3 Reasons Why I Am No Longer a Full-time Sustainability Blogger

I started this year as a digital nomad, running my own online business, living in Bali, Indonesia and now, I am a full-time employee back at home, in Australia. Who would have thought 2020 would turn out the way it did?  I know I haven’t been affected by COVID as much as others, but I still never imagined I would be where I am today.  Can you relate? 

There is no doubt the current global pandemic played a big part in my life and career changes, however, before things even hit, I was already questioning whether I wanted to be a freelancer for the rest of my life.  Something was just missing.  So, when I had to decide whether I was going to stay put in South East Asia or fly back to Australia, I chose the latter (don’t worry, I quarantined at home for 2 weeks). When I returned, it didn’t take me long to feel completely burnt out from too much work, too much social media, and of course, too much news. So, I did what everyone was telling me to do on the internet, and took a break. Like for so many people, 2020 made me reflect on my life in ways I hadn’t before. I realised I wasn’t actually happy and I needed to start putting my health and wellbeing first. So, that’s exactly what I did. Below are the main reasons why I decided I no longer wanted to be a full-time sustainability blogger and content creator for eco-friendly businesses.

1. I WASN’T HAPPY

I feel as though young people (millennials and the Gen Z), like myself, are constantly told we need to be business owners. We need to follow our dreams and become an entrepreneur to be happy. We shouldn’t work a 9-5 job and we need to live out of a van in order to be be successful. But what does success really look like? What does happiness really look like? These are questions I started to ask myself more and more. To me, a successful life is one of influence, impact, passion and purpose. A life where I can constantly learn and grow. And a life where I don’t say “I’ll be happy when…”. I moved to Bali to live out my digital nomad dream, and although I loved every single minute of it, I was constantly living for, and worrying about, the future. I was always thinking about money, my next project or my next client. I felt guilty when I wasn’t working hard enough and sentences starting with “I don’t have time…” would come out of my mouth regularly. I know this is very common in the entrepreneurial world, but all of these factors sort of go against the slow, sustainable lifestyle I wanted to live and to some degree, the life I was promoting. It got to the point where I wasn’t sustaining myself. I started Eco-conscious Brands as a way to share my experience and knowledge about sustainability but by turning it into my full-time gig, I actually stopped prioritising learning about and doing all the things that truly mattered to me. I didn’t make time to read a book about climate change or go to the farmers market to buy those organic vegetables I was writing about on client’s blogs. I also put so much pressure on myself to be successful that I lost the enthusiasm I had for protecting the environment.

2. I WANTED MORE IMPACT & INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE

Social media is so powerful, I love the impact an individual can make just by sharing an image and some text on an app, however, it can be really hard to be heard online if you don’t have a massive platform. I love running a blog and Instagram account, but I constantly felt as though I wouldn’t be able to create real environmental change until I had tens of thousands of followers or readers. And although I still really want a massive community and to grow Eco-conscious Brands, I am no longer caught up in thinking that having an online presence is the only way I can achieve my goals. I now know having a following isn’t the only way to make a difference. My vision is still the same, but my path to get their just looks a little bit different to what I imagined.

I also started to feel as though I didn’t want to be taking photos of bamboo toothbrushes for the rest of my life and I wanted to find a better way to use everything I had learn through my Environmental Management degree. Anyone can blog about sustainability on the internet, but not everyone has had the option to study sustainability, as it is a very new field. Basically, I wanted more impact and I wanted to gain experience dealing with real world issues and projects. I often don’t feel I can discuss sustainability topics online in much detail.

3. I WANT TO BE RESPECTED FOR MY EXPERTISE

As a blogger, content creator, photographer and freelance marketer (all titles I would use to describe what I would do for a living), you’re often not very respected for your knowledge and skills. Many brands don’t actually want to pay for services and feel as though a “collab” or free product is a fair swap - what’s ethical or sustainable about that? Don’t get me wrong, I loved every client project I worked on and feel so grateful to have gained so much freelance experience and worked with so many inspiring, like-minded people. But there are many product-based service owners that do not respect the hard work that goes into creating a cohesive feed, learning the ins and outs of social media platforms and keeping up with the latest environmental news and trends. They see pretty images and think “aw you’re a eco-living influencer, that’s cute” and don’t see the value you can bring to their business. And as someone who has spent thousands of dollars on study and DSLR camera to be able to consult on sustainable business practices and take professional photos, it’s a little bit insulting.

I am now employed with Australia’s leading waste management company as a Environmental Education Officer for my local government area. I absolutely love this new role and feel as though I can finally put all of my knowledge, skills and experience into practice. It is a perfect mix of both sustainability and digital communication, and there’s no doubt my freelance experience contributed to my success in this job. Eco-conscious Brands isn’t going anywhere though, so don’t stress. If anything, I feel like I now have more time for this platform than ever before. I loved being based in Bali, I loved travelling, I loved (sort of) living out of a suitcase and I loved being self-employed. I am so proud of myself for taking that leap and giving it a chance. But at this point of my life and during these unpredictable times, I am happier being a part-time sustainability blogger by passion and a full-time Waste Educator on weekdays.

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