Introduction
Hi, Hello!
I’m Ella, I’m 21 years old currently and I’ve been blogging/active online & on social media since around 2013 or 14.
Blogging has been a bit on and off over the years. I started off on a very small, basic blog on Google’s ‘Blogger’ platform (which still exists to my knowledge, but it’s hugely outdated!) as I wanted to share things I’d written such as short stories and poems as that was one of my main interests at the time (if you like, you can also read that as ‘I won a poetry competition at school and I got a bit big-headed and thought I was the next child author’…). Poetry writing was quite short-lived, however, and I quickly moved into lifestyle blogging and editing every photo I had into the nice 2014 Instagram style (think grainy, border, Valencia filter, and probably the Retrica app logo sitting nicely in the corner). I had a few different blogs, all under the same name for quite a long time. I eventually started using self-hosted WordPress (just like I am now) and purchasing my own domain. My mum’s friend who runs a local IT company agreed to host my site for me too, it was really cool. I built up quite a following on Instagram and Twitter (if you consider 1K a following!) as well. As I got closer and closer towards the end of Sixth Form, blogging didn’t really have an awfully big place in my life anymore, not on top of the several Instagram accounts and Youtube channels I was running at the time. So I stopped, I shut down my site, and honestly, I thought it was behind me now.
But as you can see, I was wrong! I’m back, again! It sort of stemmed from late summer – early September time when I legally changed my name, followed up by the creation of ‘Sprinkles of Ella‘ as a lifestyle Instagram account and YouTube channel. I’ve been running them for several months now, and I think it’s going okay! I can’t wait to hit 100 subs on YouTube again so that I can get a custom URL back, I used to have two channels with over 100 subs and custom URLs and it made life so much easier haha!
I guess what I haven’t mentioned is why I’ve started blogging again now, especially when my Instagram and YouTube are going ok… It could sound a bit confusing, but I’ll try and be as simple and brief as possible:
The Backstory
I ended up having to do 3 years at sixth form, an additional year to the standard two. This stemmed from the first November I was there (2017, and to be precise my 17th birthday) and I was essentially forced to give up one of my subjects as they didn’t realise how much my appointments and general medical issues (more on that later) would affect my attendance and this particular course was a BTEC (assessed in almost continuous in-class and placement assessment). I gave it up and ran two A-Levels first year, without being told the implications of this. Second-year, starting prepping for uni and I ran my two original A-Levels to A2 level alongside an Extended Project (worth 1/2 an A-Level) and an AS Level to bring me up to the equivalent of 3 A Levels.
Now, the reason I mention this is because apparently, universities don’t work like that. I had to stay an additional year and complete my other A-Level. I was put onto other subjects but pulled a few weeks later and then COVID put a nice big fat stop to my education there. I never sat the exam and was not given a good grade, however, I did get into a local uni through clearing and I stayed there until March 2021. I had to drop out at this point due to health deterioration, it was sad. I originally planned to take a gap year but instead, I went back to a different college in September, part-time in Brighton.
Not going to lie here, it was awful. Not the course as such, which was an ‘Access to Higher Education’ in Biomedical Sciences (what I was doing at uni), but the actual college itself. If you follow me on any of my Instagram accounts you would know just how disorganised and non-responsive the college were about literally everything. I reached out for help for my additional needs but they simply didn’t, couldn’t or straight up refused to deliver (a different response depending on what aspect we’re talking about!). I honestly tried, I got up and I went back but every day I was barely making it through my first lesson without hopping on the train back home. Tried to get SEN specialists at the council involved but no response on the college’s behalf. I had to leave, and that’s why I’m here.
Unfortunately due to ongoing medical issues, I am currently unable to work and I am currently not in education so I needed something to do. I just felt like I needed that last puzzle piece of ‘Sprinkles of Ella’ and alas, this website was born.
Fun Facts
I hope you don’t think that was too rambly. I just thought you could all do with a little bit of backstory, but now that’s out the way, here are some quick-fire facts about me:
- I am Autistic, diagnosed January 2021 after 2.5 years on a wait list.
- I also have ADHD, diagnosed shortly after the Autism…
- … alongside Dyslexia and Dyspraxia which were diagnosed at school (yes, Grammarly is pulling me through this entire experience).
- Mental health wise, I am currently diagnosed with Anxiety, Depression, Anorexia Nervosa and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (’tis a fun cocktail)…
- … and finally I am Hearing Impaired and I (am meant to) wear two hearing aids and I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS).
I don’t mean to bang on about them like that, but they are a big part of my life.
- I have two cats called Rodney and Dylan and they are 7 years old.
- I love playing Animal Crossing and Pokemon, and I have done since I was about 7 years old or perhaps even younger.
- I’ve currently got a Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo GameCube, and I’m saving up to get a new DS as I sold mine a few months ago (and now I regret it).
- My favourite colours are pastel-y pinks, greens, blues and yellows, although I don’t tend to wear those colours as I’m quite pale!
- My crutches are pink!
- I’ve been bullet journalling for years, so expect some posts based around that.
- At the moment, my favourite food is Yoghurt with Granola, my favourite drink is (hmm) Vanilla Coca-Cola, Pepsi Max and I’m partial to a good ol’ coffee or hot chocolate and WKD Blue!
- I like fashion as well, for some reason I got really into it when I first started uni. Most of my clothes are from Urban Outfitters, Brandy Melville, Minga London, H&M & Primark I believe. I bet you can now guess where my student loan went…
- I don’t watch an awful lot of TV but I do watch several medical dramas and EastEnders.
- Based on the above statement alone we can conclude that I am UK born and bred. England to be specific, although my surname has links to Scotland and some family live there.
- I also have some family in America on my mum’s side.
- I love Jellycats and I have a few, however I don’t think I can ever beat my friend’s record of over 70 even if I had infinate amounts of money haha!
- The last book I read was Dear Evan Hansen, and I have also seen the West-End Show (which was really good) and the movie when it was in the cinema (also very good).
- I have a double-barrelled middle name
- My birthday is 9th November, making my star sign Scorpio, and I was born in the millenium (2000).
Hopefully, those facts are enough to satisfy you for now! I’m welcome to any feedback, good or bad and you can also find most of this information and links to my social media on my About Me page.
That’s that then, welcome to Sprinkles of Ella (the blog)!
