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Saturday, June 5 - Spotlight: Cathe Holden


Check out some great reading today by going to Just Something I Made, by Cathe Holden. There are many downloadables, paper projects and crafty ideas galore!!! Cathe's blog will keep you busy all weekend long! Also click on her other blogs...you can get a logo from Cathe...fun design work...or amazing crafts...her abilities are endless....enjoy meeting a lovely lady!!

BGB: How long have you been blogging?
CATHE: I began my blog, Just Something I Made, in March of 2008.

BGB: What made you start?
CATHE: I created the blog, Farm Fresh Creative, to update my design portfolio website and after reading so many wonderfully creative blogs out there, I decided to I should start blogging about the crafts I make as well and share techniques I’ve honed as a commercial artist that take some crafts to a new level.

BGB: Are there bloggers who have inspired you? Which ones?
CATHE: Few blogs are as exciting to me as http://papiervalise.typepad.com/scissor_variations
http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/ motivates me and reminds me to always count my blessings.
http://printpattern.blogspot.com/ gets my creative juices flowing.
I check http://blog.craftzine.com/index.html daily for really fun ideas.
http://www.dudecraft.com/ is just plain cool.

BGB: Do you have any suggestions for new bloggers? Any tips on gaining followers/readers?
CATHE: Nothing happens overnight! It took at least a year or more of constant posting, promoting and networking to gain the readership I have now. I’m sure there are many ways to build readership and followers, but I believe post content quality is number 1. I have held a few giveaways in the past requiring following or subscribing to my blog as the only requirement of entering. That helped a bit in the beginning. You can also connect with others on forums relating to your blog content and direct readers to specific blog posts.

BGB: Do you think there are specific genres that are more popular than others in blogging?
CATHE: That’s the beauty of the blog. There’s something for everyone. However, personal blogs, those that share primarily personal family photos and content, likely would never be as popular as those that share information that would interest a larger range of readers. It will be a great day when inspirational blogs become more popular than gossip blogs. I’m doing my part to get us there.

BGB: Do you advertise your blog? If so, where?
CATHE: I don’t pay for any advertising of my blog, but share a HTML/graphic button for readers to grab and place on their blogs to direct traffic back to mine.

BGB: Who designed your blog?
CATHE: The only real design of my blog is in the header and buttons. Those I designed. The rest is basic formatting of the columns, text and so on. I use the Minima template from Blogger.

BGB: Does your blog relate to your job at all, is it your job?
CATHE: As a graphic designer, my blog allows me to share my own designs freely, not just those that have been commissioned. I have received many requests for graphic design work as a result of my blog, but I don’t promote my design services other than a button/link to my portfolio website.

BGB: When and where do you write your posts?
CATHE: I write randomly- when I can find the time. Writing is the quickest part of blogging for me. What takes the most time is creating the content such as craft tutorials or free digital design downloads. Most of my actual writing is done in my studio. But I do have a laptop for posting on the go.

BGB: Have you ever attended a just for bloggers event? If so, which one(s)?
CATHE: I attended Blissdom10 in Nashville last February, and a one day seminar at UC Berkely’s Journalism Dept. I learned a great deal from both. Not to mention, it’s so great to be in the physical company of other bloggers.

BGB: Are there any negatives to blogging you’re concerned about?
CATHE:I’m fairly cautious about what I post, so I don’t have too many concerns about privacy, etc. I suppose the business end of blogging gives me the greatest concern, though minimal, making sure I’m following the rules of sharing images, stating affiliations, and tracking any business transactions that result from blogging.

BGB: How do they impact you or your readers?
CATHE: Hopefully, blogging with integrity inspires others to do the same.

BGB: What do you think the future is of blogging?
CATHE: I’ve never really thought about it. I suppose one day most people will have one of some kind and I won’t need to explain what a blog actually is when someone asks me what I do.

BGB: Which blogs do you read often? Any favorites?
CATHE: The blogs I try to read on a daily basis are the three fabulous ones of my personal friends:
Selena Cate
Kate Riley Eshoo
Cheryl Sousan

There are many more I catch up on during the week such as:
http://www.livinglocurto.com/
http://whiskergraphics.com/blog/
http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/

BGB: What are you currently working on? Any current or upcoming projects you’d like us to mention?
CATHE: I am currently working on figuring out where this is all going!
In the future, I would love to write a few books, produce an inspirational television program, travel and share craft demos, meet Martha Stewart, and so on. But for now, I’m content being a work from home/blogging mom of 3 who’s biggest challenge is figuring out how I’m going to get anything done with school letting for the summer!

BGB: Thank so much Cathe...can't wait to see what you do next!

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