Most of my readers don’t know me.
And this is totally not your fault. It’s mine.
When I started my Instagram and my blog, I basically just posted desserts. Then I started to post more personal things, I really cared about and that inspired me on a daily basis. I really enjoyed posting these „Ah I really feel like posting this“ pictures. However, the more personal my account got the more people judged me and soon everybody thought they know me, when in fact they didn’t. Nobody did.
This is why I am making this blog post. To let you know that there will be a change on here and on Instagram. The Vanillacrunnch I started will be reinvented. Vanillacrunnch the empty construct around sugar-free and healthy treats is dead but a new hopefully more interesting and creative Vanillacrunnch will rise. I will let you get closer. I want to open up more in order to connect more. During the last months, my Instagram follower base had a massive growth that I really appreciate it, although I felt it drove me apart from being the account I actually want to be. I mean how can you „inspire 101K people“ ? I am aware that when I post a selfie or more personal details, a lot of followers say Ciao,Ciao. (Hey no worries I totally get it when you just want to see chocolate cakes and desserts ;).Well, that is not me anymore. During my travels, I recognized how much I enjoy the sharing of ideas with other people. The active, deep talks with friends and strangers. The exchange of thoughts and values on a level I would never have thought it would be possible through Social Media. Guess that is a change we should accept and use to our advantage. Never did we have the chance to be so close to people.
„Because if I don’t change I won’t be able to handle this account anymore“
There are Instagram accounts advising you on how to get as many followers as possible. Like how do you feel that a huge follower base can make you happy? It is the same with every part of our lives, we think the more equals the better equals the happier. Or in case, of weight the less the happier. What I often experience is that people are actually not really happier. Don’t get me wrong at this point I am all for people wanting to be the best version of themselves. If I don’t like something about me I am working hard trying to be the Best Lara I can be, but in a world centered around perfection it is the closeness and openness to people I really value. Maybe that is something I learned when I got older and wiser (maybe not wiser..) I feel that a change will be a good thing for me personally and I really hope you join this new path with me. New ideas and innovation are welcome & highly appreciated
So if you have read this blog post until here you might belong to these people interested in the person behind all the baking and chocolate. I like to incorporate more of my personal perspective. The way I see things through my eyes. Of course, there will be a big part still food related but additionally, there will be more. I don’t really have a plan or don’t know where this will take me, but I guess I have to start somewhere in order to find my direction.
As a first thing, I actually like to tell you 10 things about me.
1. I love summer and I feel uncomfortable in winter. The only thing I like about winters is the cozy days with a lot of warm blankets, hot chocolate and a lot of chocolate peanut butter cookies.
2. Speaking about Peanut Butter. I haven’t tried Peanut butter before the age of 25. I saw it first time on Instagram and then bought it because I thought it looks pretty on breakfast bowls.
3. I have a sister, who is 3 years younger. She currently lives far away from me but I love her to pieces and I think every day of her.
4. I am scared that I won’t find the right job or company that I am searching for since college. I am looking for a workplace that is able to drive me to give my best. Every Day.
5. No one ever wanted anything more than I want to. This goes with every single array of my life. If I want something, I am willing to do everything it needs. 99% of the cases (ok make it a 100%) I am over excited and I become obsessed and I just recognize later that it would have been a good idea to first study it and then start running.
6. I am having trouble enjoying the moment when it is there. Last month I actively recognized that I often don’t enjoy the moment. It is only later when I feel that I actually really enjoyed a conversation/moment/place. I really want to work on this and trying to life more actively and present.
7. I love to move my body. It feels so natural and I always enjoyed it. My favorite sports are Volleyball, Ballet, and Cross-Fit. I had to leave my Volleyball team a year ago. It broke my heart.
8. I am polite. Too polite. Like I WANT to answer all the 100 comments on Instagram. At 80K followers I stopped doing that. Otherwise, I might have ended up as a polite full-time Instagrammer.
9. I am sapiosexual.
10. My favorite meal is granola with milk. Preferably almond milk. That never changed since I am ten. Jap, I am that simple.
If you have some time I would appreciate hearing some facts about you. You might want to write them in the comment section. Looking forward meeting you!
Hi! I think you are an amazing girl. Do what feels the best for you and Don’t care about others. If you wanna change your profile, you should! Be you, just you! Don’t let anyone ruin your beautiful you! You go girl!
Hi Lara, I really admire and love your openness & honesty. I’m really looking forward to this new direction of yours, wherever it may take you, I’m sure it’s a good place to be:) I’m most with ya on these: Number 1 (winter’s are just too cold for me!), number 2 (my sis is 3 yrs older than me, lives far away and i miss her a lot) and numbers 5 and 6:) Wishing you a great day from super snowy and cold Finland (wish I was in Hawaii) <3
Thanks so much for these interesting facts 🙂 I wish we could meet once but I think we need to find another place than cold Finland and Switzerland 😀
Well done for following your gut instinct, and doing what you want to do with your blog! You come across as an a amazing person, and I wish you all the best with your new direction – I can’t wait to stay tuned and see where it takes us ????
Good for you! So important to listen to yourself. Thank you for posting this ????????
I love you and I want to read more about LARA 🙂
<3 <3 <3
Wow, I find this so profound! Followers definitely do NOT equal happiness, I completely agree, and I think that getting to know the world around you is so freeing! But aren’t we all just searching for who we are all the time? It’s so hard to define yourself because you can be such a complex person!
Hello! I’ve been following your Instagram for quite some time and I truly believe that if this is the best for you, then it’s the best decision there is. I also think change is the key, one must change to keep on moving forward. I believe in you, and I won’t stop supporting you! You rock!
Some random facts about me (since you’d like some if one had the time): • I think hairless cats and pugs are adorable, I want to adopt lots of cats and a adopt a pug whom I’ll call Buddha. • I came out to my family last week as a trans person without gender, and that I want to change my name to Toni. • I love tacos, smootiebowls (yes, I say smootie instead of smoothie) and nicecream, it’s one of the greatest things in the world I think (and tea, art, deep conversations, trust and lots of other things). •
Thanks so much! I really appreciate your support! I think the name Buddha would be very appropriate 😀 Thanks for sharing your interesting personality I am sure you will go your way! You are strong and smooties will only make you stronger!
Thank you for making the decision to keep your life and inspirations as part of your culinary journey. I am thrilled by context, not just content. Some facts: 1. Heartache is knowing I will never get to see, or know of, all species on earth 2. I could live on cabbage alone because I love it so much 3. I love birding! Thanks for listening and thank you so much for sharing everything that you do. ????
Thanks for sharing your interesting personality! Appreciate your support. Best, Lara
Liebe Lara,
ich glaube ich folge dir schon seit deinen Anfängen ! Unglaublich wie sehr sich dein Instagram/Blog entwickelt hat 🙂
Als treue Leserin hatte ich schon früh das Glück – dank Facebook – mehr von DIR als Lara zu sehen ! Dennoch freut es mich auch diese Seite von dir mehr zu Gesicht zu bekommen ;*
Ende Mai bin ich in Zürich und es wäre ja der Hammer dich auch mal persönlich zu treffen 😀
Liebe liebe Grüße nach Amerika aus Bayern,
Sophia
Liebe Sophia! Vielen Dank! Ichw eiss dass du mir schon so lange folgst kann mich fast noch an den Tag erinnern! Vielen Dank für deine Treue! Melde dich doch wenn du in Zürich bist wir können uns bestimmt treffen.
Liebste grüsse aus dem sonnigen Hawaii.
Lara <3
Love this post. All you can be is your authentic self. I had those moments on FB where I was only showing the side I thought people needed to see but I felt dishonest with myself. So when I started a new ig account (@yesbabyilikeitraw) i decided to be raw and unfiltered it was the most liberating thing I could do. I am Nzingah multidisciplinary artist, yogis, raw vegan chef, holistic health consultant, daughter to a mother who suffers from mental illness, survivor of assault. I smile out loud and sometimes hurt a little out loud. Loving just being my authentic self.
Oh Lara, das ist wirklich eine super Entscheidung! Ich weiß genau, wovon du sprichst und ich fühle so mit dir. Ich finde es klasse, dass du dich von diesem alten Bild und den Erwartungen jetzt verabschieden willst und deinen eigenen Weg einschlägst. Ich mag die persönliche Lara und bin schon ganz gespannt, was du so erleben wirst 🙂
Liebe Grüße
Lena | http://www.healthylena.de
Ah, Love this! I’ve always been interested in other people’s thoughts and visions or dreams for life, because I believe it develops our character. I’ve also found myself thinking lately about my own purpose in life, about how people spend their valuable time on social media and don’t live in the present/moment-they capture the moment but it feels like they are not truly in it the same time. My most valuable moments lately (or mostly ever) haven’t been captured anywhere else than in my head/heart and I think that’s how people should learn to live again. Social media is a good place to find inspiration and new ideas, good-lazy place, where You don’t have to look much, but it also creates too high expectations for life and/or disappointment when one let’s themselves get sucked into the „what-is-trendy-and-what-everyone-likes“ type of thing (we all do it sometimes..). So I believe we should turn our vision more to our real lives and capture the moments we, ourselves, want to show, share and think are important, not based on how many likes/followers that might get us.
AAAAND…I also have the same fear about work 😀 everything this far is kind of..missing something and still feels like work-work, which is boring and annoying and where I don’t want to spend 3/4 of my life.
But You’re great, do what YOU want to do and be happy!
Hi Maarja nice to meet you! So good to hear that I am not the only one with these thoughts! May I ask you what you work? Are you happy with your workplace?
Best,
Lara
Hi!, Yeah ofc-right now i’m working in a health center as a customer service/trainer but the trainer part is still too little for me, would like to do that more. Hmm..i think i can say i’m okay/content with my job right now because of the accessory benefits like walking 10 steps to do my own workout etc, but i’ve also been thinking that while i didn’t have regular work and did some minor IT-work to get some income, i was pushing myself more and i actually worked for a purpose-to get income from the work i did every second. Yeah, it was a lot more stress, but also a bit more rewarding as i wasn’t really able to sink into comfort zone. I know i don’t want to work in IT in some firm, i looove training others and myself, but i think the future, for me, should contain some more of my own thing than working in some place specifically from day to day so that i would push myself more to grow every direction 🙂 a lot of thoughts.. 😀 i would love to know your deeper thoughts on your goals associated with work and workplace 😉
So bad in english, just wantet to say; the post is awesome ♥
Thanks so much 🙂 Appreciate it!
Hi Lara, first I like to tell you I am very proud you are honest to yourself. That is the most important Thing. You Need to love YOU and you Need to love what you are DOING! Than you will find freedom in your heart! I know I am very poetic but that is LIFE! I am 34 now and I had a „burn out“ last year. From this Moment one I changed everything to be better and I learned to be more I. To make my own decisions no matter what People are thinking about it. Go your way my friend and you will be happy. Hug and kiss, Janine
Wow, how did you grow your Instagram following? 101k followers is a lot! Can you share some tips?
Habe mich sehr gefreut mehr über dich zu erfahren und ich kann sehr Vieles total gut nachvollziehen. Mein IG Account war nie ein reiner food account und wird es auch in Zukunft nicht sein, weil es eben so viel mehr gibt als nur Essen – auch wenns so lecker ist. 😉 Den Moment zu genießen „lerne“ ich auch seit einiger Zeit und mittlerweile klappt es immer besser. Freue mich sehr, dass du bei Dee’s und meiner raw vegan shout out comp mitgemacht hast. Hab noch eine wunderschöne Zeit in Hawaii. Alles Liebe, Ela (@elavegan)
Vielen lieben Dank Ela! Finde es toll amcht Ihr so ne Challenge! Sollte es eh viel öfters geben! Lieber Gruss
Lara
Schön, dass dir unsere challenge gefällt, ich habe mich auch sehr über deinen Beitrag gefreut. Hab einen schönen Tag 🙂