DO with Pandora

Before you look at these ‘oh so confident, got my life together’ pictures I have taken, whilst styling up some beautiful Pandora jewellery , I want to go back in time a little bit…

eimear varian barry, town hall hotel, london, london blogger, london design hotel, pandora, mothers day campaign

Picture an Irish girl, falling for an Englishman in the middle of the Australian outback, who jumps at the opportunity of moving back to this side of the world with him, gets preggers almost just after stepping off the plane, has no money, no job, no friends, no confidence (all the while thinking ‘oh my god ok I’m pregnant how the hell am I going to do this ETC ETC.’) I can’t tell you how hard this time was. My emotions were a mess (ok that’s an understatement. I had pre-natal depression and was lost). And so embarrassed to feel lost, you know? 

eimear varian barry, town hall hotel, london, london blogger, london design hotel, pandora, mothers day campaign

When I had Saoirse, I felt like I had a filled this massive gap in my life. Having babies was a ray of light that made everything better. I can’t believe I spent my early 20’s not ever wanting kids because since I gave birth to Saoirse, my life has changed and has become enriched with a love that I never even knew was possible. 

 Anyway. 

These photos were taken at The Town Hall Hotel by my photographer Sarah Blake (@thebubblecollective) for a special Mother’s Day campaign for PANDORA called “DO”. I felt strongly about photographing here because the whole campaign is about inspiring women to be true to themselves and what they believe in. (Well I definitely believe in having a few hours somewhere as beautiful as this hotel 100% on your own!)  

eimear varian barry, town hall hotel, london, london blogger, london design hotel, pandora, mothers day campaign

eimear varian barry, town hall hotel, london, london blogger, london design hotel, pandora, mothers day campaign

Right before this, I had addressed 100 women at @mothersmeetings about social media and how I built what I’m doing today…but, really, what we kept coming back to in the Q&A was about inner confidence, being true to yourself, doing what feels right in your GUT…not to put pressure on yourself when it comes to having the “perfect” IG feed for your brand etc. Just by being you and doing small things which will make you feel comfortable in your own skin (and confidence comes hand in hand with that), that’s when it’ll all fall into place. 

eimear varian barry, town hall hotel, london, london blogger, london design hotel, pandora, mothers day campaign

When I first became a mum and in those first few months of that oh so beautiful bubble, (I completely understand that the first few months for other Mums are extremely difficult – I had this with Harper, but I’ll delve into that some other time!) I didn’t realise it at the time but by gaining a new life, I had actually lost a lot of my confidence. All of a sudden, bubbly Eimear was stuck for words. That’s when I found Mother’s Meetings on Instagram and all of that began to change. I went along (shaking profusely) to my first meeting at Shoreditch House (completely intimidated by even the location). Thinking about it now…I was pregnant with our second baby …our angel before Harper… and within the firstfew minutes, I finally felt like Eimear again. I met heaps of amazing, creative, confident women who were doing seriously cool things, whilst being a Mum. I was incredibly inspired. I had no idea that I would be doing what I am going today etc but it definitely gave me the skills and contacts to get me on my way. 

eimear varian barry, town hall hotel, london, london blogger, london design hotel, pandora, mothers day campaign

At first, I thought my life would be over when I was pregnant (what a load of baloney! It was only just beginning!!) and meeting all these women who had similar interests to me….well I felt like I found my tribe. The reason why I wanted to talk about Mother’s Meetings in this postis because it gave me back my confidence and made me feel empowered and liberated at a time when I needed it most. I was only thinking the other day…all the women there reminded me of my Moms friends when I was small. She always hung out with people who stimulated her creatively and who…just got her. 

eimear varian barry, town hall hotel, london, london blogger, london design hotel, pandora, mothers day campaign

I remember being in this hotel two years ago, a completely different person. I now stand stronger, focused. And I can tell you, what I learnt from my experience and listening to others there that day, that all the crap you feel you go through, if you ever feel lost career wise or in life in general…trust me, something’s in the works. As I always say, patience…slow and steady. Slow and steady. 

I am constantly harping on about how passionately I feel about what I do and how I will only ever work with a brand which is 100% fitting to my life. Not only have Pandora (link to site)   given me the opportunity to be creative and showcase their beautiful jewellery, but also made me revisit times where I felt like looking at the positives could help me achieve anything I wanted. Being positive means you are open to everything that is possible and that’s exactly what has helped me create my dream job. Sometimes I just need to look back at the copious amounts of small steps I took and realise I can achieve even more! 

I hope you’re reading this (to the end!!) and feeling a bit inspired! I feel like we need that as women, you know? We need emotional validation, inspiration, to read positive quotes and do things which help us be strong together. I honestly don’t know what I would do without some women in my life. Nuala, I’m looking at you! (Have called Nuala too many times bawling my eyes out and have hung up the phone laughing my ass off!) 

It’s all about being happy- actually doing and not over- thinking. I tell myself …”DO have confidence, DO believe in yourself, DO have faith in your abilities. Don’t be scared. DO champion yourself when you’re finding those days as a mum bloody tough. Remember- you created a human! 

eimear varian barry, town hall hotel, london, london blogger, london design hotel, pandora, mothers day campaign

The pieces I am wearing in these photos are Alluring Cushion Ring , Moments Silver Bracelet with a Loving Heart Clasp, Essence Generosity Charm , Essence Bangle , Vintage Allure Stud Earrings , and the Pandora Mention

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