Gezellig

Hey there, internet. I’m sorry I’ve been M.I.A. for a little while! I was planning to do weekly blog posts but life took me by storm last week so the plan got revised. Pro tip: never get a neck spasm.

Anyways, I’m back (for now, at least, until something else weird inevitably happens to me). And this week I wanted to dedicate a post to the name of my brand. What the hellig is gezellig?! (Sorry, I’m not funny.) Well, that’s what I’m here to tell you!

Gezellig | heh – SELL – ick | (adj): cozy, nice, inviting, pleasant, comfortable; connoting time spent with loved ones or togetherness after a long separation

I found that definition on Pinterest, I have no idea who made it but it’s pretty spot on. Sort of…

If you ever find yourself in the Netherlands (like I did for three months last year), every person you meet (no, seriously) will ask you if you’ve heard this word. There’s no English equivalent, but the makeshift definitions you do get are all variations of the one up there ^. So that’s why I say “sort of.” There is so much encompassed in that one word that it’s hard to pinpoint–especially without an English translation. But that’s general feel of it.  I think of “Gezellig” as “good vibes,” which is I what I fell in love with about Dutch culture. If you want to dive a little deeper into what that is (or even just how to prounounce this crazy looking word that I still struggle with), check out here or here.

I want my art to reflect the importance of gezellig/good vibes in life. And the fact that we’re all weirdos in one way or another. The faster we learn that the faster we can learn to accept everyone else’s weirdness and have a gezellig time!

And just for fun, here’s a picture of me having a gezellig time:

My best friends and I had just finished hiking a mountain in Vermont and were basking in the sun and silently congratulating ourselves for doing the thing. After hiking uphill for so long, nothing felt better than being able to sit and check out the view.

Okay, I’m gonna end this post before I get to emo about missing summer… but I wanna know what’s gezellig in your lives!  What in your world creates good vibes that you want to cling to forever? Let me know in the comments, and add pictures too if that’s a thing (I’m still getting acquainted with WordPress.)

See you next week, I hope! And as always, you can stay updated more often and with less words over at my Instagram.

Happy Wednesday!

Hi everyone! I’m so excited to finally introduce myself here and announce the start of my brand, It’s Gezellig 🎉

I’m Becca Stevens, a 20-something weirdo living in Boston, MA. (This picture is somehow from a year ago – my hair is much better now, although that necklace is M.I.A.😭 ).

Being a college student, it’s been hard finding a second to breathe, let alone write this post (which sometimes felt daunting–it’s scary to put yourself out there for others to judge!) But, “‘The time has come,’ the Walrus said, ‘to talk of many things: Of shoes – and ships – and sealing-wax…’” you get the point 😜 .

What is this girl’s deal, you ask? I’ll tell ya! I’m just getting my footing in the ~creative~ world. I never really thought of myself as a “creative” person before, because I thought that meant being a painter or a writer or a fashion designer –something to that effect. But more and more I’ve been able to realize there’s waaaaay more to it than that! I have always been obsessed with the way things look: from rearranging my bedroom as a kid (to my parents’ dismay, by myself and often) to experiementing with my own style of dressing

#thegloup!!

That’s why when I graduated high school with no idea what I wanted to do, I chose to go to the Fashion Institute of Technology for Marketing. At FIT I quickly found out the fashion industry (and Midtown Manhattan) weren’t exactly my cup of tea. Still not knowing what I should do, I transferred to Emerson which was much closer to home, clinging onto my marketing major for dear life as that was the only direction I had at that point. Fast forward to today, after a whole lot of self-reflection and talks with the most supportive and loving friends a girl could ask for – I finally have an idea of where I want to take my life.

The concept of “home” (which I’ll elaborate on in an upcoming post) is something very near and dear to my heart. Having a beautiful and safe space that’s all your own is so important, and I want to help the weirdos like me achieve that in their own homes.

So that’s it, this is just the start of the next chapter in my life! I’m so excited to find myself even more and do what I love – and I hope you all enjoy this work in progress as much as I do 😍  🙌🏼  (and I promise to keep all future blog posts quicker to read – but you can always follow my Instagram if you want the short & sweet of it. And check out my Etsy, which is also a work in progress.)

I can’t wait for you all to see the things I’ve been cooking up all summer 🔮 Stay tuned.

– Becca

P.S. – Photo creds to my talented and beautiful friend Kelly, I wish I could take her wherever I go to make me look like a decent human being. Check her out for me📸