In this special Muse edition we chat with Vancouver born fashion icon, Janice Joostema. She fell in love with blogging at the age of 17 and then went to fashion design school in 2015, which is where she found her niche in sharing her passions of fashion, beauty, and home design. This one is special to us as we've been following Janice's inspirational journey for years now! Read on to learn about her humble beginnings and the creative process behind the creation of her beautiful content.

What is your story? 

I am a born and raised Vancouverite, I lived in Mission BC for a few years during my teen years and then moved back to the city. Life used to be pretty tough as we came up the hard way, I was completely independent on my own at 17 years old and that’s when I got into blogging. I had always been into fashion, beauty and home design so I started to share my love for all things beautiful. I think that’s why it made so much sense to make this candle with my favourite local candle brand as someone who loves home accessories and wants to represent their home town.

What inspired you to start your platform?

I started because I was honestly very depressed and lonely and needed a creative outlet to express myself. I never had an end goal or plan but I started with a blog and then made my instagram. This really changed my whole entire life.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I always start my morning with answering priority emails and calls, I then have my coffee and breakfast while getting projects done and ready to go live for that day. Then I shoot what content needs to be shot and after spend some time with my family and friends. When it’s nice out, we always go for walks to get exercise and then come home, have dinner and do edits for the next day. I usually go to bed super late and work until 2am typically, which I definitely need to work on but I love making my feed fit my mood so it’s a lot of work.

Your content and photos are simplistic yet so beautiful and modern. Take us through the thought process of your ideation phase all the way to the final photo/video you post!

I feel like this keeps changing over time but currently as we have been in quarantine my aesthetic has been different than usual and I’ve made it more relaxed as we usually travel most months out of the year so I wanted to share more simple and less perfect photos. I’ve recently been inspired what mood I am feeling, whether it be sad or happy, you can kind of tell what mood I was in for that day. I would choose a more romantic outfit maybe a silk dress with a sad moody face, I’d choose something a bit more sexy for a happy and cheeky mood, something more conservative for a more strong and empowered mood and my flat lays also emulate this as well with the colours or shadows I decide to have for the photos. I also always plan out my feed prior to posting to keep it cohesive and have a nice flow.

Favorite part of your job?

Meeting some of the greatest friends around the world is definitely a huge one.

Being able to travel to the most beautiful places around the world and be able to create such beautiful memories. I grew up with the goal of visiting Paris by the time I was 30 but went when I was 19 and now I’m 25 and I have spent so much time there that it feels normal.

Most challenging part about running your own business?

I feel like I’ve really learned how to navigate everything as I’ve been doing this everyday for a decade so now the challenges are just normal things that need to be done and became habits. I do also have James who helps me so there’s less on my shoulders.

I do think for me, eating healthy, working out and running a business at the same time is the hardest because I feel like I need to work 24/7 and be present online all the time like I used to but this quarantine has really taught me that I can take a break and focus on myself as I also need to put time and work into my body and mind.

If you weren’t running your own business, what would you be doing?

Something with animals as they really make me so happy.

Best piece of advice to others that are wanting to start their own platform?

Don’t give up and stay active. Don’t be hard on yourself because everyone has their ups and downs. But also, don’t expect things right away because it’s definitely something that takes time to grow which is fine! Everyone’s timeline is different so try not to beat yourself down.

Life motto you live by?

“If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all” I don’t believe in being deliberately or unnecessarily mean to someone.

 

What are a few ways you practice sustainability in your day to day life?

I don’t eat much meat, I vintage shop, we walk everywhere! 

 

We've been working on our custom candle with Janice for awhile now so we're so excited for all your thoughts! Creamy Cashmere launches this Thursday at 10am PST. 👀