My Very First Blogger Of The Month for 2015!! January Edition!!

Sometimes being a blogger you can be overwhelmed with all of the other amazing blogs and bloggers out there, which sometimes means it can be hard to keep up to date with new blogs to find.

Thats when I decided to create my 'Blogger of the Month' series and I hope that you have enjoyed my previous blogs and bloggers that I have shared.

This month, rather than set out to look for a blogger for this month I decided to simply share with you an amazing blogger, not only is their blog great and full of great posts, this blogger is also great at taking time to read other peoples blogs and commenting too!

The blogger in question? Cat from Oddly Lovely!!

Being able to write posts that get reactions, get people talking or just very informative is a talent that makes a true blogger, she is not afraid of giving her opinions and thats what I like about her blog!

So seeing as I can talk all day about all the amazing bloggers that have appeared in this series so far I will now hand you over to Cat to find out a little more about her and her talented blog!

Name: Cat
 

Name of your Blog: Oddly Lovely
 
Website address: http://oddlylovely.com
 
Blog category: Lifestyle blog
 
How long have you been blogging for? 

Around 15 months, but I took a six month break after the first three months, then started back up again with a vengeance last July.
 
What inspired you to create your blog?

I actually work in social media marketing and often coordinate sponsored post campaigns with bloggers. After doing that for a number of years, I was like, "hey, I'm creative and like to write, I bet I'd enjoy this blogging thing!" And you know what, I really have enjoyed it!
 
What do you enjoy most about blogging?

There's two big things. The first is I love how it keeps me creative - writing is my true passion, but I also adore cooking, photography, books, fashion, social media... blogging encourages me to keep working on projects and not stagnate. The second thing is the incredible relationships I've formed with other bloggers and readers. I try to write posts that spark conversation and help us have a genuine dialogue. It can be really powerful stuff!
 
What has been the hardest thing you have found about blogging?

The hardest thing about blogging is finding the courage to share vulnerable and controversial posts. Whether I'm talking about growing up pagan or body image issues or taking Plan B, I'm always so scared to share that intimate side of myself and afraid that others might not understand. The honest truth is that people have been so supportive, and I've received such heartfelt comments. In a weird way, the hardest part of blogging has become one of my favorite parts!
 
If you could give advice to fellow bloggers trying to increase their followers/subscribers what would it be? What have you found most successful? 

The best thing is to test out a lot of different things on your own blog, because it's unique for each of us, but based on my experience I'd recommend sharing a mix of both "pin-able" recipes, DIYs, movie recommendations, etc. and some more personal posts. The first category will help make your blog be more shareable and look visually interesting, but the personal posts are what help you form strong relationships with your readers, which is what keeps them coming back to hear more from you.
 
If you could give someone thinking about starting a blog one bit of advice what would it be?

Just start somewhere. Keep a running list of blog post ideas on your phone or in your purse, and just start writing. Write about what interests you and what you think would interest the kind of readers you want to attract. Make each post as perfect as you can, but also cut yourself some slack because everyone starts somewhere. You will find your voice and your style and your topics with time and practice, I promise. No one has a perfect blog on their first day.
 
How can my readers contact you?

You can follow me on Bloglovin (https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/oddly-lovely-10993419) and I'm also very active on Twitter (https://twitter.com/oddlylovely/) and Instagram (http://instagram.com/oddlylovely). Commenting on my blog is also a great way to connect with me - I make sure to take a lot of time to respond to every single comment!

Thank you Cat for taking the time to answer my questions and I would also like to share with you all a favourite post from Cat's blog, http://oddlylovely.com/bloggers-should-share-controversial-posts/ please give her a visit and say hi from me!

Please let me know if you enjoy these posts and share with me and my readers your blog or blogs you love!!

Thanks for Reading

Tracy xx