Friday 14 November 2014

Feature Friday: Katie Stalker Talks

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you are all excited for the weekend :D

On Wednesday, I met a fellow blogger on the Blogtacular weekly twitter chat. She is a new blogger with lots of fun posts about lifestyle, beauty, accessories and music. Read on to know more about her!
Ms. Katie Stalker
Tell us a little bit about you & your blog? How did you start? Why did you start? 

I'm a 24 year old from Oxford, with a love of all things French, food, pets and an unashamed interest in Kim Kardashian. Mostly, I like people: I was very shy when I was younger and still have a quiet voice which frustrates everyone, but I love exchanging ideas and comments with the world. I started in September, I was freshly graduated from  Sheffield University with a degree in English Lit and French and had every and no idea what to do with it. Everything was overwhelming and daunting and I didn't know where to start. I had previously tried a blog when  I lived in Paris, following my 'no sugar' diet; neither the blog nor the diet lasted long. 

I knew that I liked writing I always have done, when I was little I would write stories and laminate them. I remember writing my first one about a holiday romance. It never mattered whether anyone read them, I just wanted to get them down on paper. 

Now, I write about anything from make up to exhibition reviews. Whatever takes my fancy, really. I love the positive feedback I get from my blog, especially from people I've lost touch with or I didn't imagine would read a blog post about make up. People like knowing about other people's lives; it's escapism. That's why East Enders and TOWIE are so popular. No one gets murdered in my blog though so soaps are definitely more interesting. 


Why did you pick Katie Stalker Talks to be your blog's name?

My surname has always amused people so I thought I'd make it the title. Also because I imagine a lot of people actually call me Katie Stalker - there are a lot of Katies in the world. In my class at school there were three Katies. Only I had an awkward surname though. 

When in Paris 

What inspires you & motivates you to keep blogging? 

In this digital era, we're flooded with things to read and see whilst we're on the move, or even at home. I've always loved reading and would happily read a book in a day. Nowadays, although I still read books, the truth is that online content is just more convenient
If only one person read what I wrote whilst they were waiting on transport, with a cup of tea or just standing in line for something, I'd be happy. I want to give someone else some light relief if only for a second. I want to give myself more confidence in my writing and keep my creativity going. When I started with no idea what career or move to take, I thought I might as well. Even a couple of months later I'm still feeling a bit lost but I know media is what I want to work in. 

Having a strong online presence is crucial these days. 

What do you enjoy the most about blogging?

I love the actual writing the most; it feels like a challenge and when you're left with something you're happy to publish it's rewarding. Even though I only write about trivial things. Twitter is also a fantastic source of discussion, there's a whole community of bloggers on there and they're all so supportive and have great tips. Even if you tweet about a yoghurt you just ate, there's someone there cheering you on - it's so lovely to be a part of, when there's so much negativity out there online. I haven't met a troll yet. But I hear they can be quite nasty little creatures. I only have a very small following at the moment but I want to earn each single one I do get. I hate that people buy followers - is there a shop for them? Do you get to choose the followers you purchase? What if it's like when you do Secret Santa and you pay for it, but you get back something you didn't want, like a pepper grinder.
Katie taking over London 
What do you like to do for fun?

It's boring but I love just seeing my friends. Seeing them isn't boring - we laugh so much until I cry, and I have a tendency to push people when I laugh. They always joke that one day I'll kill someone from laughing. Or I shop, I could shop all day long. I spend ages in Boots looking at the make up. In Paris I lived next to a Sephora - it was very dangerous. Or I read, listen, watch things online. Playing with my pets is a big one. I don't even play that much I just smoosh them up next to me and squeeze them really tight. Maybe they don't like it? When I was younger I spent evenings after school learning how to write backwards, like in a mirror. I don't know if I found it fun or if I was just bored. Maybe the dial-up connection wasn't working or someone was using the house phone.
#FromWhereKatieIsStanding 
What would you like to get out of your blog?

I would like to one day look back at this online creation and re-live things I did, saw or thought. I want to be part of online discussions, that translate to offline ones. Most of all, I want to be happy (ew) and if doing it makes me happy then I'm going to continue doing it whether it's read by anyone or none. I don't want to not do it because I'm scared people will mock me for putting my life online.

They probably will but everyone gets mocked anyway that's just human nature. It's not even that big a deal, it's just the same as you discussing something you would in real life with someone. You might as well do something you're enjoying whilst people are thinking what some will inevitably think. Everyone likes doing different things. That's life. Get over it. Saying that, a lot of my friends leave encouraging comments, even if I've only just started my blog. And I love them even more for that.



Make sure to check out her links to get Katie's latest updates

Stay inspired until the next feature! 

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