Huzzah! It's time for another edition of 'I Love Your Blog' - the posts where I get to share all about a blog that I love to read with you lovely folk! This time, the blog in question is
Under A Glass Sky, the blog of my very dear friend Emily. What she doesn't know about cooking, parties, events, style, London or gin....isn't worth knowing ;).
How long
have you been blogging?
I started my blog as Pretty Pretentious just over a year ago, but I
didn't change it to Under a Glass Sky until earlier this year, when I started
posting regularly in February. I first started blogging last summer for Mask
Event Design and Production, when I was asked to write about seasonal event
trends....it didn't take long for me to get hooked and that's when I started my
own blog!
What do you blog about? Do you have a specific
goal with your blog (i.e. reviewing products, using it as a ministry, promoting
a business), or is it more a record of your life?
My blog really just
started as a diary.... I would write about the big things I'd been up to each
month, as I seemed to be doing so many more exciting things since moving to
central London. After a while though I found it was much easier to write
smaller posts, but more regularly, and that's when the basis for my blog as it
is was formed. I still write about all the things I get up to, be it shopping,
a theatre visit, or eating out, but I also now throw in a few recipes, 'how
to's', and shop reviews. I think it's pretty much a true representation of my
personality....featuring all the random things I love!
What is your favourite thing about blogging?
Researching! That may sound very commendable but for me 'research' is
eating, shopping, going out and generally having fun! I love my Wednesday Wants
column because I get an excuse to shop online for things that I wouldn't
usually be able to buy....it's the ultimate in window shopping!
What is your least favourite thing about
blogging?
The
technomaligicalness. I'm a fairly intelligent and capable person on the whole,
but some things I've tried to do with my blog are just beyond me! Ideally I'd
love to have sufficient funds to get someone to build my blog for me, exactly
how I'd like, based on my hand drawn diagrams and ramblings!
Do you have any favourite posts on your blog – pieces
you’re really proud of, which document something special, or which seemed to
strike a chord with your readers?
Often the posts I'm
most proud of are the least popular, and vice versa, but I think that can be
quite common! I wrote a piece about Tosca at the ENO a while ago, and thought
it was one of the best things I'd written....but it's one of the least visited posts
on my blog! I was rather proud of my piece about the Grayson Perry exhibition
at the British Museum though, and that is one of the most visited, so I guess
my readers and I have at least something in common!
Whose blogs do you love?
I love my dear friend
Vixie's blog Matin Lapin....she finds some enchanting things on Etsy to share,
and it very much reflects her personality. I read a lot of home and lifetstyle
blogs, and especially love Domestic Sluttery, House of Earnest and Here Comes
the Sun....they are all giving me lots of ideas for when I move into my new
house and have space to do some lovely things with it!
Do you like meeting bloggers in real life and
nurturing connections?
I recently went along to a bloggers event organised by Lomography.... it
was a great chance to meet lots of other bloggers, and hear talks from some
really well established bloggers too. I'm still in touch with lots of the
people I met there and now I've done it once I know I'll take any chance to
meet up with fellow bloggers. I also went along to a cocktail reception with
the Domestic Sluttery ladies, and really enjoyed just chatting away the evening
with like-minded people....it doesn't have to be all blog-focussed, and I guess
that's how so many people find new friends via their blogs.
Do you use other websites or social media in
conjunction with your blog?
I have a Facebook
page for my blog, as well as a G+ page (although I'm not using that very much
at all!). I have Pinterest, Instagram, Flickr, Lomohome and Twitter accounts
under the same banner, and I use Bloglovin and Hello Cotton too. I also have
shops within the same brand on Etsy and Folksy. I find using everything for my
site works really well, as it's quite a personal blog, and I get most of my
page views via them.
What are your ambitions for Under A Glass Sky, moving
forward?
There are a few technical things I'd like to do in order to make
navigating my blog easier, and I'd really like to get it hosted so that I can
start getting a little sponsorship for it too. I've been amazed with how fast
my monthly views have gone up in the last few months, so I'd be delighted if it
continues to grow at such a rate.
What tips
do you have for bloggers growing and nurturing their blogs?
Write about what you
love! At the end of the day, unless you're writing professionally, your blog is
your place to do whatever you like. I find as long as I'm writing about things
I want to, that I always want to write....if I try to shoe horn in something
I'm not so into, then I find writing a chore and that's exactly what it
shouldn't be! It's also good to know when you need a break....if you're feeling
uninspired or just don't fancy blogging, then step away for a while! There's no
point slogging at it only to start to resent it and there's no harm in taking a
little rest....you'll come back refreshed and writing wonderfully!
Thank you so much for your wonderful answers, Ems!
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