Name Lisa
Age 35
Location UK
Blog URL The Dame International
What is your blog about?
The Dame International is a lifestyle blog featuring art, tattoos, fashion, travel, life advice and championing the self made path among female entrepreneurs. It’s basically the kind of magazine I’d like to read.
Is this your first blog?
It’s my first professional blog but I’ve been blogging in some format from Xanga, Livejournal, Myspace and Blogger for more than 10 years!
When did you start your current blog?
February 2011.
What made you do it?
At the time I was heavily influenced by Gala Darling as well as the location independent life design movement. I wanted to create a space online that encouraged that kind of thinking, to go your own way and not feel as if your only choice is to follow the soul sucking 9-5 path. I also wanted to express my own unique voice and uncover the things I enjoyed which I couldn’t find in traditional women’s magazines.
What was your first blog post about?
How to be skinny, it was in response to a teenage girl’s question to me on how to be skinny and what exactly I ate and did etc but I put a self love twist on it and it was linked to by Gala Darling herself and to this day still has the highest traffic in one day of any post I’ve ever done.
What do you think is the most useful tool to you as a blogger?
Social media and other bloggers, I’ve gained all my traffic and made all my blogging friends from social media and I’ve learned a ton from other bloggers!
Do people in your real life know about your blog? If yes, has your blog helped you career wise?
I blog because I don’t want to be employed by someone else. I tried to go back to the desk job thing and used my blog as leverage which sold them on me, but in the end I re-confirmed working in offices for someone else is just not for me, I must’ve forgotten!
Now I offer my skills on a freelance basis via my blog and online freelance platforms. I am also working on digital products such as ebooks and ecourses to add to my blog in the future.
I definitely believe in the DIY career!
What has been the one thing (blog post, project, etc) that you have been really proud of?
My travel photos being published in magazines and being able to collaborate with brands I love. Making a media kit definitely made me feel like I’d gotten somewhere and recently launching my freelance career based on my blogging skills!
Where do you see your blog in a year?
Much more recognition, double or even triple the traffic and social media stats, charging more for collaborative work and absolutely selling my own digital products.
What do you wish you knew when starting your blog?
That what I had to say really did have value and to just keep at it. I made the mistake, more than once unfortunately, of letting the blog go and I’ve had to build my audience back up each time, it sucks, almost four years down the line and I should be much farther along than I am now but I did that to myself. Be consistent and believe in yourself and your message.
What do you wish you know more about now?
Creating kick ass digital products, but that knowledge is easy to come by, plenty of people do their own digital products telling how to make yours!
How do you keep motivated to post?
By setting goals for traffic and social media stats. I hate odd numbers and I’m currently just under 2000 twitter followers, I also want to pitch bigger brands so I want to have more influence in order to sell that pitch, and of course, just the recognition of my unconventional space on the web which I know there is a market for but it’s finding it.
I think also seeing how amazing other bloggers are, they inspire me so much creatively, I want to be just as cool and well liked :)
Anything else you’d like to add?
Blogging is awesome xo
