Confessions of a Blogger Helena Sheridan

Today on Confessions of a Blogger we meet Helena Sheridan from Quiet Riot Girl, a new blog and blogger to me and an interesting one at that!

Hi I am Helena ~ A small town girl with a big world vision. I work as a freelance writer / online & social media manager and I do occasional styling and creative conceptualization stuff. I also take care of the logistics for AfrikaBurn‘s Department of Public Works…Good at most things, interested in variety.

When did you start your journey as a blogger and why? I have always been better at expressing myself in writing than verbally. Growing up I kept journals and poured my confused teenage thoughts out onto pages. After working in online marketing for a few years in my early 20s I decided to take some of my thoughts (or social commentary as I like to think of it) online with a blog. In 2010 I resigned from my job in an advertising agency in order to focus more on brands, products, people and projects I felt connected to. With that came the need to create an online space to share my work and also the opportunity to blog (and do some online marketing) for a few interesting clients.
Do you blog fulltime or do you have a 9-5 as well? I do a lot of things in order to keep myself stimulated. I do not have a 9-5 though. I blog for myself whenever the time or inspiration (or sometimes frustration) allows and I blog for my clients as and when stories arise. I also work for AfrikaBurn – I run the Department of Public Works for the event (we are the crew that sets up and breaks down the event and this year around 30 of us spent 48 days living in the Tankwa Karoo). I am lucky enough to have clients that understand that I need some time out and that connectivity is limited when you live in a tent in the desert, so they allow me to do less online work in those months.

Tell us a little about your space on the interweb and what you blog about? On my personal blog I usually make a lot of social commentary and I like to share my personal experiences and travels. I have been involved in a lot of really bizarre and interesting projects in the last two years. I volunteered as the Production Lead to set up and break down the European Burning Man Regional called Nowhere, in the Monegros dessert in Spain in 2012 and 2013. After that in 2013 I, with about 15 other activists (hippies!) cruised down the Rio Ebro on rafts we had built from junk and plastic bottles we collected on the streets of Barcelona. We stopped in small Spanish towns and performed to share messages of recycling and responsible consumption. My job was to share the journey online via our blog and social media channels. These experiences have really shaped my social conscious and I believe my outlook on society is unique. So my personal blog is a little all over the show as I see, perceive and experience things. I have several clients that I blog for and they all warrant their own approach: For Adi Badenhorst I blog about his wines, life on the farm in the stunning Swartland, media attention received and anything interesting Adi and family gets up to (there is always something!). Adi is also part of the Swartland Revolution, a by now legendary wine event we host in Riebeek Kasteel every November. For the Revolution it is more about keeping the website content updated and keeping fans informed of developments. My cousin (married to Adi) and her partner Judy create beautiful, unique events under their De Liefde umbrella and I make sure the world sees what amazing work they do. I also manage blogs for a restaurant in Greenpoint, a cottage in the Ceres Valley and Prince Albert Olive Oil (who’s new website and blog is currently under construction).

Being a blogger is not always easy – what motivates you and keeps you going? I probably need to do more personal blogging, it might help me focus my thoughts and the many projects I keep juggling. For my clients – the fantastic innovative and ‘organic’ work they do inspires me and makes me want to share their vision.
What have your biggest blogging challenges been? Personally, courage. The courage to share my views and thoughts with the world (even if no one reads it) putting my opinion out there so black on white (or whatever template you choose to create) is scary. A friend once told me that he loves my writing and the way I almost use it as public therapy – I challenge and contradict myself constantly and somehow grow from the start of a blog post to the end. For clients, getting them to understand the value of online marketing and social media. Also getting them to realize that people are interested in all sort of strange aspects of their lives and adventures. For instance, Adi is a great winemaker but he also breeds parrots, brews beer, takes his kids for sunrise boerewors braais and has an impressive taxidermy collection – once people are vested in your brand they are also interested in all the other aspects of what makes you a unique character… and blogging is a way to share that with them.

What do you love most about being a blogger? The freedom. I can do my job from anywhere as long as I have my little computer and an internet connection. I have blogged from a container in the Spanish dust, the banks of the Rio Ebro, an RV next to the beach on the French West Coast, my 1970 caravan office in the middle of the barren Tankwa Karoo and more recently the warm blankets of my bed in wintery Woodstock…I love finding a story and sharing it with an eager audience and somehow ‘spreading the love’.
Do you have any blog related or social media pet peeves? {things that other bloggers or social media peeps do, that really annoy you} Selfies! And the over sharing of useless personal information. I really think one day we will look back at this time in our history and cringe at the amount of egotistical crap we posted so freely. This immense freedom of expression comes with the responsibility to curate yourself and I think a lot of people are getting it wrong. If I see more than 3 selfies on your Instagram feed I will not follow you. If your Facebook wall is full of personal drama and statuses that blatantly seek attention I will hide your feed and please do not show me every meal or flat white you have ordered…
What has your journey as a blogger taught you {about yourself or in general}? Has it changed your life in any way? It sure has. I have found a new confidence in myself, my writing and my thoughts. Through feedback from friends and strangers I have come to accept that yes, my thoughts and outlook is different and sometimes a little weird, but that is actually awesome and the way it should be. I have also had to learn to curate myself and have had to take a hard look at how I publicly let off my steam – and to not tweet after the 4^th glass of wine…
If you had to give a newbie blogger any advice, what words of wisdom would you impart? Be you, focus on what you see, think and feel. Do not try to simply follow trends or go with the masses. If you are going to put yourself out there, be sure it the most YOU you can be…
In three words tell me what blogging means to you: Above all, freedom.

Thanks Helena for sharing a bit more about your life and blogging journey with us! You can find out more about Helena and connect with her here:

Blog link: www.quietriotgirl.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aabadenhorst

Twitter: @quietriotgirl @aabadenhorst @swartlandrev

Instagram: www.instagram.com/quietriotgirl

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: Top ~ Credit Damien Schumann, Helena, AABadenhorst Facebook Page