In today’s Confessions of a Blogger Pauline from Tea in Tangiers, tells us about her life as a designer, writer, traveller and mom. I absolutely loved reading about Paulines life and her travels, it definitely makes me want to travel more!
Hi – I’m Pauline, an interior designer and writer, originally from Cape Town but since 2003 have moved around the globe a bit living in the UK, Asia, and trying to get to Morocco as often as possible. I have two beautiful daughters, a husband who indulges my blogging whims a few cats and a dog and you will never find me travelling without a coffee pot in my suitcase – yes I really do pack a moka pot!
- When did you start your journey as a blogger and why? I started blogging almost a year ago now – June 17 to be exact, I do remember because I published my first blogpost on our wedding anniversary, and as I said in that post, it is a date {apparently} suited to longevity and success, an auspicious date I would like to think . . . and part of an attempt to link up parts of my life, which is one of the driving forces behind the blog in a way! Why did I start blogging . . . well I am a writer by trade having worked for several interior and lifestyle publications over the years, as well as being an interior designer, and love morocco on all of these fronts; travel, lifestyle and design so it felt like the perfect vehicle for me to ramble on about what I love. It also was part of a decision I took to stop talking and dreaming, and start doing – so I write a lot about the blog helping me “shift the balance”, and in a way it has done that as in the course of the next 6 months we will be making it home rather than a holiday.
- Do you blog fulltime or do you have a 9-5 as well? I pretty much blog full time at the moment, I do have other writing and design projects on a freelance basis but the blog is definitely part of my daily schedule. In fact if I am being honest I start experiencing blog withdrawal syndrome if I can’t check my blog and twitter feeds on a daily basis.
- Tell us a little about your space on the interweb and what you blog about? We spend time in the north of Morocco, and I felt that although there was a lot to read about Marrakech, there seemed to be a lot less information floating around about Tangiers, so a gap in the market of the blogging world was calling me – plus I have a weakness for alliteration, hence the title. Some of the subjects I write about are informative about places to stay, restaurants we like, while others are more personal and some are simply visual. As I said in that first post “I am planning to enjoy and discover a little more with each visit, until the visits hopefully get longer and turn into stays.” and the exciting thing is that this shift is starting to happen so watch the blog!
- Being a blogger is not always easy – what motivates you and keeps you going? The blog itself is what gives me the motivation, and the interaction with people via the blog. I enjoy working on it so it’s not a hardship, and when there are times that I am busy or need to focus on something else I do that and try not to stress. At the end of the day it’s a travel and lifestyle blog I am writing, not world peace, so if a post has to wait a week because a child is sick or a best friend is visiting, then so be it – but I must confess I hate it if I can’t check on my Facebook page and blog to start my day.
- What have your biggest blogging challenges been? Finding the balance between being personal and content on a writing level, and then all the technical stuff which doesn’t come naturally to me.
- What do you love most about being a blogger? That’s easy – I love the social interaction both on the blog and on Facebook and twitter. The positive comments and likes are really rewarding and I really do feel like I have ‘met’ some lovely people out there who relate to the words and images I am posting. So right from the beginning you have something in common. I also get a huge kick out of creating the posts and sourcing the images and putting it all together and knowing that I have done that all myself despite not being a technology genius on any level – but I do still get nervous every time I click on that publish button!
- Do you have any blog related or social media pet peeves? {things that other bloggers or social media peeps do, that really annoy you} A few (this is where I go into grumpy old woman mode) blogs that get over personal and make me feel like I am wading through a personal therapy session are one. Blogs that are a little too self-congratulatory are another – in other words simply sharing their fabulousness, without any of the flaws. Blog posts with a title promising me untold wisdom of how to improve my blog . . . then kick off by telling me to make my content interesting (now why didn’t I think of that?!) Incorrect spelling or badly written blogs – I know there are lots of things that are grammatically incorrect about the way I write because I try and write in the same way that I speak so possibly grammar purists will find that annoying, but at least I do use the spell check!
- What has your journey as a blogger taught you {about yourself or in general}? Has it changed your life in any way? I don’t think it has really changed my life, but it has definitely helped me to focus and give some direction to other projects. It has also given some structure to my day which is not always easy when freelancing.
- If you had to give a newbie blogger any advice, what words of wisdom would you impart? If you want to start a blog my advice would be to just get started and enjoy it. Start off by playing around and getting it to look how you want, play around with images and have fun. You will learn as you go along. Read and subscribe to other blogs and most importantly interact, comment, like and tweet!
- In three words tell me what blogging means to you: self-expression, creativity, focus.
Thanks Pauline for sharing a bit more about your life and blogging journey with us! You can find out more about Pauline and connect with her here:
Blog link: http://www.tea-in-tangiers.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teaintangiers
Twitter: https://twitter.com/teaintangiers
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/teaintangiers/
If you would like to be featured on Confessions of a Blogger or would like to see a blogger featured here, then please email Fiona or leave a comment below.
Images: Pauline
Interesting interview with Pauline, my favourite blogger! Always using stunning images in her blog too. Ohh, and fellow coffee lover!