Dress PR Product from Katie France London
Oh hello darling, and welcome back, thrilled to have you here. This is the last post of July, and marks the fifth anniversary of benpechey.com! On the 26th of July 2016, I pressed publish on the very first blog post, and I like to mark it each year to document my growth and also celebrate the achievement.
This last year has been seen a huge amount of development and growth in my career. It has made me even more aware of the changes that have taken place. Last year I reflected on my beginnings and how far I have come. This year more than any before, I have firmed up the foundations of what I do and built on them to help offer myself stability and create more impact for the community I serve.
More than any year past on this journey, I feel that I have achieved a deeper sense of self. Through my work and personal dialogues, I have firmed up my stance on who I am as a person first, and an LGBTQIA+ advocate second. I am in a really great place with the way I dress, and that is very affirming both from a career standpoint, but on a personal identity level too. Leaning into this has brought me a lot of comfort in this past year.
I am also much more comfortable in my world of work, and my career. This year has brought stability and the means to fully support myself. The narrative of a self-employed freelance lifestyle focuses on a lack of funds. Whilst I am by no means wealthy, the stability I have created for myself is allowing me a small amount of comfort that I haven’t had in my entire adult life. This is allowing me to create even better opportunities for myself. It also means that I can grow my content, and develop the resources & support that I create for the LGBTQIA+ community.
I have also been blessed with some amazing projects and opportunities. This feels like the perfect time to firstly thank all of the people who have appreciated my skillset to work with me. Secondly, trusted me enough to allow me to lead and facilitate countless projects. I suffer hugely from imposter syndrome, and so I don’t always feel like I can do what I say I can. Thus, the trust and connections that I have made this year, have been very affirming.
I have put more roots down this year in terms of evergreen work and support. Working on my debut book has provided me with an exciting avenue that doesn’t rely upon the internet. It has been a unique working process, and I am excited for you to see what we have created when the book comes to market. Of course, the book owes so much to this blog, as it is where my writing and advocacy began!
Representation has always been a goal for me, but seemed at some points in this journey, a pipe dream. Signing to the Tape Agency this year has been such a wonderful addition to my work life. The freelance/influencer market can be very tough to navigate, so having a support system that has my back is such a comfort and has been such a pleasure to experience.
For all my hard work and dedication, so much of what I do, would not possible without your support. So I must thank you, my darling readers, followers and supporters for what I have done, and will continue to do. It means the world to me that you are here with me on this journey!
I have adored the last five years, and I am excited to see what the next five years bring! Thank you as always for being here with me, I love you lots like jelly tots, until next time, uh buh bye…
*Oh if you hadn’t twigged, wood is the traditional gift for a fifth anniversary, hence my punny tittle Wood you look at that…
Shot by Rachel Pechey
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