The Blogcademy: Mind Explosion.

Just under two weeks ago, I attended The Blogcademy workshop at Curtain Road Studios in London. After two jam-packed days, I left with a head exploding with knowledge, inspiration and turquoise rainbow sparkles.

As if the promise of exploding-brains isn't enough to get you to The Blogcademy - the awesome goodie bags - filled with headbands, cutesy-kitsch hairclips, solid reading material, sparkly ears, yummy treats, gorgeous bracelets, glittery star necklaces and ceramic tweet badges will make you feel like you've gotten your money's worth before the class has even started. The studio decor and flowers alone are enough to bring any blogger into a frothing instragramming frenzy.

I actually won "best overall instagram" for the video I made below - 

I won a "Blogcademy- I have to instagram this" phone cover -

it's pretty epic.

and Just LOOK! at my phone sitting right there next to Kat and Gala's -
am TOTES in the gang.

Over the two days there is so much information and knowledge that is poured onto you - it's like a rain-shower of glittery wisdom. At the end of the first day, it's quite hard to tell whether you are learning anything at all because you barely have a second to actually take it all in. I found that it's only once I have had time to sit alone at home, with my scrawled notes, my own ideas and the application of that knowledge to my own blog that I've realised how much I have learnt.


There are a few mantras, ideas and bits of information that have really stuck out for me in The Blogcademy teachings. In order to keep myself inspired (in the days, weeks and months away from The Blogcademy) I have made myself some little "reminder mantras", printed them out and stuck them on the wall next to my computer:





If you attended The Blogcademy and would like a little reminder of these mantras, (or if you didn't attend The Blogcademy {you should} and would like a little tease of "the goodness") I have made these into some printable downloads that you can stick up next to your computer. Because I'm nice like that.

Above Left: Shannon from SLR Photography, Me and Cat from Insanely Loving Life (launching soon).

Apart from the good tips and sound blogging advice, The Blogcademy is the perfect platform for meeting and networking with other bloggers, creatives and freelancers who are inspiring in their goals of making it for themselves. I am so excited to watch their blogging journey's.

What is the main thing that I learnt from The Blogcademy?

Surprisingly, the main thing that I got out of The Blogcademy wasn't good SEO practise, or how to write killer content, or tips for social media usage or even good advice for blog monetisation -although these topics were covered and I have 34 pages of scribbled notes to show for it. At the end of the day, it wasn't the blogging tips that have made this course so invaluable to me - the main thing I have taken from The Blogcademy is a sense of renewed self confidence. The belief that if these three mega babes are doing it - their way, their rules, their own career paths that they are carving out for themselves - then I can do it too. It is possible, it can be done - and there I am, mingling with the proof.



Kat: Made it.
Shauna: Made it.
Gala: Made it.
Ché: ERRRRHHHMAAAAGERRRRHD!!! ME TOOOOO!!!

No worry, we'll get there.

(Side Note: MUST. learnt the art of "staying cool")

Over the next few weeks and months, there are going to be some changes that I'm testing out on little indieBerries - My new website design is in the process of being coded and you can look forward to some new regular features and social media changes - which I will be telling you about this coming week!

* * * * * *

To Shauna, Gala and Kat

Thank you so much for the most inspiring and incredible two days. Thank you for picking me as one of your scholarship winners - to let me bask in the awesomeness that you all exude. I feel inspired, motivated and driven to succeed in blogging, in goal setting, in creating and in life in general. Thank you for being brave enough to 'just do it'  - because you've inspired us all to do it, too.

Eternally grateful

Ché
x

{Cartoon} How to Survive (London) Winter in Six Easy Steps

Step 1: Around bedtime, encourage your lover to jump into bed before you - under the guise of being "extra sweet"

Step 2: Encourage your lover to come closer.

(use your seductive eyes. Throw in words like "handsome")

Step 3:

Step 4:


Step 5: Return to the bedroom

Step 6: 


As you can tell, it's getting a lot colder in this hemisphere of the world and my little self does NOT love it. We have yet to locate our electric blankets in all the chaos of our house move and considering the husband was walking around in a T-shirt last night, I presume it will be a little while before he lets me strap that thing onto the bed. Anywhoo.

I've been trying to gather ALL my thoughts from The Blogcademy I attended last week and will be posting about my experience and the changes I'm hoping to make around here very soon - (As you can imagine there are lots of things to think about and lots of new ideas that I need to refine - so my head is currently in overdrive. (I actually included "Step 6: switch off the lights" into the cartoon above because last night I fell asleep with the light on, with my face in my Blogcademy workbook. There is a little bit of drool on page 8. Sexy.)

If you know of anyone who is entering a cold phase in their lives (London or otherwise) and needs this handy keep-warm technique - please do share it with them. It works like a charm.

Any other keep-warm techniques I should know about?

Do share.

Exciting Announcement!

In case you missed the announcement yesterday - My over-zealous "campaign" (spam) has worked it's magic and I've won a scholarship to attend The Blogcademy in September in London! Am so incredibly excited and I know this is going to be an amazing opportunity to learn new things, grow little indieBerries & my online brand, to make new contacts, meet new inspiring bloggers, grow my online networks and who knows... maybe take the leap into "pro-blogging". Will defs be sharing the journey with you and all the things I can! For now, what I can say I've learnt:

SPAM WORKS.

Husband and I went out for a Sushi and Wine Picnic in the Wimbledon Common last night to celebrate:

  


Side Note: This is Ché post-run and Warren post-cycle. We are usually way more glamourous than this. And I wear pearls every day.

Yesterday I was given access to the private Blogcadette forums - with loads of cool resources, connections to other bloggers and loads of reading material. (Being the school-nerd that I am, I will be doing ALL of the pre-reading homework and will TOTES be sitting in the front). I have hardly even looked at all the cool content in the forums - because can you understand what I mean when I say - it's pretty much an online vortex - that i'll be sucked into for days and before I know it, husband will tell me it's Friday and I haven't moved since Monday. The month before.

Am already feeling so inspired, motivated and geared up for exciting things ahead. (Hence me writing this blog post at 3:38am when everyone else is doing the normal human thing of sleeping).

Just gonna leave you with one last thing - 

Blogcademy Round Up

Today is the final day to enter the London Blogcademy Scholarship. In true politician candidate style, I have decided to highlight my Blogcademy Campaign Round-up.

I posted my "official" entry on indieBerries, here - which featured some hand-drawn cartoons of the fab Blogcademy Headmistresses and the (many, many) reasons why I'm so desperate to attend this awesome blogging workshop.

I made a very glamourous Blogcademy-inspired Pinterest Board  - 

with all sorts of turquoise, sequins, sparkles and shimmer.
(and one or two cupcakes and bunny-ears thrown in for good measure).

The following day, I blogged about a turquoise notebook DIY - 

...and how terribly sad my little notebook will be "all dressed up with no-where to go"

I made a list of FUN FACTS!
which I posted on Friday -

Turquoise is the new black.

Fact.

About two weeks ago, I made some sparkly sequinned bunny ears -
I made husband film the process.

He told me I shouldn't post the video -

Me: Why? It's fun! It's like my personality-and-all.
Hubsand: Yeah.. but... it's not like... professional. You wanna be professional, don't you?
Me: Oooh. yeah. I totes wanna be professional. Yeah, I shouldn't post it, You're absolutely right.

so anyway, 

here is the video:

and some close up of those bunny ears -
sequins, turquoise fluff, glitter.

You can pretty much figure out the rest.

My mom (all the way in South Africa) has been asking about the Blogcademy entry - I told her that I've just seen a really cool submission - which we'll just call The Smurf Boy.

Mom replies with:




She doesn't get it, because

a) it IS the end of the world, if I don't get into this thing and
b) the Blogcademy colour is turquoise so "painting myself pink" is completely:

So anyway, to round-up my blogcademy application campaign - 

I'm writing a poem to the Headmistresses of the Blogcademy:

Dear Shauna, Gala and Kat,

Dear famous bloggers, so world renown -
I'd love to join you in London town.
(I've been annoying the husband with all my "blogcademy chatter"
so please accept me and save his grey-matter.)

There are so many things I neeeeed to know -
branding and marketing and SEO
I have questions a-plenty: (about one million-and-three)
and being able to ask you would mean the world to me.
I'm kept up at night, with all my questions a-burning,
plus I love all things "school" and am a sucker for learning.
I have so many creative "things" that float round in my brain
(hence my scholarship entry became a campaign).

I know I have the potential to be something great -
and it feels my life has been one long wait.
I need your critiquing and expert know how,
I'm desperate for advice and cat-ears, me-ow.

I'm not sure what else I can do -
besides draw a bajillion more pictures or paint myself blue.
I can't bake you cupcakes as husband will attest -
my cooking skills are highly inedible, at best
I've drawn pictures, made pinboards, made ears-of-the-bunny
been told (by the mom) to "paint myself pink" which is funny.

I need help and direction at honing my creativity and skills -
and who better than from 3 fab bloggers in their sequined frills.
If you choose me as part of your blogcademy soirée,
I promise, I'll be hanging on every word that you say.
I'm ready for a "plan" for this little blog to grow -
and I know I'll leave with purpose and an inspired glow.

So, dear headmistresses - pink-haired and brunette,
Please pick ME as one of your Blogcademy Cadettes.

 

xoxo

For anyone else interested in reading more about The Blogcademy, you can click here (or you can just email me, I've read every single page on there about one hundred times).

Here is a list of the other scholarship submissions as of now - (and there are some awesome blogs in this list - so go check them out, yo)

Smashing the Glass - Save the Date/Fate

Yellow Bunting YouTube Video

Defective Geeks YouTube Video

Stevie Hewett Illustration
Craig Dearsley Photo - I'm Blue

Fifi Scarlet - Movie script

All the Time I wish... - Words and Video

Secrets of a Happy Girl - Paper Cranes & Cupcakes

Little Outdoor Kylie - Birdwatching

Aimee Marie - Written Application

Hold all your appendages for me, people.

The Blogcademy.

We've been married for almost four months now - but me moving to London 3 months ago has been the first time we've lived on the same continent in more than 6 years.
And before that,

We weren't even dating.

Yeah, 

It's a long story.

I digress.

poor me.

Spending South African Rands whilst trying
to buy things in London Pounds is no joke.

YAY! For online store!!

A brand new online shop - 

"things" including.... date books || illustrated recipe books || wedding guestbooks || 'trash-books' || cards ||  DIY kits || design work || web design || children's books || personalised cartoons etc etc etc.

I want to do ALL the things.
(which is clearly not possible - *needs direction*)

So,

so... if you can't grant me the scholarship for me
(which I think you should)

Then do it for my husband.

And



But really,

 I do believe that I am an excellent candidate for The Blogcademy scholarship because:

1. I have a lot of creative ideas {too many, not enough hours in the day - they need to be streamlined/focused/directed (?!)} and I don't really know what to do with them, how to market them/execute them and/or how to take them to the next level. I need help with actualising my creativity into a viable career.
2. I'm in the process of building a new website and online store (YAY SELF!) - and I would love some expert branding/guidance/advice with the launch of that new venture. The Blogcademy is the perfect platform in every sense.
3. I have been approached several times by (South African) google-ad type advertisers asking to host flashing banners on my blog. Every time I have ninja-chopped-them-in-the-face said, "NO", because I don't want to be a sell-out. But... am starting to think maybe it is time I start generating some income from my blog? how?
4. I would absolutely love to be part of such an exciting, interactive and dynamic experience - not only meeting a group of 30 like-minded UK bloggers, but having three of the most internationally successful bloggers in the industry to answer my hundreds of technical/practical/creative and business questions, is more than I would ever be able to get from reading any website/forum or book (and I've read plenty).
5.  I would love to soak up all the stories, experiences, advice and be inspired by three of the most prolific bloggers in the industry. And also - possibly stroke Kat's pink hair {in a non-creepy way}.

But above all -
  

PS. I have decided that I am going to SPAM the Blogcademy headmistresses with my scholarship entry campaign - they will be so annoyed with me that they will accept my scholarship application just to make me stop. I realise this is a rather risky strategy and has the potential to make me look both needy and desperate. My response to this is:

I am.


So lovely indieBerries readers and fans (hi mom),
- go forth on your twitters and tell @theblogcademy just how much you think
@indieberries needs to be part of their possé.


and TOMORROW!
BLOGCADEMY DIY!


yes.