Hi Greta! What’s the name of your blog.
Where are you from?
Nashville, TN.
Tell us a little bit more about you and your blog, Greta Hollar.
I started my blog originally in 2009 as a project for my study abroad trip to Ireland. I did it off and on through the years and committed fully in 2015 before going full time in 2016.
What’s been the hardest business lesson you’ve learned from blogging?
It’s always disappointing when you get an email from your favorite brand and they want to collaborate but are so hard to work with. Either they don’t pay, want you to sign over your life and your first born child or they’re stingy with content or deadlines.
What does a typical work day for you look like? Whether you’re a full time blogger or not, we’d love to learn what your schedule looks like and how you manage it all.
My morning starts with one of my dogs plopping down on top of me to let me know they’re hungry. I feed them, make breakfast and get to work. I check emails, blog comments, Instagram and then work out scheduling pins in Tailwind, shooting product, pitching brands, writing out blog posts, editing photos and getting social media scheduled. I usually work until 10 or 11 at night. My work life balance is off.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone just starting out in the blog world?
It doesn’t just happen over night. To some it may look like that but it’s weekends, weeknights and hours and hours of work.
What do you think the blogging industry will look like in 5 years?
Hopefully it’s still around but hopefully brands will realize quality of work and content is better than how many followers you have.
What’s been your favorite project, or post you’ve worked on? Give us details into the inspiration behind it, the back story, and so on.
My favorite post was on why I was giving up on Instagram in 2019. I realized I was spending more time engaging and working on my Instagram feed than I was on my blog. I realized if Instagram went away tomorrow I would have nothing to show for it. That day, I reached out to a graphic designer and web developer and got to work on my blog redesign.
How do you stay inspired? And where do you find inspiration?
I look at magazines, look through other people’s blogs, but most of the time I search Pinterest and get a ton of ideas.
How has blogging helped you in your day to day life or 9-5 life? Are there tools you’ve learned that you can apply to it? Has it helped you land a new/different job? Or have you created a new business from it all?
I was homeschooled so that’s really helped me with working from home and staying on task. Being home alone all day can be hard to some people, but I get so much done when there’s peace and quiet and room for me to create. Blogging has also helped me become a master at posing for photos when I was super awkward before.
Do you consider yourself a blogger or influencer? And why? How do you feel about the two terms?
I would say blogger. The word influencer makes me cringe a bit. I feel like influencer applies to someone who just posts on Instagram. A blogger does so much more than do try on sessions and take iPhone photos all day (no offense to anyone that does).
If you were stranded on a deserted island, what’s the one cocktail you would bring with you to enjoy for the rest of time?
I mostly drink red wine but if it was a cocktail? A gin and tonic. Refreshing for island life.
What’s your favorite blogging hack or trick?
Tailwind! Lord have mercy it has saved me and made my Pinterest followers and reach higher and is sending so much Pinterest traffic to my blog. It’s a game changer.
