Tuesday 7 July 2015

Blog Interview with Louise from soulfindings

A few weeks ago, there was some chatter in one of the blogging groups from a whole heap of new bloggers looking for some hints and tips. Sometimes, it's a little bit tiring, having the same questions asked over and over, but sometimes, someone has an unusual approach to the idea, and you want to jump right in. This is one of those jump right in times. Louise from soulfindings asked if "established" bloggers would share their site so she could take a look at it, ask some questions and gets some advice in the process. The twist was that we would publish on our blogs, giving our audience an extra insight into us, and introduce soulfindings to the world. Great idea! I'm in!

Firstly, I'm dying to ask - the name! "Life Behind The Purple Door", please tell me how this came about, it is such an interesting name for a blog! What's the story there?
This is an easy one - our front door is purple! You can read the story of the door over here. I'm about to celebrate my domainiversary (yes, I made that up) this month, 6 years I've owned it!

You're a mother of 5 (incredible) and it seems as though your blogs purpose is to, as you say, "rediscover Cate", I love this! What made you want to 'rediscover' yourself?
I don't think it's so much "rediscovery" as remembering. Remembering who Cate is (and was) before kids took over the house. I heard a quote (on Oprah!) when Chloe was little, that for children to be happy, their mother needed to be happy. That made so much sense to me! So now, I don't feel guilt when I want to craft instead of clean the house. 

Who or what specifically got you into blogging?
Back in the day, I used to spend a lot of time on the [now defunct] Scrapbooking Memories forum. It was the first forum I'd ever been part of, and I'm still friends with some of the women now. A few of the ladies were setting up blogs to share their craft, and that sounded like a great idea to me, so I did.

When did you start your blog? Have you always had just the one blog?
I wrote my first post on August 21st, 2007. I've had other blogs before - on Yahoo360, and the original blogger (before Google purchased it), and I have a dashboard full of unpublished blogs, too.

How did you feel when you published your first post?
Honestly, it was so long ago, I don't remember feeling anything other than "yay, I figured it out" (it would be a few more weeks before I figured out how to link to other website, then it was party time!)

Are there any programs you swear by and couldn't do without that you could recommend?
If you can afford it, and have the time to learn, invest in Photoshop Elements. With the rise of visual media, you need a way to stand out from the crowd, instead of using Canva or PicMonkey. 

How long do you usually leave between posts? Do you have a routine for posting?
I'd like to say I'm all over keeping on top of posting, but I'm not. It's currently 7.30 in the morning, and between yelling at kids to hustle (they've got vacation care today) I'm writing. I usually prefer to write after everyone is asleep, because there's no distraction, but by that time all I want to do is sleep, too!

Can you describe your blog in 5 words?
creating family adventure behind the purple door. Seven words, that's the fewest I've got.
How do you come up with material for your blog posts? Do you draft before you publish, or do you delve straight into the keyboard and go?
Today, I'm typing and publishing. I do have an editorial calendar that I try to stick to, but it doesn't always happen. As for material, it's just life stuff, my thoughts, stories about kids, memories, creations.
So, your page is pretty damn gorgeous, filled with lots of shades of purple, of course! How do you find your creativity? Do you capture these beaut pics yourself?
Creativity is something that every person has, despite their belief otherwise. And a good camera helps. 

I see you've been featured on other websites - can you outline where you've been featured and how it came about?
I'm a contributing writer for And Sew We Craft, and have been since they started almost four years ago. I got that position by answering a call out in one of the blogging groups on facebook. I've also recently become a contributor to Parent Talk Australia, a new blogger collective that shares posts to a large audience. That was also a call out in a group. As for guest posts on other blogs, it's been a while since I've written any, but over the years I've written posts for Modern Mummy Mayhem and Simplify Create Inspire (and I can't remember any others, I've never kept track of them!)

Have you attended any physical events for bloggers to meet and greet? If so, what did you take from meeting other bloggers not behind a device?
I've been to lots of events with other bloggers, as recently as last month at the Medela event at PBC Expo, to organising meet ups myself with bloggers who have become friends over the years. It's always great to meet bloggers face to face, talk about everyone's experiences, brainstorm ideas, learn from each other as well as learn about each other and see that everyone's life experiences are similar and yet so different.


Tell us where you want to be positioned with {life behind the purple door} in 12 months? What are you wanting to achieve with your beaut-blog?
Hmm... this is a tough one. I'll have to ponder this one when I don't have children yelling at each other cause they're running late!

What do you find the most challenging aspect of having a blog?
These days, being heard in the sea of noise. 

When you started your blog initially, what was the best advice you received and why?
Back when I started, people didn't share advice, they just blogged.

And finally, what last famous words can you give to someone who aspires to have an established blog like yours?
I know it's truly cliché, because everyone says it, but just write. If you're blogging to make money, stop now, and just write. There is so much noise in the blogosphere these days that it's hard to be heard, but if you write about your passions, you engage people and you love what you're doing, someone will hear you. Then someone else will hear you. and eventually you build a community that loves you, and that's better than money every is.

Linking up with Essentially Jess for #ibot
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5 comments

  1. Love your responses here Cate! And domainiversary is definitely a thing!!!!

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  2. Cate I love this, but in particular that very last statement. Just write. Forget about the other stuff. I am also so with you when it comes to noise. It can be easy to feel drowned out by so many other amazing voices, but we just have to keep on putting ourselves out there anyway.

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  3. Fantastic interview post Cate! I keep links to my guest posts on the "Crafty Resume & Such" page on my blog. You did a post on my blog a few years ago looking back at your 100 Days of Christmas project. I, too, think the most important thing to do is just write . . . and enjoy it along the way!

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  4. Great interview Cate. Your last line is very true :)

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