Welcome to today’s edition of Wise Words Wednesday! Taking to the seat today is Angie from A Creative Life. She has a great selection of crafts and food over on her blog, which is a great place to get inspiration from.
Let’s hand over to Angie so she can share her blogging thoughts with you!
Tell us a little bit about you & your blog:
Hi, Im Angie. I am a 52 year old blogger, Mum of one who is 26 and Nan to two beautiful grandsons. My blog is written about my love of crafts, food and my lifestyle. I love cooking and using my imagination to create crafty things, especially where they involve cross stitch or beading. I run a large Cross Stitch group on Facebook and have created some tutorials to help members to make their stitching into unusual items such as Pendibulles and Biscornus. When I worked I was based in Mainstream Education specialising in supporting children with barriers to their learning so I have also included posts in my blog on how to support children with several different needs such as Autism, Adhd, Hearing Impairments as a few examples. There are 9 in total. My blog is at http://acreativelife.co.uk
What inspired you to start blogging?
I have had a blog for a number of years but never really used it. I was stuck in job where I was extremely unhappy and needed to change. My daughter also blogs and suggested that if I could afford to, to take up blogging and see where it got me. My blog and reviews are gradually becoming more successful so the future is there to see what happens. I love being able to share my love of cooking and crafting with others and inspire them to create
What has been your highlight of blogging?
I have met and made some amazing new friends whilst blogging, both online and by meeting them at Bloggers conferences. Blogging wise, I wrote a blog post called ‘An emotional story to write’, which detailed how my life has panned out so far. It was incredibly popular.
Is there anything you have learnt about blogging which you wish you knew when you started out?
If you are prepared to put in time and effort to your blog then it will start to pay off. It has taken me nearly 12 months to start to see what effect my blog is now having. You need to be consistent (have a regular posts) so that you keep your audience. Make sure that you pick a niche that you know something about and can write about with knowledge. Concentrate on one main outlet of social media for your blog rather than picking them all and having a little on each. So if you are posting on Facebook, build up your page with followers and make this base successful then move onto Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram. Write honestly.
Bloggers sometimes get a lot of stick however many work really hard and are reaping the rewards, what has been the most rewarding part of blogging for you?
Being able to share what I have learnt from others. My daughter has been teaching me but I also have found out things that I have taught her too. You really do need to put in a lot of work to make your Blog successful. Also using my blog to inspire others to have a go at making things which are out of their comfort zone. I am amazed at how many people will read a tutorial and have a go. Then message me and say I am making more of those as presents for people 🙂
What would be your 1 tip you would give all new bloggers starting out?
If at first you don’t succeed try again. Enjoy what you are doing and don’t make your blog a chore.
Who do you find inspiring to read/watch in the blogging world?
I personally do not have one person, as I think that everyone who writes a blog or records items for you to watch is inspirational in their own way. Each person is an individual and has different ideas, situations, points of view so it is interesting to read them all.
Lastly – do you have any big plans/dreams for your blog in the next 12 months?
I would love to make my blog really successful and reap the benefits from doing the same.
