Blogger Behind the Blog {Love From Mim}

Here’s this week’s instalment of Blogger Behind the Blog where I interview a blogger all about their reasons for blogging and what it means to them. This week I’m joined by Mim from Love From Mim.

Here’s Mim with more about why she blogs:

Where did your blog name come from?

It’s a bit of a soppy name for a blog but I think it sums up what my blog is about – it’s a collection of the things I love 🙂 I also like that “love from Mim” is how I might sign off a letter so I think fits nicely with the ‘writing’ theme of having a blog.

When did you start your blog and why?

I started blogging in mid 2013 when I had just had my first baby but soon life with a newborn got so busy that my blog was neglected for a while. I picked it up again when I was pregnant with my second baby and it became a lovely place to record weekly pregnancy updates and document my baby’s life after he was born.

What did you do before you blogged?

I worked in Events Management, Marketing and HR for many years.

What was your first post?

It was a review of our iCandy pram – a pram I still adore 🙂 Although my husband ran over it last year…seriously!

What inspires you to blog?

These days my blog is a place for me to write about the things I love – which is broad but still very personal to me. I love writing and I love the feedback and support I get from my little community. I feel very honoured (and surprised!) that people read some of my posts 🙂 These days so many things inspire me to blog but I’ve particularly appreciated blogging about my cancer treatment. It’s been a wonderful therapeutic outlet and has connected me with other bloggers in a similar situation. The support and love I’ve received has been overwhelmingly wonderful.

What post has had the best response, which post are you most proud of and which post did you enjoy writing the most?

I’m most proud of my posts about my breast cancer and it wouldn’t have mattered to me whether a single person had read them – although I’m glad they did, of course! I’m just so happy to have an outlet to record my thoughts and experiences because it’s been so cathartic for me to let it all out.

I also wanted to share my story online so that if other women were going through a similar experience, they could see that they were not alone and didn’t have to face cancer with fear.

Have any of your posts not had the response that you expected?

It surprises me which posts are the most viewed – they’re often the ones that took me 15 minutes to write – usually at 2am!

Where do you see your blog in a year’s time?

Exactly as it is now – I feel like I’ve really found my niche and my voice there is very little I want to change now 🙂

What is your favourite thing about blogging?

All of the above! Additionally, the blogging community I have become a part of make it a million times even better. I’ve never had so many like-minded, talented and supportive colleagues in any other job 🙂

…and your least favourite?

Most bloggers would agree that there isn’t enough time in the day to accomplish everything you want to do on your blog – but this is an exciting challenge too!

What’s the best blog post you have ever read?

There are too many to choose from – far too many. I particularly love posts that are written in a way that you hear the writer speaking the words to you. Does that make sense? As if you’re sat next to a good friend and they’re telling you about their day, recounting a funny story or sharing their deepest worries. Really genuine, honest words. I don’t care if they’re filled with spelling mistakes or grammatical errors and I don’t care for fancy words. I just love reading something that the writer has poured their heart into.

What blog do you love to read and why?

One of my all time favourites is from a lovely little ‘redhead’ called Donna – have you heard of her? 🙂 I love the variety of her blog, seeing how her gorgeous children are growing and what the family has been up to. Since leaving the UK, I’m living vicariously through Donna’s life!

I also love You Baby Me Mummy for similar reasons as well as awesome blogging tips, The Less-Refined Mind for honest and hilarious posts on parenthood, Lavendaire for self-improvement tips and The Anna Edit for beauty and lifestyle loveliness.

Do you do anything differently now to when you started blogging?

I do – I no longer try to write what I think will be of interest to ‘someone else’. I now write whatever the Hell I want 🙂

Is blogging what you expected it to be?

I had no idea what to expect when I first started as I didn’t really read many blogs before then. I actually can’t even remember whether I was trying to achieve anything or not – I just sort of started!

What’s been your favourite blog collaboration to date?

Depending on when this will be published, I’m about to sign a very exciting collaboration with a fantastic UK brand who have recently come to Australia. I’m going to their main Blogger in Aus and look after Blogger Outreach for them. They’ve also sponsored me to attend my first blogging conference. I’m just a bit excited about the whole thing!

Are there any brands you would love to work with, why?

All the brands that are chocolate-related. All of them.

Have you had any blogging fails so far?

99% of my photography is a blogging fail – it’s done with my iPhone with very little skill. I’ve finally decided to get myself a ‘proper’ camera – now I just need to figure out how to use it!

What is your biggest blogging hope, dream or ambition?

For my blog to remain my career. If I can make this work, it will mean that for me, I have the best job I could ever imagine, with the best colleagues and flexibility to allow me to spend more time with my family.

What do you do when you’re not blogging?

I’m running around after my 1 and 3 year olds and (when they’re in bed) drinking wine and eating chocolate! Blogging is my hobby – I don’t have any others. My time away from blogging is always spent with my babies and husband, having fun and enjoying our family life.

and lastly, tell us all a random fact about yourself

I’m obsessed with country music – obsessed! I also have a burning ambition to be a pop star – although I might have to learn to sing first 🙂

Now that you know all about Mim from Love from Mim, make sure you go and read her blog. You can follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram – thanks so much Mim for being involved!