Holly Thomson interviews eloquent style icon and leading digital creator, Lydia Millen following the launch of her debut book; Evergreen, a comforting guide to the seasons of nature and life.
A life in the country is often governed by the seasons. Each one brings with it new opportunities, waves of work and of course, challenges. Life is much the same, we each go through different seasons at different times, we all know ourselves life is very rarely in full bloom all of the time, it is not sustainable, just as nature needs seasons of rest and recuperation through Autumn and Winter to recover, ready to bloom once more the following Spring and Summer so do we…
One half of your Countrywoman’s Guide duo, Holly Thomson interviewed eloquent style icon, Lydia Millen following the release of her debut book, Evergreen. Inspired by the wisdom of the natural world, Lydia has leant into this idea of transitioning through life’s seasons within her creation of Evergreen through discovering the beautiful nuances between earth’s seasons and the seasons within our own lives. Evergreen is a comforting guide to the seasons and living in harmony with them.
Whilst Lydia needs little introduction, for anyone who isn’t familiar with who she is, Lydia Millen is one of the original and leading digital creators with over 1 million subscribers on YouTube tuning into her regular, luxury styling and behind the scenes videos, she is also a revered blogger over on her own corner of the internet. For over 10 years, Lydia has been sharing content with the world whilst also navigating her way through it off camera, which is not always easy. We all know that our interests, priorities and passions change as we journey through life, and this has been no different for Lydia.
In recent years, Lydia’s content has evolved to focus on her enchanting, lavish life in the English countryside with her husband, something we touch on in the interview. A particular journey I have enjoyed following is her discovery of her passion for horses and riding.
Lydia’s Instagram and content is the epitome of classic, luxe British country living, providing fashion and interior style inspiration for many, minus the muck much of us living in the countryside endure this time of year tending to our livestock or horses and wading through mud at 5am hauling haynets and buckets of feed or those long night’s spent sitting up on lambing watch. Cracked hands and chapped lips are an unavoidable reality of rural life during the winter months, but Lydia’s content and now her book, endeavours to provide both escapism and inspiration to others.
Onto the conversation…. An interview with Lydia Millen:
You describe Evergreen as your proudest accomplishment to date. You wrote on your Instagram that, “it speaks the words that I wish my teenage self, my twenties self, and early thirties Lydia could have heard. It provides the hug that I wish those versions of me could have felt.” We’d love to learn what inspired you to create it?
It’s funny, writing a book had always been something I’d dreamed about doing but I could never quite picture what I wanted to say. In January 2022 however, after going through quite a transformation in my personal life, I repositioned everything from my blog to how I curate my social media feeds and started leaning into sharing what truly makes me happy without worrying about the consequences and other peoples’ opinions. Within a few months, two publishers reached out to see if I’d be interested in writing a book and I knew straight away what I wanted to share.
The book really offers so much more than it suggests at first glance. With a timeless and elegant cover design, Evergreen is described as “the essential guide for anyone who is looking to unearth their inner strength and bring more joy and contentment into their everyday.” Can you share with us your favourite thing about writing Evergreen? And perhaps the most challenging?
My favourite thing about writing Evergreen, though perhaps selfish, was having an excuse to write down, process and realise how far I’ve come over the past few years. Like so many people, 2020 was the hardest year of my life and being able to reflect on that period of my life now that I’m in a much stronger, calmer, happier place felt and still feels truly empowering. As I’ve said a number of times since its publication, the book has provided a sense of catharsis unlike much else.
That was also the most challenging aspect of the book though. In order to articulate how I truly felt about certain periods of my life and what they’ve taught me, I had to revisit those memories – good and at times, extremely painful. Writing the chapter on loss for instance, took me a lot longer than some of the more light-hearted chapters.
You chose to share how you have learnt how to, “navigate the darkness of a personal winter in the midst of what – to the outside world – appears to be a glorious summer”, something which we are always keen to lift the lid on. To many, your life online would appear full of joy and glamour, but to hear you shed light on the reality of things is not only grounding, but empowering and something our readers will relate to. In a nutshell, if you can, how do you navigate this internal season when it rears its head?
Finding acceptance in the idea that life is a constant state of ebb and flow has been extremely powerful for me personally. Just because your life might feel challenging or completely out of sync to what you see going on around you or online right now, it doesn’t mean that it will always feel this way. As the saying goes, flowers don’t bloom all year round after all!
Do you have a favourite season? If yes, can you share with us why?
I find myself thinking, ‘oh this is my favourite’ every time a new season rolls back around because I truly believe that they each offer magic in their own unique way.
That being said, I love the hope and encouragement that the bridging seasons (Spring and Autumn) offer. Not only do they get us excited for the holiday seasons ahead but they ease us in gently as we prepare for the next chapter of the year. Be it the way that flowers start to bloom again and it starts to get lighter in Spring (signs that never fail to energise and motivate me to make the most of the lighter months ahead) or the way that the colours turn in Autumn and leaves eventually fall (signs that encourage me to let go and give in to the slower pace of life that’s coming) they’re always teaching me lessons. I can’t deny that I love the excuse to update my wardrobe during those months too!
Is there a stand-out lesson nature has taught you over the years and throughout the ever changing seasons?
That nature always has the answers – you just need to get out there and look for them! A helpful tip I use is to look at whatever weather or scene is looking back at me and think to myself, ‘what is this trying to teach me right now?’
We’re eagerly emerging from the depths of midwinter as you describe in your book (January – February), it’s a tough slog for many, especially when your life is rooted within the countryside, you can be at the mercy of the elements and both ruled and restricted by the shorter daylight hours. Evergreen begins in the slowness of winter. How can we prepare ourselves for the re-awakening of nature, and of ourselves?
Try not to rush the process. So much of the preparation in winter comes from the stillness and solitude it encourages so that when nature starts to re-awaken in late February, we have the energy and clarity to follow in its footsteps. This could look like sitting with your thoughts and observing them in winter instead of acting on them right away or trading high intensity workouts for gentler movement centred around slowing your mind.
Once you have more clarity and energy, observe how nature paces its comeback. Snowdrops poke their heads up from below and grow bit by bit each day. Daffodils have been tucked away underground all winter and find their colour and height in Spring. It’s not an overnight comeback. It’s considered and gentle and each flower – importantly – blooms at their own pace.
You explain you made a conscious decision to ‘pay more attention to nature’ regardless of whether you’re in the quiet of the countryside at home, or in a bustling city for work or a city break, how has this effected your own life and mindset?
It’s transformed my life and way of thinking for the reason I outline in answer six. Because I trust that nature always has the answers, it’s provided me with a profound sense of calm on a day-to-day basis, whether I’m at home or away.
Being in the public eye can be difficult at times, and there have been times when you have been under intense scrutiny as you touch upon in the introduction of your book. You’ve always handled these situations with diplomacy and grace, what advice would you have for other people perhaps facing similar situations?
We are never sent a storm we aren’t strong enough to weather.
Over recent years, your content has reflected more and more your beautiful life in the countryside, from learning to ride horses to the iconic Land Rovers and your enchanting home and garden. What is your favourite thing about living in the countryside? What does it meant you?
It’s an obvious answer, I’m sure, but for me it’s the peace that it provides… I’d say quiet too but anyone that lives next door to a farm knows that it’s anything but! My husband and I can take our dogs for a walk for an hour and see no-one. You just don’t get that in the city. As someone that needs time on my own to recharge, that means the difference between feeling fulfilled vs feeling depleted.
You share a variety of content on your Instagram and YouTube channel, some of which includes growing vegetables, what could we begin growing now?
It’s still a bit too early for most things but it’s a good time to start sowing sweet peas and broad beans. They’re both very easy to grow so are a great one to start with if you’re looking to get into gardening.
What piece of advice that you’ve learnt along the way would you hand on to our readers?
You’re only ever one thought away from thinking differently. It’s helped me no end of times if and when I find myself reverting back to old habits or negative thought patterns.