Welcome to winterelle! I don’t have a very clear and niched-down vision for this blog, but I hope you’ll join me as I explore the things that make life so interesting to me – literature, science, art, languages, fashion, nature… It’s difficult to sum-up everything in one concise sentence.
To introduce myself, my name is Katie Eleonore Winters, but online I usually go by my middle name. I find it hard to describe myself because for so long I’ve struggled with my sense of identity and an intense longing to “figure out who I am”. I am a university administrator by day and a writer by night. When I’m not working or writing, you’ll usually find me reading (mostly a mix of classic, literary fiction and non-fiction), playing video games like Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley and The Sims and going for long walks in the local cemeteries and parks.
Until recently I was studying for a degree in Astronomy, but I have made the decision to leave with a Diploma of Higher Education. I was led into a scientific career from such a young age that I’ve never really been sure it was what I wanted, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I was mostly doing it to prove to others that I was good enough. I am an arts and humanities girl in my heart, and whilst studying is not in my immediate future I am looking forward to spending time focusing on discovering who I am without such heavy and impossible expectations.
This will be the first time since starting primary school in 2001 that I won’t be a student, and it feels like losing a big part of me. I really enjoy learning and studying, but I think it’s important for me to explore it outside of a formal academic setting. I struggle with academic validation as it was the only form of validation I ever really received growing up – I was more or less ignored except for when I got the best grades in the class, but even then it was barely noted.
I’ve always wanted to be a writer – it’s my favourite form of artistic expression and as a child I would spend hours and hours writing stories. I would love to work full-time as a writer, but as a writer of fiction this is a difficult task and unfortunately not one that allows me to give up my day-job any time soon. By blogging I hope to practice my writing skills and begin to pitch myself as a freelance writer for other websites and blogs, whilst also becoming a platform for me to share my words with you all.
I hope you will join me on this journey to turn my life from one where I am in a constant battle to live up to others’ expectations to one where I feel fulfilled, happy and content.