may 2

I started fashion blogging when I needed a new creative outlet after scrapping my novels. Writing used to be What I Did. I was an anxious, mostly friendless child, so I made up stories to chug through each day. Writing was what everyone knew me for, but as I grew more comfortable with the rudiments of human society, I started leaving it behind. Flanked, as I’d become, by real friends, I could no longer summon the imaginary with such ease. But I have always harbored an overabundance of creative energy, and I needed somewhere to deposit it.

And hey, I liked clothes. I’d always liked clothes. My high-school dream was to own a costume shop and write in a garret above. I was also a theater kid coming to terms with how much harder university-level auditions were. I wasn’t good enough for the collegiate stage, but I needed somewhere to ham it up. So taking pictures of my wacky outfits became my new Thing.

Today, May second, it’s been two years. I remember considering the final papers I had yet to write, the books I had yet to crack, and deciding: I think I’ll start a fashion blog. I stayed up much of the night choosing a layout and writing introductory posts. That’s Skye for you, and a big part of the reason I dropped out of school: assignments, no matter how interesting, never seduce me as thoroughly as my own projects.

I remember being thrilled the first time a post broke 50 views. When I counted 435 total my first month. I get occasional urges to go back and delete everything from before I got my Canon – I cringe a little at having those shitty webcam shots attached to my name, you know? But I’d regret it. Gotta see where I came from. If I’m Jenny, those old posts are my metaphorical Block.

This blog has been an excuse to outdress myself every day. A conversation starter with cute guys at parties. What I expected to be a blowing-off-steam hobby has catalyzed many major victories in my life. When I applied for costume directorship at the Haunted Forest, I had a portfolio to show off with just one click. I’ve met and collaborated with other bloggers – Rachel, Marlen, and soon Polly. I’ve practiced modeling and photography and learned everything inherent in putting together a fashion editorial. It’s so much more than the clothes. It’s a whole world, and it thrills me. And it looks like my scrap of it is thrilling someone, because I got almost 5k views last month.

And? Being in the practice of writing every day has gotten me submitting to magazines again. I’ve been a columnist for the Prague Revue since September; in December I was published in elephant journal. My creative life is wonderfully syncretic. Look at me, wearing clothes ‘n’ stuff! And even writing about them sometimes.

You were probably expecting one of those “through the years” retrospectives, full of embarrassing old photos I’m brave enough to post only after a few drinks. Well, you’re not getting that – mostly because I’m out of drinks. But I thought I’d exhibit some of the photos that haven’t made the blog over the past year.