“Nothing changes if nothing changes”…how many times have you heard that before? Change is scary. Change is unknown. But positive change in life comes from clear, unequivocal decisions that you’re either going to stop doing something, or start doing something new. I hate change, I’ll be the first to admit it. My mother and husband would be quick to confirm. Change is a beautiful, but scary process.

Glitter Guide is 8 years old this year. Granted, I haven’t been with the team the whole time, I dove in headfirst from day one. When Taylor came to me around three years ago as a consultant, she needed help implementing systems, logistics, finances, all the boring stuff creatives tend to hate. Our relationship was meant to be a quick nine-session turnaround. But the more we worked and got deep into the workings of Glitter Guide, the more changes we saw that needed to take place.

I like to think that Taylor and I found each other at the right time. I honestly didn’t follow Glitter Guide before I started working here, but I followed Taylor. Her style and creativity were inspirational as I would scroll through my feed. I never really gave too much thought to it beyond that. But then her name popped up in my inbox and the rest is history.

I was entering into a world that I was unfamiliar with. I’m a nerdy numbers gal, I don’t spend my time on creative things or passion projects. But working with Taylor closely (I mean, as closely as one can from two different cities) brought out a new side of me that I had no idea was lying underneath the “serious business woman” surface. As much as I helped her by sharing my knowledge of systems and business management, she helped me by encouraging and inspiring me to unlock that creative part of my soul and fully embracing it.

Glitter Guide is changing, because we’re changing. Taylor’s not the same person she was eight years ago when she launched the site. To be fair, is anyone? Eight years is a long time for growth and self-discovery. Once Taylor and I synched up in our partnership, we saw the need for change. People don’t like change, and that scares us. People are afraid of change, and so are we. But change is necessary. We were faced with a decision: evolve, or repeat.

So, after hours of Google Hangouts, countless phone calls/texts/Slacks and about 5,100 miles round trip, here we are. We’ve sat down and gone back to the beginning. Why is Glitter Guide here? What purpose do we want it to serve? I kept repeating to Taylor over and over again “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it” so many times she probably wanted to slap me upside the head. But the why is important. The why makes everything else clear. And once we really mapped out what that why was, we saw how much had to change.

We want to make something beautiful, and something meaningful. That’s the magic of new beginnings. Of course, we could stay in what’s comfortable and what’s “tried and true,” but when has that ever helped anyone evolve? The industry is changing, our values and priorities are changing and it almost feels like a terrifying freefall. But if we’re armed with the why and steadfast in our core values, we are confident it will all turn out OK. Change is a scary process, but a beautiful one.

So here’s to all the dream chasers and magic makers. We’re all in it together.

xx,

Sam