I hate introductions. But an extrovert, so I’m a big yapper.
Hello, my name is Ariel— it’s technically pronounced like Aerie, the clothing brand, then L like the letter. Welcome to my blog. This website has grown from its humble beginnings in 2020. I started it because I always wanted to be a blogger when I was young. After years of overthinking, I started it after watching so many By Sophia Lee videos on YouTube.
Originally, this was all about self-care and college because I was a fresh college grad and in the job market, then got into a fast-paced agency job that made me want to have a 5 to 9 after my 9 to 5. This blog became my passion. I made some money from blogging, and I spent weekends and evenings working on it. I was literally That Girl (I wrote a blog post about it, and it went viral on Pinterest).
Then I got burnt out at my blog’s peak. Yeah. I’m no longer That Girl. (I don’t think I ever was. I was overly productive, and the trend happened, so I just wrote the post… Look, I have student loans to pay.) I honestly do not know how I was doing this blog, a volunteer position at a music publication, writing a book, and my day job at an agency. 😵💫
I took a little (LONG) hiatus from late 2023 until fall 2025. I was severely burnt out. During my hiatus, I traveled to Spain and Italy, wrote a book manuscript, met new people, and attended a bunch of concerts. ☺️
This is my third rebrand of As Told By Ariel or blogging in general. I’m in my 20s—I don’t know what I’m doing half the time.
I did realize that I was only creating content to make money and wasn’t having fun or talking about things I liked and was passionate about. I was in that hustle culture mindset and just had to pause. Then the changes from Google were just my last straw. It grew to be another job where I had no breaks at all. I had wrist pain from that amount of typing. I don’t recommend that. 🙃 Take breaks. Rest.
If one thing you take from this page is to rest. I mean it. We always talk about hustling and making more and more, but we need to rest to be our best.
In all honesty, I started again due to my content on Pinterest still getting attention, and people said that I helped them, which is something I always wanted to do. I wanted to inspire and help people. I’m that friend who always gives advice, and I like doing it.
I also had another boost in motivation after speaking to people at a friend’s party and realized how a lot of people my age do not know where to begin with traveling or just wanting book recommendations that aren’t from BookTok. I’ve traveled a lot this year, and a lot of people want to know how I did it and where to go. (I also won’t shut up about traveling, concerts, and books, so…why not make a blog about it?)
I hope something on this blog helps you. Whether it’s finding your next favorite book, or what to bring to a concert, or to start traveling the world in your 20s.
About This Blog
As Told By Ariel is all about my interests: traveling, concerts, and reading and all my book recommendations. I will also keep my college advice content since it has helped many people. Some lifestyle content remains, so pardon the mess.
Soon, I will have some of my favorite book recommendations, tips for traveling in your 20s (which I’m doing a lot of this year), and I’ll stop gatekeeping my concert photos. I’m excited for this new era.
Quick Facts:
Favorite Book Series: Red Queen Series (I don’t care that it was cliché. It got me back into reading as a teen, and the world-building and nods to Roman history and the houses. I will maybe write my book summaries here one day. I personally think people were way too harsh to Red Queen back in the day 😩)
Most Memorable Concert: I’ve attended so many, but I think BTS was the most memorable. ( Charli XCX’s Sweat Tour was so close. I’ve been a Charli XCX fan for almost 10 years.)
Favorite Movie: Easy. Mean Girls, but Ratatouille is up there
Top Reads of 2025: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, Cross the Line by Simone Soltani, and Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Favorite Song: OH, okay, hard, but also easy: No Ordinary Love by Sade (it’s even better Live)
Top Albums of 2025: I can’t stop listening to “The Art of Loving” by Olivia Dean and Jade from Little Mix’s “THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY!” Both very different albums, but that kind of sums up my music taste. 🤣
If you made it this far, I guess you’d expect a photo. I suck at selfies…just know I’m not a bot or AI. I’m an actual person. However, I can take an amazing photo of anyone else or the landscape.
Thank you for stopping by. 🥹
– Ariel