‘the norm’; a society where we are encouraged to work for someone else. My blog was my way of rebelling against that and, perhaps a little selfishly, doing something that I enjoy. All I needed was a focus; a single voice (my voice) and a consistency in the presentation and quality of my work. I found my niche in promoting a realistic yet desirable lifestyle.
Personal branding and appearance is everything for me; when I communicate to most of my audience online, it is what my audience identifies with. One of the first lessons learned was this; if it doesn’t fit my brand and image, then it doesn’t fit the audience. If it doesn’t fit the audience then you can’t expect too much back from them! This isn’t something I will always stick to, especially on occasions when I will try something a little different, but I’ll always have my audience in the front of my mind.
As well as my online profile, meeting people for a coffee or a lunch is a key part of my work and first impressions count hugely. I almost always overdress for meetings; more of a habit than by accident. I am a firm believer that you can never dress too well for any occasion and the line between formal and casual has now been blurred; a blazer and smart pair of jeans are definitely a good substitute for a suit in certain occasions. The most important factor, for me at least, when it comes to blazers is fit; the blazer should fit perfectly to the body. There is nothing worse than shoulders that don’t sit well or arms that are too short!
Now that I am full time with Twenty First Century Gent, my work and my personal life tend to merge a bit too frequently; so I do always try and switch off when I can to avoid burnout. However, that doesn’t mean I slack off when it comes to looking presentable in public. Yes, you might find me lounging around in my pyjamas at 10pm on a Sunday evening, but come 9am on a Monday morning, it is work mode and wearing a blazer just feels right.
If you’re looking for some smart workwear that can easily transition into a more casual environment then check out the blazer collection from Marks and Spencer. They fit incredibly well and some of the items are a great option if you’re looking to carefully balance two very different lifestyles. Also, let me know in the comments below how you try and keep your work-life balance in check!
