From Her Home to Ours: Staying Home, Staying Safe, and Staying Sane with Manda Lee Smith
A visual creator and lifestyle entrepreneur, Manda Lee Smith, is known for her fashion, her family, and her fierce beauty. With the world currently homebound, Evocatively Chosen founder and social media influencer Manda Lee Smith was kind enough to open her virtual door and invite us to “stay in” with her shelter-in-place life full of family, emotions, and inspiration.
At home with Manda Lee Smith.
Known for charming her 129,000 Instagram followers granting glimpses into her indispensable fashion choices, her trusted beauty and skincare reviews, her travels, her adorable children, and her coveted lifestyle tips, the founder of Evocatively Chosen, Manda Lee Smith constructed her site to be “dedicated to the culmination of indispensable wardrobe pieces, luxury items, sustainable and vintage pieces, and trustworthy reviews on the latest skincare and beauty.” Running a successful business takes serious conviction and often packs a full plate of responsibilities. Her creative career prowess, however, is just the appetizer! Lee is also a wife and a mother of three.
“I became a mom at a relatively young age, 24,” reveals Lee, “and in entering into motherhood, I knew that I would place certain limitations on my career based on personal convictions and truths I hold sacred.” Being a wife and mother, even so, did not stop her from amassing quite the online following for her self-made business. While partnering with notable companies like Pampers to Estée Lauder, Lee’s audience and experience span far beyond motherhood and makeup. Food journals from excursions to New Orleans, a fashion page for all of her latest, trending outfits, and regimens to attain glowing skin are all under her umbrella of expertise.
What was not under her informative platform, or anyone else’s for that matter, was preparing for a global pandemic. With so many sick, so many people at home and so much uncertainty, it is certainly easy to fall into a negative mindset.
Lee, however, will not let COVID stifle her creativity, her self-care, or her family. “Reflecting on how grateful I am for my loved ones, certainly strengthens my convictions and how I’ll navigate the future.” Global pandemic or not, Manda Lee Smith remains guided by three principles foundational to who she is: “ever-evolving, nurturing, and responsible.” We all have 24 hours in our days and that fact has never felt as apparent as it does today. While hours can run long, Lee finds that organizing each day helps her to stay on track. “My advice is to make a schedule and try your best to stay within the boundaries of it. But also, remember, every task is not a priority,” encourages Lee. “I find that only doing the things I have to do not only fills me with a sense of accomplishment but also reduces my anxiety and frees my mind to be more patient and present with my children.” Taking us through her day to day routine, Lee practices structure paying attention to her to-do list, her skincare routines, her children’s schooling, her coffee (a definite for everyone’s self-isolation), household chores, work, outdoor time, meal prep, journaling, and reading. Lee even makes a note to schedule the coveted, yet elusive mommy’s “me time” on the weekends when her husband is home; and while it can prove difficult for her to find a moment for her creativity to flourish and to work on her business, this influencer has found ways to mitigate her anxiety and maximize her ingenuity.
“We’re living in a moment in time where things feel out of our control,” admits Lee. “Creating small rituals each day in which we care for ourselves evokes a positive mindset, which is especially important during a time when face to face human interaction is limited. I think that looks different for everyone.” Even for a fashion maven, Lee believes that during this time of social distancing where sweatpants are couture, “it is less about what we wear and more about how we’re overall caring for ourselves.” Although Lee cannot control the pandemic itself, she can evocatively choose how she responds to it and how she continues to grow her business in preparation for the return to normal life. “A continued focus on sustainable fashion will be a primary objective of mine this year,” reveals Lee; “and producing more outlets that are beneficial to my readers.”
Now let’s get a bit cozier with Manda Lee Smith!
How has this time inside, no travel or outings, affected your ability to find inspiration as a content creator? Any tips to fellow creatives during this time?
It's made the process a bit more organic truthfully. My eyes have been more in tune with appreciating and noticing the small things in my home that are aesthetically pleasing such as a pretty ray of light or simply taking notice and drawing inspiration from glass wear I've curated. For me, it’s been all about dropping an overly thought out visual board and opting for whatever feels right at the moment, and it's freeing! My advice, take a day and be observant of your space. Jot down what you’re drawn to and create a concept on each of the things you've noted on DIFFERENT days. It's also a great time to try new content or a new platform and see how your following responds to it.
This time has brought about a lot of stress and anxiety. As we look for ways to manage those anxieties and search for positive activities to fill our time, what are some practices you have been engaging in during this social distancing to release stress and lower anxiety?
When I'm feeling anxious, I first accept and acknowledge those feelings. I remind myself that, for me, it’s temporary. Then I get out my journal and write down whatever emotions I’m experiencing. Usually, anxiety is my body's way of telling me there's something I need to stop doing, and so then I'll focus on reducing that thing and spend time doing what invites peace and calm: my go-to, water-coloring.
We are all in this together! What would you say to those who suffer more severe anxiety and are unsure of how to find positive outlets during all this time at home or alone?
I would say first, reach out and express how you're feeling with someone. It's important not to isolate yourself further by withholding when you’re having a difficult time coping. If you're feeling anxious about quarantine in general, as mentioned above, try to limit the source. What I mean is, if reading news outlets all day about the virus sends you on a downward spiral, put your phone down. Instead, try to focus on doing something that brings you joy if only for a few minutes at a time. As uncertain as things look at the moment, try to keep hope in the fact that this will resolve eventually.
When this is all over, what is the outfit you intend to wear on your first day out and about? The first place you will go to?
There are a few new vintage pieces I can't wait to take for a spin! More than anything, I want time with other adult women, so my first outing will probably be with my girlfriends.
Anything you'd like to say to our readers?
Yes, in regards to what is happening in the world right now, try your best not to compare your quarantine situation to anyone else. Care for yourself, but recognize that you don't have to be doing the most, trying to live your ‘best quarantine life.’ Staying safe at home and trying to maintain a positive mindset is the best thing you can be doing right now!
