A few stories back, I shared what it looks like for Pattymac Knits on photo session day. Today’s installment is another #BTS update. (This means “Behind the Scenes.”)
This time it’s a bit more personal. Today I’m sharing some personal information about me and my growing creative business as part of a blog hop tour started by my mentor, Blacksburg Belle. I took my queue from Amanda Creek Creative.
Something you should know is that I am a real person. Click To Tweet
I am the one and only person producing the content on this blog. I get some occasional help on website particular things like the icky coding part. I have photo assistants (teenage neighbors) to help me with the “Big Schlep” that is the nature of location photography. And, of course, you have met Mackay MANY times! I don’t know what I’m going to do when she graduates and leaves for college.
But it’s all me writing this blog, taking the pictures and noodling my way through the designs. I think it’s important you know that.
Some of my friends from Creative Live are participating in this Blog Hop where we answer the same questions to allow you into our world just a little bit more. Here goes! (In case you didn’t know, I was selected to appear on Creative Live last year as part of a Bootcamp Program hosted by April Bowles-Olin, the Blacksburg Belle. Read more about that story by clicking here.)
Question 1: What’s your two to three sentence bio? (You know, what the heck do you do?)
I am a professional blogger specializing in knitwear. I create custom content for beginner and intermediate knitters. This includes my own pattern designs, tutorials and classes. I create all the pictures used in my business, knit all the pieces I photograph (unless otherwise noted), and write all my copy and stories. (good grief that was formal!)
Bascially, I love being creative and making new things. It’s almost compulsive. So I’m putting that energy to good use in this blog.
Question 2: What’s your favorite part of your job?
Knitting the work, of course, is high on the list! But really, photographing the finished objects on the models is my most favorite part. It’s just awesome to see your knitting come to life and walking around on a beautiful person. Then when the pictures come out gorgeous, it’s the most incredible sense of accomplishment. I was first a photographer, so that part of me is still very much alive and loves having this outlet.
Question 3: What’s your least favorite part of your job?
This is so easy! Budgeting and bookkeeping. Bleck. Despise. It. This is really funny in a very sad way, because my undergraduate degree is in ACCOUNTING! You cannot imagine how tortuous that was. I was not given a choice in my college education, and I did as I was told. The upside of those years of torture is that I am able to do all my own EOY reports and tax returns which saves me 1000s of dollars every year, but it’s my least favorite part of this whole thing. Plus, budgets. EW. Also, a lot of the backend stuff that’s required to maintain the website is very high of my list of disliked tasks.
Question 4: What are the top three tools you use the most in your work?
For Knitting: Chunky yarns, Chia Goo Circular Needles, Wooden Straight Needles
For Photos: Nikon D610 Full Frame DSLR, Nikon 85.mm 1.4 Pro Lens, Complement of products on Mac Computer. I recently added a Micro 4/3s camera to my photography kit. It’s a joy to use for the blog! It’s compact and easy to use, and I use it now to take most of my Instagram and blog specific photos. I still use the Nikon to photograph models in knitwear. I also have a Ziess 50mm 1.4 Art Lens. It’s completely manual, including the focus, so I don’t use it as much as I would like. There is a bit of pressure to get the photos done on model day, so I tend to fall back on the 85mm, because I KNOW I will have pictures I can use. But I love the mystical quality of the photos that come from the Ziess, and I intend on using it more. I also have a full suite of LensBaby lenses I barely use, because they are fully manual as well. When I have a paid model there is some real pressure to get the photos “done” so I don’t take time to experiment. I would like to have more time to play with the art lenses, and I also want to take it a step further and use those art lenses to shoot video with the models.
Manual focus on a digital camera is tricky. There is not a focus screen like we had on film cameras, and really, nailing focus at 1.8 or 2.2 which is where I generally work, is a challenge even with auto focus. Shooting manual focus is a totally different kettle of fish. I always shoot the rest of my settings in full manual, because I am a better photographer than my camera and just about never make settings based on what the camera meter says is “correct.” So that part I can handle, no problem. but nailing manual focus at shallow DOF is the next frontier I wish to conquer.
Question 5: What business goal would you love to reach before the end of the year?
I want to be published in a national magazine. I have designs out for consideration right this minute, so wish me luck! I would also like to get my back log of patterns written and published so I have more physical product to sell. And I want to get my online classes underway.
**Since I wrote this article, I had a picture selected as the cover image for newest issue of the Craft Industry Alliance magazine, so I am going to count that as my first national publication in the needle arts industry. (issue #17 for May 2016 in case you are reading this at some point in the future)
Question 6: Who are three creatives that inspire you?
Annie Leibovitz, Wool and the Gang Fashion Brand, Ralph Lauren
Question 7: What do you listen to (if anything) while you work?
Depends on the day, the project, the mood I’m in. Everything from running Creative Live classes in the background to the Cole Porter station on Pandora to Nocturnes from Chopin. As a child of the 80s let me say that the Pandora stations for Thompson Twins and B52s are AWESOME. If I need a pick-me-up those are my go to tunes. We also have great local radio. You can stream it, too, where you are. WHRO 89.5 and The Tide Radion 102.1
If I’m feeling stressed or having some trouble with focus, I love the Reiki music on Youtube. That really helps me!
Question 8: Morning person or night owl?
Definitely morning. This comes with getting older, I guess. I’m on the computer between 630 and 7 AM every morning taking on what ever writing projects I have to accomplish that day. I like to get this in before I go to exercise.
Question 9: How many employees do you have and what are the main things they do for you?
It’s only me! My teenage neighbor friends help me a LOT and I pay them in visits to Chick-Fil-A and homemade ice cream cakes.
Question 10: What’s your favorite social media platform?
Instagram and Pinterest for sure. I also love Vine. I’m currently trying to figure out Snap Chat.
Question 11: What’s your least favorite social media platform?
That’s easy. Periscope! I don’t like the unedited nature of it, and I think people babble on WAY too long. I get so tired of the 10 minutes of HELLOS to people signing on at the beginning of the broadcast. Just please get on with it! Most of the time, I get tired of listening to them and lose interest. I almost never finish watching a broadcast of anybody. This is also my issue with Facebook Live. Please, people. For the love. Would you just get on with the broadcast?
Question 12: What works best when it comes to marketing your business?
I’m visual so Instagram and Pinterest are my favorites.
Question 13: What’s one thing about your business that your blog readers probably don’t know?
I got started in knitting to feel closer to my best friend who was sick at the time. We were living about 250 miles apart and I couldn’t be with her like I wanted to be. So I started taking knitting classes, and we would talk about it on the phone. I still think of her just about every time I knit. She’s not with me anymore, so this is important to me.
Question 14: If your business were a fashion accessory, what would it be?
A bright, colorful CAT HAT, of course!
Question 15: What’s your top tip for someone who wants to do something similar to you for a career?
Be prepared for a LONG HAUL! Be prepared to sacrifice much for little reward in the beginning. This is not an over night win, so you must be someone who can stay the course when it gets hard. You have to be good at a lot of things to make it work, because it’s just too expensive to hire it out. For the first few years, anyway. You have to want this to work more than you want anything else in your life, or just don’t even start. It’s too hard otherwise. (I know that’s not sunshine and lollipops, but it’s truth.)
This blog post is a part of the ‘Behind the Scenes of My Business’ Blog Tag started by April of Blacksburg Belle. She began this blog tag experiment to build community among creatives, help us bloggers to connect more and get to know each other better. This month’s topic is all about sharing the behind the scenes stuff of our businesses. If you’d like to participate or want more info, check out this post right here.
