Woohoo! I am so glad to have reached this point. Same day last year, I registered my business . My creative persona, TITA TESS OF MELBOURNE, turns 1 year old today. My being active on Facebook and Instagram in 2020 has been a major turning point for me, such a blessing in disguise. I have been going around in circles on what should I do next. Finally, I found a niche in my creative outlet. I am grateful for all of these changes in my life. The truth is I needed direction and I think I got it with a lot of help from my former work colleagues, classmates and now newfound friends. I have met a lot of people, virtually and in-person, from the creative and business communities. But I guess all this won’t be possible if I didn’t show up. Riding the COVID wave was tough. I am thankful I got support. Now, my goal this year is to pay it forward and share the experience with you. Here’s a recap of last year.

my return from hiatus

I was inactive on social media for two years. I came back with this baby, the Melbourne Jeepney card. I thought of representing my heritage in a paper collage art. I consider this as me, traversing the Australian way of life. I have not explored Melbourne fully on my own. I always got my husband and kids with me when going around the CBD. I was intending to venture out and check out restaurants, events, historical places, and street art, and write about them. But the lockdown hurt my plans. I ended up blogging and sharing my creative days with food, design, and supporting other small businesses. My silver lining was it paved way to more skill-sharing opportunities for me. I opened up my online store What Tess Makes on Etsy and Madeit. And that’s a different story altogether.

bake and cook fest

#GetBakedMonday and #WhipUpWednesday became a thing. I love sweets. I was baking and cooking my heart out during the first half of last year. Plus I was able to share some Filipino recipes and desserts. During uncertain times, we try to seek what is familiar and we reminisce about our childhood. Those things we used to enjoy, we wish we can still see in the present. I was being creative and would love to have a taste of it again, just like how my Mom would make it for me and my siblings. Although some I made a little bit different, with my own take.

exploring Victoria

I have shared some of the places we have been in the previous years, especially the wonderful places in Regional Victoria. Since the lockdown 1 and 2, we were unable to move farther than 5kms. Most of my travels happened pre-Covid so once we were able to travel again, we made sure we find new places to go. This is the North Eastern Silo Trail. This is part of our most recent getaway. This deserve a separate blog post.

supporting other creatives

It was my pleasure to share the love for other small businesses. A lot of small businesses were hit hard. It was the least I can do to help co-makers with their plight. It is not good travelling alone, even in business. Personally, #TTMLoves was my favorite hashtag that I made up.

icing on the cake

So what have I gained after a year of blogging and selling online? I was featured in SBS Filipino website, got interviewed on a Sydney community radio segment, ended the year with 300 sales on Etsy, and to top it all. I braved to take part in a 2021 startup mentorship program by our local council. Any result would be fine by me. I am truly grateful for all that happened. It was an inspiring year and it strengthened my belief that I can do whatever I focus on. I am glad I got to share them all with you. Keep going, guys. Surprises are everywhere. Let’s share the love more.

❤❤❤

Tess xx