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Interview With the Author of Gifts We Use {to grow, love and serve}

By: Tanya

I am pleased to introduce you to a new blogger friend of mine.  She blogs at Gifts We Use {to grow, love and serve}.  She has a wealth of knowledge on blog design and organizing.  These are two areas in which I could always use more information.  Welcome Ferly!

1.  How long have you been blogging?
I have been blogging since December 2011, the same month I first discovered blog world! I have been happily blogging ever since.
2.  What do you enjoy most about blogging?
I enjoy when I get comments that tell me I have helped a reader in any big or small way.  The heartbeat of all my posts, regardless of the topic, is to encourage and inspire readers that they can make positive changes in their lives and homes by tuning in to their gifts and gifting it forward. The idea of “gifting it forward” is to find a gift so great that you just have to share it with others!  Whether the gift is found through inspiration, discovered within yourself, or wisdom gleaned from another, I believe what scripture says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms”.
3.  What do you blog about?
I blog about how I organize my home and life, how I use technology to make family matters easier, and how I blog my way into the blogosphere. Organizing, technology, my family and blogging are big passions in my life and my hope is to show others how I’ve managed to take my mess and tap into my gifts to benefit my loved ones.
4.  Do you make money from your blog?
Right now, I do not make money from blogging, but it is a goal that I am working toward.  I am treading that path very lightly because I want whatever monetization I do to remain true to who I am and what I blog about.  I take this aspect of blogging very seriously and want to represent myself in the truest way possible.
5.  Where do you see your blog in six months?
In six months time, I hope to attend one blog conference, work my way closer toward monetization so I can move the blog forward to do bigger projects, and help others organize their homes.
6.  Where did you learn graphic design?
All theGifts We Use graphics are created by yours truly.  I am pretty much self taught when it comes to graphic design. In my life before motherhood, my job required me to work closely with the resident graphic designer on ministry campaigns, so I learned a lot by watching graphic designers at work. Seeing the design process also gave me courage to play around with graphic design using the programs that I have {I, sadly, do not have Photoshop or Illustrator}. When the time comes that I do get those programs, I hope to continue to be a DIY blogger and handle all of my graphics myself. Don’t be fooled, the layout I have on my blog now is part of a preset template that I customized with my chosen fonts, colors and background.
7.  How many hours a week do you blog?
All in all, I would say that I spend around 20-30 {conservatively} hours a week doing any and all of the following: blogging, planning posts, reading and responding to comments, visiting bloggers who comment, editing images, working on blog development, learning more about blogging, research, participating in discussion forums, and more!  It’s a good thing that I love what I’m doing and hope to continue doing it for the long term.


Bio:
Ferly is a wife, mom and blogger on a journey to a clutter free house and life. She blogs at  Gifts We Use {to grow, love and serve}  about organizing, technology, family life and her adventures in blogging hoping to inspire you to use your gifts to grow, love and serve your loved ones.

Comments

  1. Kelly says

    Nice interview! Isn’t it amazing how much goes into blogging? The marketing, research, commenting, etc. I think non-bloggers have the misconception that all we do is write!
    ~Kelly

  3. Tanya says

    I agree that it takes a lot of work too. I enjoy doing it though, so it usually doesn’t seem like work thank goodness.

  4. BARBIE says

    As a new follower, I appreciated this opportunity to get to know more about you! I’ve been blogging for 4 years and have so much still to learn.

    • Ferly says

      Thanks Barbie! I have recently updated my About page, so I hope you take a moment to read more there too. Blogging is a continual journey of learning regardless of how long you’ve been blogging. That’s what I love about it!
      ~ f

  6. Shayna says

    Blogging is hard work isn’t it? But it’s so rewarding. I am completely with you on your thoughts about making money from your blog. Being true to yourself and the intent of your blog is so important. There are a lot of opportunities out there and some people jump on each and every one of them but, sadly, the actual blog gets lost in all of that.

    • Ferly says

      I agree, it’s hard work, but it’s good work. For me, the struggle has been when to take that next step because I know it will be a road that will be hard to turn back from. Like you said, the opportunities need to be true to me and not all about the money.
      ~ f

  7. Nikki says

    Great interview!
    I’ve been blogging for probably 10 years all together and it’s cool to see how things have evolved. I started on livejournal several years ago and graduated to my own domain about 7 or 8 years ago….

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