EST. 2011
Happy Monday! I hope you had a lovely weekend.
I realized last night that this week is my blog’s 5th birthday, so I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to share how Brunch came to be since it’s not something I often (ever) talk about. I still can’t believe this is the job I get to wake up to every day, and I’m so grateful you’re here scrolling through this post. So thank you! Now shall we dive into the birth story?
I’ve been clocking up a crazy amount of hours on the web for well over a decade. Spending your day on a Mac is the new normal, but my love began long before my first laptop. Early on in grade school, I was fascinated by working on computers. As soon as I would get home from school, I’d drop my bag and dial into AOL, where I designed my first creative outlet on AOL Homepage. I eventually discovered LiveJournal and the obsession catapulted to new heights. Hours would fly by while I tweaked with my site’s fonts, colors, and would add inspiring content daily. This is also when my parents started to question me and my social life (haha). We moved a lot when I was younger and I was a bit shy, so this was my happy place where I could express myself. It was my online diary in a way, a place I could relish in everything that was inspiring me.
Photography is also a longtime passion of mine. I had a thing for disposable cameras growing up and would always have them in tow. I’d print, scan, edit and add to my site on a regular basis. I was always happy to be the person who took charge of capturing fun events and outings, and of course editing profile photos for friends along the way. I could spend hours doing this, and I did! Then Myspace came along and a new challenge of creating a beautiful homepage was accepted.
After college, I had a couple of blogs that didn’t stand the test of time. My parents had split up and I moved home after school feeling a little lost and realized that my year or two stint away from blogging is what was missing. Five years ago from this week, I decided to give the blog thing a go again. I wanted to focus on lifestyle so I could write about anything and everything. My passions were always changing, so I wanted to be able to grow with the blog versus growing out of it. I wanted a name I would never get sick of, that meant something to me and its purpose. That’s when Brunch on Chestnut was born in May 2012.
The name comes from my favorite street in San Francisco, that feels the most home. It was created the year I felt a sense of contentment in my independence and happiness. I knew what I loved most, and I was hoping to share with those who may want to listen! Brunch on Chestnut is dedicated to the valued details of each day that makes us feel the most alive and inspired by doing what we love. It’s a quest to better living. Sharing my story, passions, inspirations, and photography has always been the driving force of this blog, and I am so looking forward to the next five years.
Looking back, I feel like I grew up through blogging. Through the ups and downs, it’s paved the way for me and incredibly so, unfolded into an occupation.
Thank you again for being a huge part of it! x
