On this week on Confessions of a Blogger we chat to a wonderful blogger from Cape Town, Natalie Vice, who I am also very happy to call a friend! Natalie not only does freelance marketing and social media, runs her own blog but is also the brains behind Social Club!
My name is Natalie Vice, I’m 31 years of age and live in Devils Peak. I used to be a full time marketing manager, but now I work from home and keep myself busy with a few projects. I do freelance marketing, graphic design and interior decorating. I am in the process of starting an online shop that will sell home ware and décor items with my own illustrations on. Then I also run the Social Club which is a monthly event where people come together to socialise and learn a new skill. I love the outdoors, cooking, watching series and adventures. I’m an instagram addict and have a passion for photography, which I might pursue in the near future.
- When did you start your journey as a blogger and why? I started blogging in 2012 for various reasons. I wanted to share my life adventures with friends and family. I travelled to Europe and to the Transkei and it was great to have one platform to write everything down and just tell everyone to catch up on what I have been up to on my blog. I also started the Social Club and I wanted to share our amazing nights with everyone. Since then I started a blog for Social Club events only.
- If you are not blogging where will we find you? I’m quite a social butterfly if I may say so myself, but in the week I try to keep it chilled. So I cook food, watch series and sketch sometimes. My favourite Saturday activities would be to go for a run or a hike in the morning in Cape Town. Anywhere in our gorgeous city is beautiful and it just puts your head in the right space. Then I will go look for a healthy breakfast at a local city market and buy some fresh organic veggies for the upcoming week. The evenings are usually spent with my boyfriend and friends at a braai or watching a movie. Sundays were made for driving out to discover beautiful places, to eat big meals and then going home with your food baby and lounge around on the couch to watch movies for the rest of the day.
- Tell us a little about your space on the interweb and what you blog about? I like to blog about everything that I am interested in, such as art, cooking, décor, DIY projects, adventures, music and travel. I just want to share all the cool discoveries that I make with everyone and I get to on my blog.
- What do you think makes a blog successful? Content is important and I think if it should be interesting and something that people can relate to. Readers also appreciate honesty, so try and be real and transparent through your posts.
- Being a blogger is not always easy – what motivates you and keeps you going? I can be pretty hard on myself and just try and keep myself motivated. You have to force yourself to sit down and write a post sometimes, but you feel great once you have done it, so it keeps you going.
- What have your biggest blogging challenges been? Definitely finding time to write a post, I have plenty of half written posts in my blog. I have recently acquired more time, so I am determined to publish those drafts. Watch this space.
- What do you love most about being a blogger? I love getting feedback from readers. Then I think: “Whaaaat somebody actually read my blog, yay!!” I love the social interaction with people Twitter and the conversations that you have with readers.
- What has your journey as a blogger taught you {about yourself or in general}? Has it changed your life in any way? I find it great to write my thoughts down, it’s kind of therapeutic. It’s helped me to improve my discipline and time management. Afrikaans is my first language, so writing in English is fine, but there has been some times where I get my grammar mixed up. So I started reading more books and trying to improve my writing.
- If you had to choose a favourite social media platform, what would it be and why? Twitter, as it’s such a great platform to interact with brands and people. I like following people from Cape Town as I can check what they get up to, like what restaurants, bars or markets they go to. This way I stay on top of what’s new and hot. I’ve posted questions on Twitter and have received such great feedback from strangers that you have never met, but it’s like you are all BFF’s in the Twitterverse. I was surprised by how supportive my followers were when I got retrenched and received many job opportunities through them. I also use Twitter as my news source. It’s great to catch up on a news story through the micro blogging, especially when you don’t have time to read long articles.
- If you had to give a newbie blogger any advice, what words of wisdom would you impart? Be patient, stay committed, be genuine and don’t forget to have fun!
Thanks Natalie for sharing a bit more about your life and blogging journey with us! You can find out more about Natalie and connect with her here:
Blog link: www.talesundertablemountain.com / www.socialclubza.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/socialclubza
Twitter: www.twitter.com/natsnotfazed & www.twitter.com/socialclubza
Instagram: www.instagram.com/natsnotfazed & www.instagram.com/socialclubza
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: Natalie
I am now getting to a place where I look forward to meeting your bloggers each week. so interesting to get to know the local and others. To hear and see what they do and what make them tick as bloggers.
Thanks Rose I love that you are enjoying the series!I would love to feature you here is you are keen let me know! 🙂