#AskCWH Episode 1: My Blogging Secrets

Last week on Instagram I asked ya’ll to ask me some questions! It was partly because I felt my FAQ page was pretty weak and partly because I thought it would make for a fun post.

I know, you’re probably thinking “Umm…girlfriend, don’t questions need to be frequently asked for them to be FAQs?”

Technically, yes, but I like to bend the rules here on CWH. It’s about as daredevil as I get next to going to bed without taking off my mascara and eating cereal for dinner two nights in a row.

Anyways, I began to answer the questions. I wrote them down for a “Q+A” blog post. Scratched that. I tried to sit down and film all of them in a video. Scratched that. And then inspiration struck.

I discovered Ask Jess videos from the Golden Girl blog. I really admire this blogger and her content, but moreover, I love her weekly videos where she answers one question about blogging every Friday. She sits down, sometimes without makeup and often times with a cup of coffee and just chats with her readers. I felt like we were best friends just chatting and learning from each other. She even touched on drawing inspiration from other bloggers, but putting your own twist on things. That’s when the inspiration fairy dust appeared: I could do a weekly “Ask CWH” on the blog!

So, let’s see how this works, ladies. You guys asked me a series of questions last Friday and I’m finally ready to answer them. I’ve actually already added most of them (the ones that I have gotten before, making them FAQs, ha!) to my FAQ tab, so feel free to check that out. But yeah, let’s jump right into it!

I’m going to answer 4 questions today rather than one. All  have to do with blogging, but are also applicable to non-bloggers considering they contain some productivity tips that I use! So just for this Friday we’re gonna be a little different.

Watch me answer the following questions in video form! (What?! A video?!) Warning: there is no editing done whatsoever, so beware of total word vomit and me touching my hair a bunch. #isittoolatenowtosaysorry

If you’re short on time or currently sitting in your school library without headphones, you can read my answers below!

Super excited for this new Friday feature on Cristina Was Here! You can always comment any questions you have on my Instagram (@cristina96x) even if it seems random, ha ha. Or you can email me any questions you have at hello@cristinawashere.com

Ask anything! Life advice, dating advice, school advice, what shampoo I use, what my favorite dog breed is…whatever!

Ok, enough talking….time for me to talk some more….

Do you have a blogging process when you sit down to write a new post?

I typically created content on the days that I have a blog post up because those days are pretty low maintenance. I wake up, hit “publish”, and I’ve already scheduled social media posts to let ya’ll know I have a post. So for that day, I’ll take some time to write some posts. Usually I have ideas piling up on a sticky note. I tend to write about what’s going on in my life. (For example, a post on how to deal with stress may come at a time when I am feeling particularly stressed out, ha ha.) I know that with whatever I am experiencing, whether it be searching for Christmas gifts or studying for tests, my readers are probably in the same boat!

What does your schedule look like? How do you have time to blog and complete school work?

I schedule all of my school classes in the morning. If I have to take a 7:30 a.m. class to be done by 10, I’ll do so. Even before heading off to class I make a to-do list for the day that holds all my miscellaneous chores and blogging to-dos. I write down school assignments in my ban.do agenda. I don’t really prioritize school first and then blogging, I just do the most important things first. (Example: if I have a test the next day, studying for that class is first on my list!) This way, I get everything important done and if I run out of time towards the bottom of my list, I know that it is stuff I can save for the next day.

Where do you get the majority of your inspiration for posts? 

I really just write about what is going on in my life and/or the life of those around me. It helps me to sit down and write out my feelings or what I’m going through and it’s just an extra added bonus if my readers can relate!

How do you take photos for Instagram and blog posts?

For Instagram, I take photos with my iPhone 6 plus. I try to take photos in natural light, and I love colorful photos! A lot of my pictures on my feed are from in my room because I spend a lot of time studying there, ha ha. I’ll edit a teeny, tiny bit (no filters) with VSCO cam. For blog pictures, I use my Nikon and I take a lot of flat lay pictures. Basically, I use a white poster board and arrange my items on it. With great natural light, the photos look great and I just edit them a bit using Pic Monkey.

Thanks for listening/reading, ya’ll! Have a happy weekend.

X,

Cristina