Happy November !

Hello Everyone ! 

It's been so, so long since I've blogged properly - both here or anywhere else really ! I always feel the need to blog more when I'm at university though, so now that it's November and I'm back in Leicester I've been itching to get back into the swing of things. I think blogging gives me a bit of an escape from the hectic world of degree-earning haha (that being said it is probably the worst time to commit to writing here all the time; I've literally never been so busy !).

Lots of things have happened since I've last written anything here - some really awesome things, and some less great stuff. When I decided to start blogging regularly again, I realised that in order to make it less of a chore for myself and more fun, I would make each post more personal, and so there are lots of things that I want to write post specifically about in the future ! Some of which are a bit more serious than the usual ramblings of a frill-obsessed internet weeb 

While my love of blogging might have dwindled, I've been as
obsessed with lolita fashion as ever !

If you read any of my posts prior to this one (and thank you for sticking around during my giant hiatus !) you might remember that I was over the moon to have been accepted on to a Game Art & Design degree last September ! I love gaming, and becoming a character or concept artist for a studio has always been one of my biggest goals. So I was really, really excited to begin my journey towards achieving that ! Unfortunately, things didn't go to plan. Around Christmas time I really started to struggle with my mental health (and I guess also physical health as a side-effect of this) and eventually got diagnosed with major depression and generalised anxiety disorder. Earlier this year I've also been receiving help for dealing with Borderline Personality Disorder.

While it's super difficult for me to talk about this, when I became sick and was diagnosed, it hit me exactly how much stigma still exists around mental health and wellbeing - surprisingly, sometimes even to the point where people seem unwilling to even acknowledge problems their own family or friends may be facing ! While I am much better now, I am by no means "cured" of any of the problems I struggled with earlier this year, and I will probably have to keep my mental health in check for the rest of my life. I'm one who will always try to make the best out of a bad situation - and this experience has encouraged me to talk more openly both in my "real" (haha) life and also here on my blog ! I want to challenge the stigma surrounding mental illness and encourage discussions that make people realise it really isn't something that should be hidden away, or feared or brushed under the carpet. 

In happier news, though, I'm still studying at uni ! I've transferred to a Fine Art BA, which is super fun since I get to rekindle my love of textiles, print and installation work. I also decided that to branch out in my interests a little, I would found the Japanese Street Fashion Society ! It's still early days yet, but I am so, so excited for all the opportunities that myself and all the society members will have through joining. So far it's been pretty successful, and I've actually be pretty proud of getting to step completely out of my comfort zone and start something that brings people together.

Some of the cuties who attended our first social  

I also had the opportunity last month to finally meet the lovely Melody Fawn aka Rebecca in person ! She was just as sweet in real life as she always is on the online comm, and it was lovely to spend the day wandering around town, drinking bubble tea and getting to meet friendly members of the public !

So, more or less just a basic life update really ! I really will be blogging lots more from now on, especially as I have so many exciting things in the pipeline (including some super secret projects I'm currently working on eeeek). Thank you for being super patient with me ! Until next time, I hope you're all enjoying the cosy November evenings !