Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabbi Kramer.
Hi Gabbi, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I always have had a general direction in life, and that has been to be grateful about every opportunity and to make the best of it by sharing my experience with others. For years, I considered having a blog: to have somewhere to share my feelings, to validate the feelings of my peers, to be an internet friend to someone, to explore my own life by explaining it to others.
I was in graduate school in northern England when I finally decided to start a blog. It was the perfect excuse. I felt like my life was starting over, and it was the easiest way to document this change and keep those I loved informed, even when they were far away. The name took some time, but I finally settled on Delicately Debonair. I felt that it encapsulated me both emotionally and physically. It brought the whimsy and romantic side while balancing out the academic side. It was like wearing tweed and silk skirts. Puffy sleeves and brogue shoes. The perfect mixture of soft and serious.
And it seems that I created my blog at the perfect time because the city of York was gearing up to host its first fashion week, and I was determined to be a part of it. So the story of my relationship with York Fashion Week (YFW) began as many modern love stories do – with me sliding into their Twitter DMs and asking to be a part of it. Suddenly, we were off, and I was attending events, doing photoshoots, and meeting the most creative and incredible humans in the entire city.
Fast forward some months and I return back to the United States. I began working for a family friend’s local business, which I initially enjoyed. Though the stress of it soon seemed to sap away much of my creativity, which is shown through my rather bare Instagram feed and few blog post updates during that time.
It really was only when stuck in my family home during COVID-19 lockdown that I started to get my creativity back, and it is a constant journey. I have found my little corner of the internet where I can attempt to artistically explain myself and articulate my feelings without judgment. It has allowed me to grow more fully into my potential and use my experiences and knowledge to discuss topics that spark my interest. While I have not posted recently on my blog, I have often shared long posts of my candid thoughts. I have always found it necessary to be vulnerable, genuine, and honest with my friends, and that is who I am writing to whenever I post anywhere on the internet.
As of now, I am working as a teaching assistant at a school in Webster Groves and have roped my best friends into creative endeavours with me. It has truly become a collaborative effort in trying to express myself on the internet through art, my thoughts, and snapshots of an aesthetic that inspires me.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I, like most, have had my fair share of struggles. However, the toughest challenge has always been overcoming that inner voice which makes me either question or over-think my own thoughts and feelings. It has been a constant work in progress to strike a balance between expressing myself and feeling like I am justifying or explaining my own existence.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Much like Delicately Debonair encapsulates two sides of my personality – my life also seems to have a dichotomy to it. Whenever I am not attempting to articulate my existence and share my experiences with the internet, I am working with young children. This wasn’t ever a field that I thought I would find myself in, especially not after graduating with a Masters degree in Medieval Studies from an English university.
But in better understanding myself, I feel more prepared than ever to offer encouragement and support to young children. I often try to be the support I knew that I needed or give them a positive outlook that will hopefully help them avoid some of the internal and external struggles that I have faced growing up. I wake up every morning and try to inspire my students to put themselves first and chase after what gives them joy.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
During COVID-19, I was more aware than ever of how important connections were and how much easier fostering and nurturing relationships with those far away is with the help of the internet and social media. But I also had enough time to sit and think about what I needed. As a natural planner, I found those long hours locked down in my home as an opportunity to learn about me and discover what it was that I wanted and needed.
Now with the world ever-changing, I am enacting those plans. I am allowing myself to be more creative and try things that might have intimidated a younger version of myself. I am working on loving every part of myself while understanding and acknowledging what I can do to always be bettering myself. I am enjoying the communities in St. Louis and those with whom I connect through social media and promising to never take them for granted.
Contact Info:
- Email: delicately.debonair@gmail.com
- Website: https://delicatelydebonair.wordpress.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/delicately.debonair/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/delicately.debonair
Image Credits
Natalie Hunt
