Birth of a Bubbleista

"Are you a Bubbleista" silhouette of a woman blowing bubbles

© Can Stock Photo Inc. / michaeldb

So you’re chugging right along, reading The Bubbleista blog posts, taking it all in, when all of a sudden you say to yourself: “Wait a minute. What exactly is a ‘Bubbleista’ anyway?” Well my dear, I’m glad you asked.

It’s actually a term I made up just joking around in 2009. I came up with the name as a riff on the word “Fashionista,” a term made up by Stephen Fried in 1993, that became a bonafide entry in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) 10 year prior in 1999. Today the OED’s secondary definition is “a devotee of the fashion industry; a wearer of high-fashion clothing.” So let’s analyze the term: the word “fashion” + the the adjective suffix “ist,” which is defined as “denoting an adherent of a system of beliefs and principles; or holding certain principles, doctrines etc.” + “a” which indicates the feminine form of the adjective suffix. Makes a lot of sense when you actually break it down, right?

The Bubbleista started out as me poking a bit of fun at myself because of my crazy love for champagne and sparkling wine, also known, of course, as bubbly. “Bubbly” + “ista” = (with a slight alteration) “Bubbleista.” After all, I couldn’t think of a better moniker for myself than a made-up word describing my devotion to the sparkling potion. As time went on though—and as I continued to actually refer to myself as The Bubbleista—I discovered that the name really meant so much more than I originally thought. I began to realize more and more that the word, in essence, really described my fundamental, natural, deeply-rooted, core philosophy of life.

Consider the basic qualities of champagne for a moment: it’s sparkling; effervescent (bubbly); distinctive; and celebratory. Those terms perfectly described my belief in having a lifestyle where all of the facets of life encapsulated as many of those descriptive terms as possible, as often as possible. It was then that I decided to truly define what “The Bubbleista” meant for me. I came up with this:

The definition of a Bubbleista. (original image © Emile C. Browne photography; graphic design courtesy of Social Proof Design; definition © TheBubbleista. All rights reserved)

The definition of a Bubbleista. (original image © Emile C. Browne photography; graphic design courtesy of Social Proof Design; definition © TheBubbleista. All rights reserved)

So what does having an effervescent lifestyle mean? It means making the extra effort to make something distinctive, memorable, and special, even when you don’t have to. It means trying to learn about something you delight in so that you can figure out ways to enjoy it even more. It means stopping to take the time to actually experience moments and events in life as opposed to just blindly trudging your way through. It means raising a glass of champagne and toasting to absolutely nothing at all just because you can. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the way I strive to live my life and I want to inspire others to do the same.

So, are you a Bubbleista (or pehaps “Bubbleisto” for the guys, ha)? If so, with this blog you have found your tribe. And if you’re not quite a Bubbleista yet, don’t worry. I’ll be your sparkling fairy godmother that uses her magic wand to help you transform into the effervescent lifestyle prince or princess you were always meant to be.

Stick around—it’s going to be a fun ride.

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