This is quickly becoming one of my favorite features. I’m learning so much already!

Please welcome Kate as she shares her blogging secrets with us today! ( + thank you so much for sharing, kate! )

So what’s your blog all about?
Short version: creativity and design, with little snippets from my life sprinkled in.
Long version:  I try to use my blog as something that spurs creativity.  After I graduated from college I felt a void from assignments where I was forced to be creative, whether it be designing, drawing, or writing.  My blog pushes me to learn and keep working at all those things.

When did you start blogging + what made you decide to go for it?
I started blogging in the fall of 2009.  I’d gotten engaged in May and discovered wedding blogs shortly after- I was hooked!  I was still in college so I blogged sporadically and it didn’t even occur to me to try to form relationships with other bloggers.  It wasn’t until the fall of 2011 when I found myself living in a new small town after graduating and getting married that I really started to reach out and try to grow my blog.

Walk us through your typical day. How much time per day/week do you devote to your blog?
I usually wake up around 8 on weekdays and hit the ground running.  I try my best to have my posts scheduled the night before, so usually the first thing I’m doing is checking my email and scheduling the tweets.  The rest of the day is a mix of social media and design work for clients, plus managing whatever blog posts I have in the works.  I would say that I probably spend somewhere between 1-2 hours a day on blog content.  Even though my blog doesn’t make any income for me on its own, luckily I can still say that it counts as work because most of my clients find me through my blog.  My day to day schedule varies a lot, but I try not to work in the evenings and take some time to relax.

How do you manage your time + stay organized?
I’m still working on this one.  I’m addicted to my Teux Deux list and I recently started printing my Google Calendar that serves as my editorial calendar and marks start dates for my clients.  Writing it out by hand was a game changer for me!  I highly recommend it.

How do you keep your imagination flowing + get past creative funks when they do sneak in?
I try to push through, and when that doesn’t work I feel like it’s always a good idea to just step away from the computer.  I love to flip through books on my shelf, magazines, or old sketchbooks to get inspiration that isn’t from the blogosphere, just for a little change of pace.

Do you have any quick + easy post ideas for those days when you’re short on time or inspiration? 
Look around you and blog about something from your life that others can relate to.  I love culminating a discussion-based community on my blog, and I’ve found that those kinds of posts often encourage people to comment.  For example, one time this summer I blogged about iced coffee.  It was super simple, but I asked a question at the end and tons of people joined the discussion!  I love that kind of stuff.

What are a few business/blogging resources ( online or offline ) that have been beneficial for you?
There are so many amazing resources out there!  I love Jess Lively, Design Love Fest, and Amanda Genther, to name a few, and I read Creative Inc. and Blog Inc. over the last few months- I highly recommend them!

How has blogging influenced your life + relationships?
Spending so much of my life online has made me appreciate my in person interactions so much more.  I definitely need some face time during the week or I start to feel crazy!

How has your blog impacted your business?
If it weren’t for blogging I wouldn’t have a business!  Blogging is how I connect to most of my potential clients, and other people’s blogs are constantly educating and inspiring me.

How much of your life offline do you share on your blog? How does this effect your readers’ ability to connect with you?
There aren’t a ton of topics that I purposely won’t talk about on my blog, but I also think that as I’ve started to plan my posts out more, my blog is less about me and my life in general and more about my work or exercises that help me grow creatively.  I do think that it’s important to connect on a personal level with your readers occasionally, but I also think that you can connect without sharing every detail of your life’s story.  It’s your blog, do what makes you feel comfortable, and keep in mind that once you post everyone will be able to read it.

What has been the key to success for you as a blogger? (especially when you were new to the blog world)
Make friends!  When I finally started reaching out to other bloggers, I found a few bloggers that were also just starting out and were roughly in the same genre as my blog.  While other more established bloggers will be supportive, these are the bloggers who will grow alongside you and act as your cheerleaders.