Hi friends! Hope you're all doing well π€β€οΈ It's been a long time since I last used this community page, but I guess it's a good way for me to connect with you guys when I don't have time to create a video :')
I wanted to share an update on how I decided to shut down my MelStory blog last week. When I first started the blog back in 2019, I had big dreams about what I wanted to do with it and where I wanted to go... but then covid happened, my identity crisis, financial pressures of the future, decision paralysis, and just fear of going all in for myself held me back. (similar to why I feel I can't commit to doing YouTube/content creation full-time, but anyways...)
My plan was to give myself 5 years to see what I could do with the MelStory idea (I had a lot of ideas, but just couldn't commit to everything because I spread myself so thin...), and before I knew it, the 5 years had rolled around.
When I saw that my melstory.ca domain was expiring, I thought, "maybe I'll just keep it up" because I still had some family or friends that would reference my travel itineraries when planning for their trips. It made me really happy to know they were using my blog, and that my knowledge/work was helpful to them.
The domain itself wasn't that expensive (~$20/year), and when I paid for website hosting back in 2019, it was around $350 for the 5 years which didn't feel too bad. I was down to pay that amount again to let it live for another 5 years just because I spent so much time/effort building it too (even if I wasn't actively updating it, I could always revisit it).
TLDR in the end, I got an email saying I was charged almost $1300 for just the website hosting, and I was like O__O"?!? In that moment, I knew it was too expensive to upkeep and decided it would be best to close down the site.
It feels really bittersweet because in some ways, it feels like I gave up on myself. But at the same time, I still learned a lot from TRYING it out and picked up a decent amount of blogging/web development skills along the way too that I could still use in the future. I also learned a lot about what I liked and didn't like about travel blogging that I wouldn't have ever known about unless I did it myself.
Travel is still one of my strongest passions and exploring the world! I will always love it and documenting my experiences to help others, but I've also realized that it's okay when things don't work out the way we wanted to/or planned... Things change, our priorities shift, and sometimes it's just not aligned to what we need in that time period anymore. Like how nature changes in seasons, so do the seasons of our lives...
That's not to say I won't ever revisit the idea of MelStory and maybe one day it may shift to something else. I've dreamt of designing my own inspiring merch/stationary before too... so it could be revived in a different form. I'm not sure! But for now, I'm saying goodbye to it and just want to thank you guys for being here/supporting my journey through life π₯² I'm a messy ball that's been bouncing in a billion different directions, but having your encouragement and just being here with me as I grow up truly means the world to me.
Thank you for giving me this safe place to express myself. Wishing you guys all the best as you navigate your way through life too! We got this!! We're going to be okay!! No one truly has it figured out haha. Will always be cheering you on π₯°ππ»
Your friend,
Mel ^__^
P.S. Can anyone relate to the feeling of trying something out, but it not working out? Let me know in the comments below π₯Ή Proud of us for trying no matter what the outcome was! β€οΈβπ©ΉβοΈ
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Hi YouTube Family! π₯° How are you all doing?!
I was just wondering if you could help me choose what category of content you enjoy watching from me the most. I'd love to know what resonates with you & how I can be better for you too!
I know my channel has changed a lot from when it first began & I'm not as MapleStory focused anymore, so your input is very valuable. I'd love to continue growing together as a community & learning how I could better serve you too π€
Thank you so much for your time β€οΈ
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Been working on this short travel film for the past month! Excited to finally share it with you π₯° Sorry I had to delete & re-upload the first video to fix something (if you already left a like/comment, it's gone now so you'll have to rewrite it π), but thank you all for being so patient and supportive π I hope you enjoyed this film! I'm working on a BTS video rn of the entire process which will be lots of fun to watch π₯³
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend ahead! I'm back to shooting weddings now π Things are slowly opening up here in Toronto. Hope you've all been well and staying safe π
- Mel ^__^
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The back of the jacket is a maple leaf surrounded by MapleStory monsters ππ
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Honored to be a part of the official MapleStory Content Creator Partnership team! βΊοΈπ Thanks NEXON for sending me this sick #MapleStory jacket as welcome gift π heheh, ahh I'm in love ππ #sponsored
Gonna work on a cinematic short film about how MapleStory has impacted my life next. Stay tuned on YouTube! ππ»βΆοΈπ₯
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Been working on a RuneScape video for the past month! β Excited to finally be filming it tmr ππ¬ Stay tuned for its release this week! π
Did YOU play RuneScape & what did the game mean to you? π RS was one of my main childhood games growing up & I have so many good memories of it haha. Just like MapleStory :)
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Reaching out to my Singapore friends! π€π Please DM me on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook @melindatse if you're free tomorrow (Nov. 13th) and would like to meet up! Gonna be a full day of activities & getting to know each other πβπ» Hope to see you there!
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Going to be seeing Wong Fu Productions this Sunday cuz they're holding a film premiere in Toronto! ^__^ What would you guys prefer to see?
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Hi YouTube family! How are you all doing?! πππ Sorry that it's been a month since I last posted LOL I've been busy with wedding shoots & freelance work lately...
but I'm excited to finally share this MapleStory film with you all! Will be releasing TONIGHT at 8PM EST, so stay tuned!! See you in the comments section haha π€ππ»
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GUYS! I need your help LOL any suggestions on a fandom name w/ "mel" in it?! Leave a comment below!!! ππ
Or would you actually wanna be called a melon? ππ€£π
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Hi, I'm Mel! A Toronto wedding filmmaker & lifestyle/travel blogger. My mission is to create meaningful stories & share my real experiences on what it's like to navigate my 20s as a multi-passionate creative. My videos are focused on storytelling, filmmaking, photography, traveling, personal growth, fashion/styling, and life as a CBC.
Welcome to my community & I'm excited for us to learn and grow together! Subscribe to follow my journey ^_^
P.S. My channel first began with creating MapleStory animations when I was 12. That's how I got into video production :'D
Let's Collaborate:
βΈ instagram.com/melindatse
βΈ facebook.com/melindatse
βΈ twitter.com/melindatse
Hire me to capture your wedding!
βΈ youtube.com/@simplyperfectfilms
Explore my Travel & Lifestyle Blog:
βΈ www.melstory.ca
Watch me stream on Twitch:
βΈ twitch.tv/melindatse
Support my work on Patreon:
βΈ patreon.com/melindatse