Elicia is the creator of Bloom Affirmations, a platform that aims to produce content and resources which help people with self-development and their mindset through a course of positive affirmations. She gave Exposed’s Ryan Smith the lowdown on the inspiration behind her journey with Bloom.
Elicia, founder of Bloom Affirmations
How’ve you been?
Really good. Very excited about the books coming out, but also quite nervous about it because it is a very big thing. I just hope people like them.
So, how did the Bloom Affirmations idea come about?
I used to work full time in law writing wills for a living but I’d always been quite creative when I was younger and I think as you go through the schooling system, that creative side gets ironed out of you a little bit. I was always encouraged to focus on the academic side of things, hence why I went to Uni and studied law.
I’ve been into self-development and spirituality stuff for a long time, since I was about 17. When I first started Bloom Affirmations, about four and a half years ago, Instagram wasn’t the place that it is now, so I thought creating inspiring and helpful content would be a really nice way to make social media a kinder place to be.
Were spiritual affirmations the original basis for your creativity, as opposed to writing poetry or short stories?
Yes, so like positive affirmations, journaling, meditations, that’s always been my focus. I love aspects of Buddhism. I love Rumi’s poetry. There were many different influences, but it was always about sharing positive affirmations.
Where does the ‘Happiness, Calm and Serenity’ of your Instagram page come from? And your ‘Calm’ and ‘Joy’ book titles?
I didn’t have a choice on the book titles. I was on the path to becoming a qualified solicitor, and I was beginning to study for the exams. I thought I can either follow this path, and become a qualified solicitor, or I can try and make something with Bloom Affirmations. I didn’t have the specifics nailed down yet. But I wanted to see if I could make it work.
When I decided to take that leap and work on them full time, it was only a few months until I got the book deal, which was amazing. The titles were given to me but then I had complete free reign over the actual content, the affirmations, structure all of that.
If you don’t try and do what fulfils you, then what is the point? You might as well try and make something doing what you’re really passionate about, and what you love.
What are the main responses you get from people?
I get a lot of people messaging me saying their affirmations brighten their day, that it’s really helped with their mindset, and that it’s helped them overcome tough periods in their life. Positive affirmations aren’t ‘everything’s okay, close your eyes, forget about your problems’. Positive affirmations are about restructuring your mindset and your outlook on life to include more balance, calm, joy, optimism, whatever it is that you want to bring in.
Do you find this a form of therapy for yourself as much as those you write for?
Absolutely. When I write a blog post or create an Instagram post, even when I wrote the books, everything that I write is something that I am processing myself. It’s almost like I’m writing these things to myself, for myself, but they just so happen to resonate with other people.
Do you find that hard to maintain sometimes?
My self-development practices are not the same every single day, and I don’t think the use of affirmations or journaling or meditation needs to be regimented and strict in order for them to work. What I do think is important is being realistic about where you’re currently at, or where you want to be. Ultimately, you can encourage these feelings of acceptance and warmth and love towards yourself rather than ‘I must work on myself, I must meditate for 20 minutes every day,’ and so on, because that is just a form of self-punishment. That’s not self-growth.
Where do you find your inspiration from on a daily basis?
Nature is very important to me. Being with animals, being with my pets. The biggest inspiration is my intuition – turning inwards, connecting with that inner voice.
Where does the floral imagery come from?
I love flowers. I love nature. My middle name is Rose. My mum’s middle name is Rose. I feel very connected to flowers. It’s the idea of blooming, embodying your full potential.
What are your top three affirmations?
Well, this is one but technically three: I am enough. I have always been enough. I will always be enough. There is no more important message than that.
What are your future plans?
For now I am just very proud of these books, and I’ve got a third book coming out in January. So for the time being, it’ll just be a case of enjoying it.
Find out more and order your Bloom Affirmations book at bloomaffirmations.com
