With the current environment of social distancing and limitations on our movement, more people are turning to digital forms of communication and interaction. This can be a very daunting step if you have never explored this world before. If you are looking to enter this space as a blogger, your first step to blogging success is to just make a start! If you do not try something, you will never know – do not let your fear of failure limit you!
[Read more…]{Confessions of a Blogger} Charlotte from The Stilettomum
Charlotte from The Stilettomum…
Today on Confessions of a Blogger we meet Charlotte from the Stilettomum. I remember connecting with Charlotte from the Stilettomum, on social media, shortly after I started blogging in 2010, which is actually the same year she started!
Hi I’m Charlotte and I’m the brain behind The Stilettomum. I blog about everything and anything. My moto is taking on life, love and parenting one stiletto clad step at a time. I finally married the love of my life on 27 December 2014. We have 2 children, Amandalynn age 8 and Lorelai age 5. We stay in Brackenfell in the Western Cape. From 8 -1 daily I am a Personal Assistant to Advocates at the High Court and in the afternoons I am a typical soccer mom.
- When did you start your blogging journey and why? I started my blogging journey in March 2010 after I returned to work after maternity leave. I had two reasons for starting the blog, my first was that for my eldest daughter I scrapbooked almost every day of her life, but now with two children I knew I would not have the time and I felt I needed to capture the life of both my children equally. My second reason was because I wanted to say so much about my journey the parenting forums was not really the place. I started out my first blog as Scaredmom for 2 years before I was transformed to The Stilettomum.
- Do you blog full time or do you have a 9 – 5 as well? As I mentioned in my intro I work half day. After 10 years of working very long hours I finally landed a half day job which enabled me to do more of my first love, being a partly stay at home mom. I pick the kids up from school, give them lunch, drive them to their activities and this also gives me the time to be more involved with their schools. I am THAT mom, the one who has made sure that she has a seat on almost every school committee and knows more or less everything that goes on at school.
- Tell us about your space on the interwebs and what you blog about? I blog over at The Stilettomum (www.thestilettomum.wordpress.com) my catch phrase pretty much sums up what I blog about “Taking on life, love and parenting one stiletto clad step at a time”. Parenting is my main focus and I have blogged about pretty much everything that goes with that. At a stage there was a lot of Maintenance and custody post on my blog as that was what my life revolved around and I hoped by speaking up and sharing that more people with keep fighting for the rights of their children. Currently the blog is more about me and how I handle parenting and its challenges than anything else.
- Being a blogger is not easy – what motivates you and keeps you going? My motivation are the people who follow me, I don’t mean as in the amount of people who follow me, but when I meet someone that I didn’t know followed my blog and they tell me how they have read my blog and they think I am brave and strong for all that I have been through and how my honesty give them courage.
- What have your biggest blogging challenges been? To keep being honest. I have looked around at the other “successful” parenting blogs and I see a lot of sunshine and daisies. I want to be a success, but I want more than anything to be honest as my blog is after all for my children. It’s hard not to get sucked up in the madness of it all.
- What do you love most about being a blogger? The events are my favourite. For me it’s like being invited to a celebrity VIP event as some of the bloggers I have been following for years and meeting them is like meeting Sarah Jessica Parker in person and she knows who you are.
- Do you have any blog related or social media pet peeves? Sub tweeting. Yes I have been guilty of this, but when groups of people subtweet about one person, it kills me. I want to rip them all a new one, but I step back and switch off.
- What has your journey as a blogger taught you? Has it changed you in anyway? Blogging has helped me find my voice. I think the name of my first blog Scaredmom sort of explains where I was in my life when I started, 5 years later I have learnt to be confident in the decisions I make and that I am in control of my won happiness. It has also changed my life in a way I could have never imagined. I use to live in a bubble and with blogging I have met so many new people, some of them are now very good IRL friends and it has opened so many doors for me as I have been able to work with so many awesome brands.
- If you have to give a newbie blogger any advice, what words of wisdom you impart? Be honest. Be kind, be open and be honest. Decide what kind of blog you want to have and work towards it. Find 2 or 3 blogs that you like and would like to be like when you grow up, mimic the way they do things, follow their example.
- In three words tell me what blogging means to you: Freedom, life, memories
Thanks to Charlotte from The Stilettomum for sharing a bit more about her life and blogging journey with us! You looked absolutely gorgeous on your big day! If you would like to find out more about Charlotte and connect with her – pop over here:
Blog Link: The Stiletto Mum https://thestilettomum.wordpress.com/
Facebook: The Stiletto Mum https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Stilettomum/181973921888836
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thestilettomum
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thestilettomum/
If you would like to be featured on Confessions of a Blogger or would like to see a blogger featured here, then please email Fiona or leave a comment below.
{Interview} Confessions of a Blogger Cara Fay
Confessions of a Blogger
Happy New Year everyone! I hope you are slowly easing into 2015 and still enjoying the gorgeous summer weather, well, in Cape Town anyway! A friend just messaged me to say it is snowing in Yorkshire – Brrr!!!
We are already half way through January and that means it is time for our monthly interview feature! Today on Confessions of a Blogger we meet the lovely Cara Fay. As well as blogging about her beauty finds, Care shares her passion for dupes, bargains and DIY.
I am a 24 year old, born in Cape Town, South Africa raised in Harare, Zimbabwe. Graphic Designer by trade and a lover by nature. I try and live my life with love at the center, compassion in my heart and humility in my mind always
- When did you start your journey as a blogger and why? I started this blog (I have had a few blogs along the way) mid 2014 – I have had a YouTube channel for about 2 years now and I just thought it would be nice to get a little more into YouTube and blogging.
- Do you blog full-time or do you have a 9-5 as well? I have a full-time job, so my blog is just mine for my free time.
- Tell us a little about your space on the interweb and what you blog about? Wow this is quite difficult as I don’t fit into a category much like the person I am my blog is a mixture of DIY’s, Fashion, Beauty, Lifestyle, Videos and my mind wanderings.
- Being a blogger is not always easy – what motivates you and keeps you going? I try to never let my blog be a burden and more of a place that is my sacred space to be creative with no boundries.
- What have your biggest blogging challenges been? Making a schedule! I absolutely have the thought that if my pictures are not top-notch then I won’t post them which results in me taking longer to put a post-up
- What do you love most about being a blogger? I love that my blog is mine with no one telling me where to put what. I also absolutely love the community I have found myself in – it forces me to be social and pushes me out of my comfort zone a lot!
- Do you have any blog related or social media pet peeves? {things that other bloggers or social media peeps do, that really annoy you} YES! In South Africa the PR companies always choose the same bloggers as well as advertising – on almost every blog in South Africa there is the same advert, I think if the brands tailor-made who to advertise with and try make each one a little different it would benefit them and the blogger more.
- What has your journey as a blogger taught you {about yourself or in general}? Has it changed your life in any way? Oh definitely, it has really pushed me to be a little more confident and not as shy when I meet new people – I am definitely a wall flower but blogging has pushed me to meet people and make friends!
- If you had to give a newbie blogger any advice, what words of wisdom would you impart? BE YOUR SELF! We have so many bloggers here in South Africa that see glamorous UK bloggers making a living off their blogs that they end up having dollar signs in their eyes and miss the whole point of blogging and please ladies no copy and pasting off international sites AND no copying of fellow bloggers – there is room for everyone.
- In three words tell me what blogging means to you: Freedom, Happiness and Friendship
Thanks Cara for sharing a bit more about your life and blogging journey, on Confessions of a Blogger, with us! Please pop over and connect with Cara here:
Blog link: www.carafay.co.za
Facebook: www.facebook.com/carafayct
Twitter: @carafay_
Instagram: @carafay_
If you would like to be featured on Confessions of a Blogger or would like to see a blogger featured here, then please email Fiona or leave a comment below.
Cape Town from a Bloggers Perspective
A little while ago an international blogger approached me to interview me about Cape Town. She was planning a trip to South Africa and wanted to know more about our beautiful city and have a Cape Town Bloggers Perspective. This was the perfect opportunity to share why I am Proudly South African and love Cape Town so much. [Read more…]
Confessions of a Blogger Kerry Heathfield
In today’s Confessions of a Blogger we feature the lovely Kerry Heathfield, who blogs over at GuesswhatGirls. I have yet to meet Kerry but we are both currently doing the Well I am 100 Healthy Days Challenge and it has been great to have a fellow blogger to compare notes with!
My name is Kerry and I live in Durban, my days are spent writing, reading and daydreaming. I love way too many things (cats, Taylor Swift, fashion, books, TV series, etc.) and often obsess but it makes my life interesting. At almost 25 I am constantly learning about life and myself which I share on my blog. GuesswhatGirls is a journey of life, dreams, hope, positivity and an attempt at healthy living through my eyes.
- When did you start your journey as a blogger and why? I started my blog in 2012 when I finally decided writing was what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted a place where I could practice and learn more about writing as well as network myself and start building my own brand as a writer.
- Do you blog fulltime or do you have a regular 9-5 as well? As much as I would love to blog fulltime, the bills need to be paid so I do have a regular 9-5 which I am fortunate enough to love – I am a trainee ladieswear merchandiser which is right up my alley because I do love fashion.
- Tell us a bit about your space on the Interweb and what you blog about? My space is all about just writing what I feel, what I like and what I am learning in all aspects of life, it really is like a diary. My blog topics have changed many times since I started the blog because I did battle with my niche for a while – I love a lot of things and wanted to write about them all but eventually (recently) decided to settle on lifestyle and inspiration because as much as I love fashion and reading etc. there is so much to be said about life and everyone could do with some inspiration.
- Being a blogger is not always easy – what motivates you and keeps you going?Definitely my passion for writing and learning.
- How important do you think it is to have a niche blog? I think it is important to an extent – people need to know what they are coming to your blog to read but I do feel that a niche limits you somewhat if you are anything like me and just really like a lot of things and want to share with them the world and get as much writing in as possible. I do think that an overall niche is good, for example fashion or lifestyle and then you can do whatever you want with it, which is what I have chosen to do with my blog and my “lifestyle niche”
- What have your biggest blogging challenges been? Definitely comparison and envy. There are so many bloggers out there and there was a time where I couldn’t help but compare myself and my blog to the “successful” bloggers and blogs. At one point I totally forgot why I started a blog and just wanted to compete, luckily that was a short period and I am happy to say I am finally over it. I also always struggle to write my bio and change it regularly.
- What do you love most about being a blogger? Besides the fact that I can write what I want, when I want, I just think it is such an awesome way to use your creativity as well as meet new people and learn a lot.
- If you had to choose a favourite social media platform, what would it be and why?Such a toughie – I actually cannot choose between Twitter and Instagram because I spend equal amounts of time on them and they are both awesome for different reasons. Instagram is a feast for the eyes and Twitter teaches me things on a daily basis.
- What has your journey as a blogger taught you {about yourself or in general}? Has it changed your life in any way? It has changed my life in so many ways – the things I have learnt about writing, people and about the media/blogging industry would never be learnt somewhere else. I have also learnt so much about myself and have changed many old habits which I not only did as a blogger but in everyday life (such as comparison)
- If you had to give a newbie blogger any advice, what words of wisdom would you impart? DON’T ever compare! It really is a joy thief and a waste of time. Also, just do it for yourself and your passion.
Thanks Kerry for sharing a bit more about your life and blogging journey with us! You can find out more about Kerry and connect with her here:
Blog link: www.guesswhatgirls.wordpress.com
Twitter: @_kerry_berry_
Instagram: kerryberry5
If you would like to be featured on Confessions of a Blogger or would like to see a blogger featured here, then please email Fiona or leave a comment below.
Images: Kerry