WeBlogNorth Featured Content Creator of The Week - Being Change
This is a space that showcases all of you awesome WeBloggers in the North and gives everyone a chance to get to know each other, as well as raise your profile (and your DA!). This week we're chatting with Ellen of Being Change, who is focused on supporting us to live a more holistic and purpose-driven life. Sign me up!
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Name Ellen Carr
Location Manchester
Blog URL being-change.com
Twitter followers 845
Instagram followers 572
"Always ask why you want to make the thing and how you want it to make the audience feel"
How long have you been blogging/vlogging/creating content?
I've been blogging in some form or another for 7 years, but Being Change was created two years ago and that's the one that's stuck! At the moment I create two new blog posts each week and have just started a podcast too.
Why did you decide to start your blog?
Being Change was initially set up as a place for me to write about the changes I was making in my life. I'd quit my job, had started yoga teacher training and was generally on a journey of making changes to live a more purposeful and holistic life. I was doing a year-long happiness project in 2017 (inspired by Gretchen Rubin), and the blog was a place for me to chart that. Now the blog has become part of my business, and it's a place for me to continue to write about my journey as well as creating content to support and inspire others on theirs.
Do you see this becoming a career or part of your career?
Yes, absolutely! By the end of 2017, I knew there was something in the blog and the journey I'd been writing about what I wanted to transition into a business. I worked with a creative coach earlier this year to figure out what that was, and now Being Change really is the business that I want to grow to become my work.
What do you hope to achieve for your content in 2018 and what’s your big-picture goal?
A big goal this year was getting more clarity on what content was going to serve my community, and I think I've started to find that now. So I want to continue producing great content to support and inspire that community, as well as growing my reach so that I can help more people through my content. My big-picture goal with my content is to be a leading voice in the arena of living life differently to the 'norm', in a way that feels more purposeful and holistic to you. I want to inspire and support lots of people on their journey of questioning all those 'shoulds' society throws at us and figuring out what their values are, and what kind of life would make them content.
What is your favourite social media channel & why?
Instagram, 100%. Because it seems to me to be the best place to feel that sense of community and build deeper connections.
What is your favourite tool or app that helps in your content creation?
I really like the Planoly app for planning my Instagram content, and then I've just started to get serious about planning my content and having a content calendar and in my opinion, you can't beat a good old-fashioned spreadsheet for that!
Who is your blogging/vlogging/content inspiration and why?
Sara Tasker of Me&Orla has been a big inspiration from the start of my journey. I remember finding her blog early on in my year of making big changes in my life. I fell in love with her voice and writing style, but also reading about her journey made me realise it was possible to create a life and business that worked for me. I had no idea that was possible until her blogs told me that!
What do you like to do on weekends? Where can we find you hanging out?
I love going for long walks in the countryside around Manchester when I can. If I have to stay local you can often find me at Chorlton Water Park. I'm also learning French so I often go to a French language speaking practice meet up at a cafe in West Didsbury on a Saturday. I'm quite a homey person as well though, so I'll often just be pottering around the flat with my boyfriend.
If you could go anywhere in the world or experience any one thing, what would it be?
Japan is high on my list of places I want to visit, and I'd love to experience a traditional tea ceremony. I'm really interested in Japanese culture and I'm a BIG tea fan.
What're your tips for staying motivated and/or organised in your work?
I love using the Pomodoro method if I'm feeling particularly unmotivated. It's where you set a time limit on a certain task, I think it's called Pomodoro because the person who coined it used a tomato-shaped cooking timer to time himself. I like doing 20 minutes on one task, then taking a short break and moving to another.
In terms of organisation, I'm a big fan of list-making and prioritising. I find I keep on top of things so much better if I prioritise the top 3 things I want to get done each day, and then break those down into small tasks.
What is the one piece of advice you’d give other content creators & aspiring bloggers/vloggers?
Get inspired by other people's work for sure, but don't get too fixated on what they're doing because you can fall into a comparison trap and lose your own voice. Create what you want to create, in the way you want to do it. Create with purpose, always ask why you want to make the thing and how you want it to make the audience feel.
In her book Ice Cream for Breakfast, Laura Jane Williams says we need to be more like kids when they get super nerdy about something. When a kid's really into a certain kind of dinosaur and wants to tell us everything they know about it and share their collection, it's fun and engaging for us because their passion and enthusiasm is infectious.
Fun/Random fact about you (go on, surprise us!):
I make up silly songs about random stuff in my life all the time. I think it drives my boyfriend mad, but I like a bit of playfulness in life!
The Featured Content Creator of the Week series is available to all bloggers, vloggers, influencers and content creators subscribed to WeBlogNorth. If you are a subscribed member and would like to be featured, then please get in touch. You’ll receive exposure to the entire WeBlogNorth family, as well as coverage across the @WeBlogNorth social channels and website. It’s great exposure for any content creator looking to get noticed and grow their following.
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