Q&A With February Girl

When brain storming Scottish bloggers to interview on your blog Joelle, from 'Feb Girl', came quickly to mind. Her blog is full of originality and often take a very 'tongue in check' view of blogging. Take a look at 'What Bloggers Really Do' and 'Awkward Blogger Moments' if you a looking for something humours. She is also full of advise for bloggers and what better person to ask than someone has been blogging for 5+ years.

You have been blogging for a long time - since 2009 with your blog ‘A Note From Joelle’ which is a lot longer than many bloggers. Why did you start blogging before it became more popular?
I started blogging because I had just come back from China and wanted to share how amazing the trip was with the world. I felt that a simple 2-D diary (that only I would read) wouldn't do the trip justice, so after a bit of research, I found blogger.com and the rest is history!

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You're not from Scotland but you are staying here while you study Geology at the University of Aberdeen - What made you move here and how are you enjoying the granite city?

I really needed a change from my tiny Surrey village and England in general. I wanted to have the chance to live in another country and experience another culture! Aberdeen was perfect for me as it has loads of Geology jobs and the uni is one of the best in the world for my course!

You are studying a very academic course at uni but also managed to post several times a week- that's amazing! Do you have any tips for our readers who are struggling to study and blog?
You HAVE to plan, plan plan! It's as simple as that. I print out a monthly calendar and work out when to write posts, take pictures, compile the post and then scheduled promotional tweets. It only takes a few hours to do and it's worth it in the long-run.

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You often post 20+ times a month- do you have an organisation system that works for you?

I do indeed! I think of an idea (it usually just comes to me randomly) and store a possible title for it on my phone or notepad. I then come back to it a few days later, write it, find pics and then try to slot it into my editorial calendar.

My handmade blog calendar helps me out a lot because I then know which posts are going up, the days I am taking my pictures and when I am going to promote!

You post on a wide variety of topics from lifestyle and fashion to humour articles on blogging. Do you have a favourite to write?
I loooooove to write from the heart, which is usually in the form of my more humorous posts. I don't try to be funny at all, but simply write the exact words that are in my head straight onto the blog. Most of them are not easy to write (due to the total honesty aspect), but I tend to write them the fastest as it's just all up there in my head, waiting to be blogged about.

Have you ever faced any negativity on your blog? How have you dealt with it?
I have fallen victim to a few gossip forums and had a bit of anon hate on my blog years, but I have very tough skin (which i got from going to an all-girl's school!). I tend to think of it like this: they may judge what I blog about, judge my skills and even appearance, but they are still coming back and making my page views rise.
I don't get offended by their rude comments because for me to be affected by what they say, I'd have to value their opinion, which I don't and never will.

We love seeing outfit posts on 'Feb Girl’ but how would you describe your style?
Thank you! I seem to channel different eras every month, so it's hard to describe. Right now, I am full-out 70s with large fedora hats, busy prints and acid brights! But last month, I was more 1940s, with lace skirts, Arran jumpers and briefcases as bags. I just love to play around with the theatricality of fashion and tailor it to my individual style. 

What are you looking for in a blog you want to follow yourself?
I am just looking for a blog with a good vibe and a likable personality. It doesn't really matter what the genre is, to be honest. As long as they realise their talent, put content over pictures and not just focus on things they think will get them more followers, then that's the blog I want to read.
I think people want the full blog package straight away: the clean layout, thousands of followers, good pictures, comments. But they don't realise that blogging is a journey and you will learn about how to tackle these things in time!
I've been blogging for almost 7 years and I have just discovered how to use a tripod, for example, haha!

You are always full of advice for other bloggers on twitter and during chats. What would you say to your younger self if you were just starting out again?
I would just tell myself to say 'YES' to more of the opportunities I was given. I was so scared to meet other bloggers back in the day incase they had already formed cliques and didn't like newcomers. I just said 'no' to events that would have helped boost my confidence!
I would also tell myself that it's okay that I cannot please everyone with my blog. Some will really like it, and other just won't! :)

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A huge thanks to Joelle for doing this interview for us- if you would be interested guest posting on our blog please get in touch with us at scottishbloggers@hotmail.com we are always looking for new post of any topic.