A teacher, an entrepreneur, and a traveller
The past 2 weeks have been action-packed and this newsletter is all about big announcements!
Hi, how’ve you been?
The past few weeks have been super busy and productive for me and I love how that has succeeded in distracting me from the fact that I’ve not been travelling. Very often during the lockdown, I’ve found myself spiralling into a deep hole of Netflix binging on my bed for days at a stretch and while it’s good to take a break every now and then, I’ve not been able to create the balance between a break and work. I often myself swinging from one extreme end to the other, working obsessively for weeks and then shutting down and going down the Netflix hole.
Buuuuuuuuut… I’ve been surprisingly motivated since the last time we spoke and I think I know why that is.
I GOT A NEW STUDY CORNER!
I had always read on the world wide web that having a separate workspace works in keeping your productivity levels in check. And while I always wanted one, I didn’t think I could have it for the lack of space in my room. But with a nudge from my design-oriented sister and some endless hours of research, I finally found a way!
I bought myself a foldable, wall-mounted table from a minimalist interior startup in Bangalore. For the chair, I got rid of the almost broken mooda (cane chair) and instead, indulged in a delicious looking colourful, patchwork chair from Pepperfry.
AND LO AND BEHOLD!
Nice, eh? I’ve spent countless hours in this little corner watching Netflix as well as working on my blog, finishing client projects and giving presentations. Which brings me to my next announcement:
I AM NOW TAKING WORKSHOPS!
After a little bit of online scouting and a bunch of happy accidents, I partnered with MyCaptain as a mentor for a blogging and content writing course. This is the first time ever I’ll be sharing everything I’ve learned along this journey in the past 3+ years and I’m so excited! This is a 4 week-long course spread over 8 lessons of one hour each that’ll talk about everything a beginner blogger or content writer might need to know. I’ll be talking about building your own blog, tips to attract more traffic, monetizing the blog, strategizing and improving written content, scouting for content writing work and overcoming creative blocks amongst many other things.
My first batch begins on October 2 and there are still some seats left for grabs. So if you’re someone who’s been planning of getting into this field, DM me on Instagram and I’ll connect you to the good folk at MyCaptain who can then get you on board!
I AM ALSO NOW AN ENTREPRENEUR
If you know me, you know I’ve focused on sustainability for the longest time but now I’ve also been able to start a project that actually works towards it. The fashion industry is the second-largest contributors to the climate crisis today. Shocking, I know! There’s a lot of harm that fast fashion has been doing to the environment and unaware of its perils, we have been consuming and feeding into this terrible industry for ages now (myself included).
Before I started travelling and started working towards adopting a minimalist lifestyle, I was a compulsive shopper. With flee markets like Janpath and Sarojini Nagar so accessible, I have collected mounds of clothes in my cupboard over time - clothes that I barely wore once then forgot about. Now that I’ve left my ~party~ lifestyle behind, these clothes are of no use to me. So, I’ve decided to set up an Instagram page where I sell these pre-loved clothes in hopes of finding them a new, loving home. In line with my blog, I call this page @wayward.thrift and every now and then, I drop a few pieces up for grabs. I made my first few sales in the past two weeks and it’s been exhilarating!
HERE’S THE BEST PART: If you’ve been planning of doing a closet cleanse too, I’d like to invite you over to sell your clothes on my page and keep all the sales! No commissions asked. I’m doing this just as an incentive for all of us to really think about what we really need versus what we actually want. For more information on how to sell, send me a DM on Instagram!
LASTLYYYYY…. *drum rolls*
I’M HEADED TO HIMACHAL!
It feels weird to say (type) it out loud because I swore to not tell anyone until I had actually successfully reached, but my big mouth just can’t keep it’s trap shut. (Also I promised insider news to my subscribers and I’m not the one who breaks promises!)
So yeah, I’m going on a road trip…on a bike…in a pandemic.
This will be the first time I step out of Delhi since the lockdown. Well, not technically the first time since I did visit Dhosi Hill in Haryana last month, but that was just a short day trip. But this trip that I’m planning, has no defined return date!
This was definitely not a spontaneous plan. The pandemic has almost killed any scope of spontaneity in travel and well…we have to deal with it. So after a lot of thinking and talking, we have finally come up with a plan that seems like it should work.
1. Prep the bike.
My partner bought a KTM Adventure 390 earlier this year and we were supposed to be riding through the Kargil and Zanskar districts of Ladakh for 2 months this summer, but we all know what happened. As our travel plans got delayed, so did the shopping for additional accessories that are essential for a hassle-free long term road trip. Here’s what that entails:
A backrest for yours truly. (Riding pillion is a pain in the ass… quite literally!)
Saddle stay - an extension of sorts that will hold the saddlebags in place
Air cushion for the back seat. (I told you riding pillion is a pain in the ass)
Crash guard…for safety
2. Book a stay
We’re planning to stay with a friend of mine who runs a homestay in Tirthan Valley of Himachal Pradesh. She grows (most of) her own veggies and fruits and her several pet cats and dogs are always an added bonus.
3. Get a COVID test done
While a COVID test is no more necessary for tourists to enter Himachal Pradesh, we still I think it’ll be a more responsible thing to do to make sure we’re of no threat to the locals.
4. Leave.
We’re currently through with half of this list, and all our fingers and toes are crossed until the other half goes through successfully as well. If all goes well, I should soon be able to feel the fresh mountain breeze in my hair again… I think I’ve forgotten what that used to be like!
Pray for us, and you might just receive the next newsletter from the Himalayas!
See you soon from the other side!
Love,
Avantika