Why I Started Naturally Nicoletta

Thanksgiving is next week. NEXT week. How crazy it that?The holiday season always has me reflecting on the past year and looking at what I want for the next year. 2017 was a whirlwind for me–let me tell you, it flew by. While a lot of the year, I wasn't in the best place, I grew a lot during 2017.One of my biggest accomplishments was finally designing/launching Naturally Nicoletta. This blog has been my little mini dream that I have been thinking about for years now.

Let's Throw It Back to High School

In high school, I only really cared about dance and looking cool. I cared about the things I wore, people I hung out with, and parties I didn't get invited to. I always felt like I was trying to be someone because I never felt that I was good enough.One of the reasons why I think I never felt good enough was because I never knew who I truly was. I identified as a dancer for 15+ years of my life, I never questioned it. Quite frankly, I never explored other things because dance was my thing. I was good at it and I enjoyed it, until I got burnt out. I got burnt out and began to look for that joy in other places–mostly trying to be someone that I wasn't. I was lost. 18 and no clue who I was because I only identified as a dancer.The summer after senior year was the first time in my life where I didn't have to dance. No summer intensives or daily technique classes. Although this freedom was liberating, it also scared the sh*t out of me and I knew I needed to keep moving my body in some way shape or form. That is when I started going to the gym.At this point, my Dad had been trying and trying to get me to like "healthy" food but all I wanted was Taco Bell and Buffalo Wild Wings. That summer was a turning point for me. Because I wasn't dancing, I began to take care of myself. I started to see the benefits of eating healthier and I began finding joy in cooking. I also found joy in posting pictures of the things that I was cooking and eating.

At this point, I wasn't just posting for myself

This little "obsession" with posting what I ate/cooked not only held me accountable but I also began to notice that other people enjoyed it too. People would comment on my stories saying "oh my god! that looks so good!" or "i need a recipe!" or would tag me when they went to a new restaurant I had posted about. This was when I realized that I was using social media and people were being influenced by it. Whether it be a silly snapchat story of someone's meal making fun that daily stories I put up or having people come to me when they needed suggestions of restaurants for a birthday dinner, I realized that I had the power to make some sort of impact on my followers lives.I'm not going to lie, I've always had this little dream of being "Instagram famous." Like, who doesn't? While I saw the power that I could have, I never really believed that I could actually do it. After writing for Spoon University my entire First Year of college, I started falling in love with writing and getting more encouragement to keep putting my thoughts, ideas, and opinions out there.

So, about Naturally Nicoletta...

I want Naturally Nicoletta to be a place where people can go for comfort. A place where people can go for advice and guidance on how to navigate this crazy thing called life. In my 19 (almost 20) years of life, I feel as though I have navigated through a lot of things on my own. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, because I am the type of person to be self motivated enough to figure those things out, but I know that not everyone is similar to me in that way.In regards to living a healthy life, there is so much conflicting information out there. I still feel frustrated and confused a lot of the time because I have no idea any of the right answers. Naturally Nicoletta is for all of you all, but it's also for me. It's a place for me to word vomit and try and figure some of this stuff out, for me. I continue to learn and grow whether it be through other bloggers, companies I have met through this blog, or just reconnecting with old friends who are keeping up with my posts.I am so grateful for this platform. I am so thankful because I finally feel like I am in a place in my life where I can be myself–myself being good enough. I finally feel like I have found a plethora of new passions (food, cooking, nutrition, holistic health, spirituality, writing, etc.) and I don't feel trapped under one identity like I did in high school.If I'm being 100% honest, I don't completely know what I want Naturally Nicoletta to be. But the beauty of it is that it will grow with me. Being 19/20 is a weird age. I have learned that it is okay to feel lost. I do...a lot of the time. I am not quite sure what I want to do with my degree, my life, or even for the upcoming summer. As much as the ambiguity is killing me, I am pushing myself to surrender and take each day as it comes.This post is long, rambly, and doesn't have a clear focus. It's just a little look into what has been going through my brain lately.I am hoping to work on more recipes/food posts in the coming weeks (probably over winter break). Exciting stuff, y'all!XONikki