It's already April and I am finally getting back to all my blogging themes from last year! I love inviting guests over to Plushka's blog and every month, I will be having a chat and a "cup of tea" with fellow Madeit designers who blog:)
Why have you decided to start a blog?
I have been reading blogs for quite a while and get so much inspiration from reading about people's journeys and seeing their work, and I suppose eventually I wanted to join it! I enjoyed reading about other's creative processes and how their lives are shaped by art, creativity, travel and so on. I also found it beneficial to read about their struggles, obstacles they've had to overcome, experiences good and bad that shaped their lives. I wanted to start documenting my own life's journey and a blog seemed the best way to do that as well as connect with other creative people all over the world. I hope that one day my blog might inspire others the way I have been inspired!
Is there a story behind the name of your blog?
My business is called Red Parka Designs, named after my beloved red parka that I've had for years and still wear to death! Red Parka Diaries just seemed the perfect name for my blog as it's connected to the business but it's about far more than that. My online pseudonym has been redparka for many years. So it made sense!
Have your blogging style changed since you've started?
It has certainly become more logical and organised! When I started I wrote fairly randomly about whatever I felt like. Now, I try to be a little more disciplined and stick to theme a little more, although by it's very nature, the blog can be about anything that inspires me on the day!
Do you think blogs are moving to the second place now since Facebook business/social pages are becoming more popular?
No, I think they complement each other. For many people, a blog is too much work and therefore a Facebook page is great. But many people use them to complement each other or prefer the more in depth nature of blogs. I like both for different reasons.
Do you have a blogging routine or any themes that you join?
My current routine is to post every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Wednesday is always Illustration Crush, where I share the work of an illustrator that I've discovered. This one is important to me because illustration is at the centre of what I do and Iove finding new artists to inspire me and to share with others. Monday and Friday vary from week to week but I'd like to incorporate more regular weekly features in the future.
What are your 5 most favourite blogs to visit and why?
Ok, this one is hard as I like so many blogs! But I'll try to come up with five!
This blog is full of colour, great photography, tips on being self-employed and living your dream, and great clothes! Elsie has an infectious style and reading her blog always inspires me to get creative!
2. Pikaland
Pikaland is about the illustrated life and I love this blog! Everytime I go here I find a new artist to look up and be inspired by! Amy does a great job providing lots of useful info and links for artists and I find this blog a constant source of inspiration. If you're a fan of illustration, this is a must-read blog.
Chris Guillebeau's blog is a regular haunt for me. He's a real entrepreneurial spirit who's on a constant quest for remarkableness! He writes about being self-employed, adventurous, living life on your own terms, being remarkable and just generally being real and awesome. It's a constant reminder that this is MY life and I can do whatever I want with it. I love it!
Lisa is a Swedish illustrator and designer living in London and her blog is about her life, things that inspire her, fashion, food, design... basically all the good things that we love! She's a lovely soul and her blog is always good reading with sumptuous photos and things that make me smile!
I just like everything about this blog. I'm not even sure why but I read it all the time! Maybe because I can't wait to get back to NW America and I share Elizabeth's love of Winnebagos, illustration and handmade. She also has an big, crazy mop of hair like me but her's always looks amazing, unlike mine! So I guess I have hair-envy too!
(Love your favourite blogs Jen! Thank you for sharing!)
(Love your favourite blogs Jen! Thank you for sharing!)
Any tips for the bloggers who just started?
I have only been blogging for a year so I'm very much still learning myself. But my first tip would be if you want to write a blog, just start! I thought about a blog for years, literally, and when I started I was so nervous about putting it out there and what on earth the world would think of me and why would they even care etc etc.... but once I started, I learned as I went and grew in confidence. I also learned that if you are genuine and honest people will care! That's the wonderful thing about the Internet - you can feel alone in your own little corner of the world but somewhere out there are plenty of people who are like you and will care about the things you care about. So don't be shy, get it out there and keep being real. Work out what you want from the blog, who your audience is and what you want to achieve and shape it accordingly. I'm still doing this and my blog is growing and improving as I go and I really enjoy working on it... it's very much a work in progress. But then, so is life!
Thank you Jen for visiting!
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