If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Blake Lively's lifestyle site, Preserve, has faced mixed reviews since its launch last summer. The actress has been candid about its imperfections in the past, so perhaps it's not all that surprising that she's announced she'll be closing the site on October 9.
Lively revealed the decision to take the site dark in an interview with Vogue. As it happens, Lively previously confessed that a Vogue cover shoot timed to Preserve's launch forced her hand a bit, leading her to push the site live before she thought it was fully ready.
"We have an incredible team of people who do beautiful work, but we launched the site before it was ready, and it never caught up to its original mission: It’s not making a difference in people’s lives, whether superficially or in a meaningful way,” she told the magazine over the phone. “And that’s the whole reason I started this company, not just to fluff myself, like, ‘I’m a celebrity! People will care what I have to say!’ It was so never meant to be that, and that kind of became the crutch because it was already up and already running, and it’s hard to build a brand when you’re running full steam ahead — how do you catch up?”
The good news is that Preserve merchandise is on sale until the closure — stock up on artisanal mustard now! — and that Lively has plans for a new project that will presumably hew closer to her original intentions for Preserve.
"I’m going to take this hit, and the only way I can prove all the negative reactions wrong is to come back with a plan that will rock people," she shared. "And I have that plan. And I’m so excited about it, and that’s what gave me the courage to do this, to say, ‘You know what, I’m going to give myself one more shot at this, and I really have to do it as well as I can do it this time.’ And that is the only thing that will impact people. And that’s what I’m doing. And I’m totally terrified out of my mind! I’ve asked my assistant to just play ‘Shake It Off’ on a loop — it feels really good to listen to it on a loop!”
Kudos to Lively for owning her mistakes. Can we just say that it's pretty inspiring to see her take responsibility, refuse to settle for less, and regroup? Add this to your motivational quote board on Pinterest.
“The only time I’ve ever done something and felt real reward is when I’ve done something that’s incredibly risky, because without great risks it’s impossible to have huge success," she said. "I don’t mean financial success, I mean personal success, pride, happiness in what you’ve done. And the only times that I have felt that are the times that I have really put myself out on the line and done something that really scared me — and I know that sounds like something out of a Hallmark card, but this feels like something I really have to do. I’ve finally summoned the strength to take on whatever anybody says because I know I’m going to come back with something stronger. I’m proud of it and I can take it, because I am a much harder critic on me than any nasty gossip rag. And that’s a good thing and a bad thing, but I just want to make myself and my family proud. And this time around, I really think I’ve done that."
We look forward to Preserve 2.0 (or whatever the new site will be called). No shame in that game, lady.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT