create

Towards the end of last year I was struggling to come up with regular blog content. But since the start of this year there have only been 4 weeks in which I haven’t posted at least 5 times a week.  I have to say I am a bit impressed with myself.  I love blogging and I gave myself a little challenge near the beginning of the year to post more consistently, improve my blogging ‘skills’ and improve the quality of what I am putting out.  I hadn’t considered the fact that at the same time I was putting out original content (thanks Decorator’s Notebook for pointing it out).  What do I mean by ‘original’? Written posts, posts that use your own photos (useful for diys and recipes that might not be your own) and reinterpretation or ‘curation’ of images in an original way (with sufficient crediting!).  Tumblr style reposting is not in there!

These are the big factors for how I have increased my level of posting and kept it up:

1. Use an editorial calendar

The best tool for creating a regular schedule and building up content that I have found is an editorial calendar. I used to keep a google calendar with ideas and scheduling but it didn’t really carry through to actions for me.  A couple months ago I started using the wordpress plugin called “edit flow”.  I don’t know if it is the best (there was another option I tried but it didn’t seem to work with my theme).  The benefit is that it shows in an easily visible way what posts you have planned and allows you to easily schedule posts in advance.  Honestly, I don’t think without this I would be posting as regularly.  I have seen people who schedule posts months in advance but I normally just plan out a week in advance, with extra ideas flowing over into the following weeks

2. Regular features

Keeping some ‘standards’ that you can rely on helps you to focus your writing.   I generally post something on a Monday that I did over the weekend (or even the one before), Wednesday is somehow food related and I have a ‘happy Friday’ post which is a bit more relaxed (and generally written the night before) which pulls together things from the week and bits that I have found over the week to link to.  I am not super strict about sticking to these all the time but it is helpful in preventing writers block

3. Length variety

It would be nigh on impossible (at least for me) to write an epic post for everyday of the week.  Sometimes all it requires is a simple picture that relates to how you are feeling or a peak of a series you have coming up (a tip from those wedding photographers).  I did this recently with a lomography photo series where I posted a photo and explained what would be coming up (while I was away).

4. Break it up

The lomography example is another great example of how you can use one occasion for multiple posts.  I had taken a roll of film (36 pictures).  But no-one wants to look at 36 pictures in one go so broke it up into recurring themes between pictures.  The perfect thing to do this with (if you aren’t a photographer using film) is holiday posts – break it up into where you ate, a cool museum you visited, a quirky story of when you got lost.

5. Guest posts

I recently asked a group of bloggers if they would contribute to a series on turning 29.  This allowed me to fill a week with posts and still have a bit of a break from trying to come up with content.  This is also really good when you are going away or if you foresee a busy period coming up.

6. Have a life

It can be very easy to get stuck in a world of reading blog posts and endlessly scrolling through pinterest looking for inspiration but the best inspiration is going out into the real world and doing stuff.  Go to a museum, try a new restaurant, go to the park and try pack a new cocktail combination, meet up with fellow bloggers and make flower crowns.  You know, whatever floats your boat.

7. Original visuals

Even if you aren’t a photographer taking your own photos and using them on your posts is huge.  I have seen several posts explaining why this is important and providing tips on how to do this so I won’t go into it.  You don’t need a crazy expensive camera, lots of bloggers use their phones, and you don’t need to be an amazing artist.  People like to see your point of view and your story.  If you are looking to improve your photography skills (and are based in London) check out my photo walks.  Creating video content is another way of putting something completely original out there – whether it is a vlog, a holiday video or a how to.

8. Take it easy

I try and post daily Monday to Friday.  Sometimes this doesn’t work and I will post over the weekend (still keeping my total at five).  But if you don’t reach your desired posting goal do no beat yourself up when you haven’t posted.  Don’t kill yourself to get 7 posts out a week – consider what you feel is achievable and will work for you whether that is once a week or more.  Take the occasional break (but tell your readers if you foresee if being a bit longer, it is only polite).

Blogging should be enjoyable and fun but if you want a more structured blog I hope you find these useful.  I’d love to know if you have any more suggestions too.

Yay!  The day has come to share what Tim and I have been working on.  We made a movie to tell you about it.

We are running a workshop for bloggers on how to make videos!  We are really excited about this and hope you will come to one of our classes.  We are starting off small so be quick to get into the first class.

To find out more you can go to the Posts Production website.

You can also follow us on facebook, twitter (where Tim is taking the lead) and google+.

I would love to hear your thoughts so leave a comment here or on our new site.

I made some crafty envelopes for the birthday invites I made.  They are really easy and a great way to reuse a magazine that you have lovingly read cover to cover.  I did have the template wrong to start. Basically you want to measure out the shape of the item to be posted, duplicate that, leave space for a flap at the top and add a cm border around.  For extra measure I added some cool tape to hold it all together (this one is from Heart Zeena).

Stay tuned this week.  For my birthday I have asked some lovely bloggers to give me some advice for the last year of my 20s and there are some wise words for any age.

I have to admit I am a lazy crafter. I get started on a project and get bored when I am half way through.  I start learning a new skill but then a shiny new one comes along and I move on.  I suppose it makes me a “jack of all trades and master of none” but I don’t really mind.  Crafting is a hobby which I enjoy and I like to flit around and try a bit of everything rather than attempting to become an expert in one area.

Sometimes when I am a bit lacklustre I feel the quick craft hit is enough to get me back to feeling inspired.  Plus actually finishing something gives me a mini-high too.  These three super quick crafts are a great way of adding personality to some items.  I am sure we can all pull out an tshirt from the cupboard and make it more unique with simple touches.  And why should you carry around a boring old notebook when you can add a bit of your own pizzazz to it?

Porcelain Paint Pen

I picked these mugs up in the charity shop for £3.00 and used a porcelain paint pen in gold to make the dot pattern. To be honest the porcelain pen isn’t the easiest tool to use because the paint comes out in blobs and drops form. I really want to try the “sharpie method” because I think you will be able to have more control and do sharper more detailed images.

Personalising notebooks

Simple. £5 for three plain notebooks from Paperchase.  I used some acrylic paint and did some lettering.  The one for Venice I am planning on doing some little maps and notes of my holiday in a couple weeks.

Heart top

I made this because of a recent heart obsession but is not too in your face that I can’t wear everyday.  I used the freezer paper/pain method (Randomly Happy for a tutorial).  Keep this quick by doing a simple silhouette like a heart or put in a bit of extra time for some words which I am definitely doing for another top.

I am also Randomly Happy’s guest pinner for her “Live More, Create More” pin board.  Check it out, if you haven’t already.

Over the weekend a troupe of bloggers* went down to a lovely little town by the sea (Leigh-on-Sea) to have a good ol’ blogger get together.  And nothing says blogger get together like stripey straws, drinking out of jam jars and flowers.

We all settled down in Anna’s lovely house (complete with vintage loveliness, the essential blogger magazine selection and an enviable typewriter collection) where she was the perfect hostess.  She made very generous gift bags, fed us yummy food and organised a cornucopia of flowers for us to play with. Charlotte demonstrated some crown making skills but sadly my idea of a crown crown with flowers didn’t really work, so I stole Elena‘s crown, and later had a whole pile on my head.  Everyone else’s crowns were magnificent celebrations of spring and it was though a bevy of ladies had stepped out of la primavera.  Okay, maybe not quite but I like to think so.

The flowers were kindly provided by the Great British Florist which is a company I can really get behind. They only sell flowers grown in Britain, which is much more environmentally friendly, plus they actually smelled.  If you are organising an event and want to arrange your own flowers they provide a selection in a box for you to do it yourself.

p.s. I am in love with the colours in that last photo!

p.p.s. more blogger photos when I have got some preapproval.

* troupe of bloggers included Hannah and Katie from Shoestring Splendour, Jo from The Only Place, Charlotte from Lotts and Lots,  Jo from Hey Jo Design, Elena from Randomly Happy, Natalie from Scrap Adventure and of course Anna (whose house we took over) from Skin Blister Blog.

Thanks to all these ladies for making a very enjoyable Sunday and to Anna’s sister Harriet for picking us up from the station.

So I have been nattering on about working towards a photography business for a while.  When I started this blog in June last year it was my “business website” but I just didn’t feel ready and prepared so it reverted to my blogging arena.

This year though is the year that it happens.  I am feeling more confident in what I want to provide and that I can provide it.  In the next few months I plan to have a website and working at getting some business.

In the meantime though I want to collaborate!  Perhaps it is my hippy socialist mentality but I don’t think being an entrepreneur means you need to be a lone horse. Working with others is where a lot of power lies.

So let me breakdown what I want to offer.

My primary focus is female portraiture.  Taking pictures that help you see how beautiful and amazing you are.  Leaving you feeling confident and gorgeous.  Shoot options will range from sassy boudoir to business shots, beauty pictures and potentially hen party pictures plus a couple more.

But as you know looking at my blog I love a bit of still life.  My styling skills aren’t always there but I think I am pretty good at the capture part.  I suppose my ultimate would be shooting a Toast lookbook.

So if you are a make-up artist, lingerie designer, clothes designer, designer designer, beautician, entrepreneur, fellow photographer, event organiser, fitness instructor, all-round super hero I would love to hear from you and see if we can collaborate.  If you want to team up to produce something together, swap skills or just have a cup of coffee leave a comment or email me or say hi on twitter.  Don’t be shy, I’d have got in touch but I just might not have met you yet or thought of a way we can work together but if you have let me know!

********UPDATE********

After all the twitter love etc I have received I really want to share the love.  If you have been thinking of collaborating but don’t know where to start, blog about it or send me details (even if I am not the person you are looking for) and I will tweet about it, pin about it and/or link back to you in future posts.  I would love to connect people who together can create something magical that they might not be able to do on their own.  If you want to use my lonesome horsey picture too feel free (although acknowledging me if you do would be nice).

I think a lot of you agree with me that working with others and collaborating is a the future of business.  This totally feeds into my green ideals – global collaborations rather than multi-national corporations.

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* Sorry I thought I would get some song lyrics in there because they are amusing.

p.s. I love the shade that I get with my film photos sometimes, this seems to have got the same lovely light as this pic.