We had the good fortune of connecting with Annie Lim and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Annie, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Having a healthy work life balance is so important, and I wish I knew that years ago! Early in my career, I was the type to answer emails after hours, go into work on the weekends, and basically try my best to make everyone happy. And guess what? Everyone thought I did a great job, but I burned out so quickly! I think in recent years, I’ve learned how to take time for myself away from work, and to turn off notifications or emails after a certain hour. I’ve also learned to take more days off for self-care, and to really take a break when I need to. After all, I need to be feeling my best if I want to do a good job in my career.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m Annie, a busy mom and business owner who’s been bitten by the post-COVID travel bug. I’d love to take some time to travel to new places, but my busy schedule doesn’t quite allow for it. Instead, I make the most of my time traveling around my city, discovering amazing new landscapes, quirky roadside attractions, beautiful cafes, and fun, colorful walls.

Another one of my many passions is film photography, which I majored in university way back when. I spent some years away from 35mm film and manual cameras, but lately I’ve been taking them along on my mini trips and excursions. Everytime after I get my film developed, and I see how my photos come out, I always feel as if my creativity jumps back to life! And it makes me so happy! This made me realize how long my artistic creativity has been unfilfilled! It also made me wonder if other moms or busy people feel the way I do. Maybe we all just need a push to wake up our sleepy, creative souls.

So that’s why I created a little space on the web. My website veryannie.com is all about remembering to focus on nourishing your creativity. For me, it is through travel and taking film photos. If you can’t travel much, take mini-trips (they’re only 1-2 days, and I’ve already planned them out for you!)! If you’ve always been curious about film photography, jump in (and I can show you how with my film photography guides!)! Additionally, I’m documenting all my backyard travels and all the fun photo spots around my city. I hope that by sharing them, I can inspire you to be a tourist in your own backyard!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There is so much to see and explore in Orange County! In the mornings, I would recommend hiking at the Quail Hill Loop or Red Rock Canyon. For lunch, stop by the Anaheim Packing District or Fourth Street Market. During the afternoons, check out Great Park for a nice picnic. And for dinner, go to Diamond Jamboree for some hot pot, boba for dessert, and finish the night off with karaoke!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I met my friend Jasmine on Instagram, and we very quickly became so close that we call each other our “doppelgängers”! I want to dedicate my shoutout to her, because without our virtual meetings and brainstorming sessions, I would be so lost and unmotivated to pursue the life of blogging. Thank you, doppel!

Website: http://www.veryannie.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/very.annie/

Image Credits
Credit to myself, Annie Lim

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