It takes guts to start a career out of an everyday hobby, and one person who took the plunge and found success is professional blogger, Kim Gray. Kim took her love of fashion, beauty, décor and travel and turned it into her perfect career and has won several awards for her successful blogs. We caught up with her to find out how she did it, what challenges she faced, and what advice she gives those wanting to turn their own hobby into a career.
Tell us a bit about yourself:
I started off my career as a stylist, having interned at Marie Claire Magazine. While I love fashion, I’m a bit of a homebody and love being with friends and family. You’ll usually catch me in jeans and Converse (although I have a healthy shoe cupboard!) I have two dogs, Frankie a tan staffie and Oreo, a black and white French Bulldog. And of course, my two amazing men: my husband and little Harry.
(When we were little)
What are your qualifications?
I left college (City Varsity Make-Up & Special Effects) in my second year and went to intern at Marie Claire Magazine for a year.
(A shoot I did for Shape Magazine)
How did you become interested in writing and blogging?
It was really by chance, chatting to my husband and some of his family members who all work online in different fields, and them encouraging me to start a blog, documenting and sharing my experiences in the fashion and décor world.
What made you decide to start your own blog?
I wasn’t convinced at first, I’m a terrible speller with no writing background, but my husband set a blog up for me to just play with to see if I took to it and I was hooked! There was an endless world of creativity online that both helped my styling career and fuelled my new interest to blog.
What contributed to the success of your blog?
Perhaps being a stylist I already had contact in the fashion, decor and media world, but I also think I kept it consistent, as I wouldn’t disappear for a week. People began to know my style too. I was lucky enough to win two blog awards early on which lead to a lot of magazine interviews and the rest is history.
What challenges did you face while setting up your career as a professional blogger?
At the time there weren’t really many fashion blogs around, and I had to feel my way around in terms of charging advertisers and marketing myself. I also have no design background so I have to do what I can with layouts etc . . .
What is an average day like in the shoes of Kim Gray?
It’s a bit different since I’ve had Harry. I used to attend launches and schedule loads of coffee meetings dotted around the week, but now I am a stay-at-home, working mom.
My day: Coffee first! In-between entertaining and feeding Harry, I tend to emails, get as many blog posts done as possible, and try and make time for a bit of marketing, selling, and an outing, whether it’s doing a blog story at one of the stores at Cavendish, coffee with a friend, a walk etc. In-between I try to keep active with my marketing on Instagram, make sure Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest are running smoothly and are updated. I also make sure to get to bed rather early these days, but my day is always finished with a glass of wine and dinner at the table with my husband.
( Launch days)
What has been the highlight of your career?
I’ve been approached by some incredible big brands, been in most of South Africa’s top magazines (and recently international too), but most importantly I’ve made a living from what I love doing, and you can’t beat that!
(Recently Featured in Stylist Magazine)
What are the advantages of being a professional blogger?
I work from home and I can use my time as I wish. Some days I work flat out and pre-post stories so that I have the odd free day to enjoy the things I love, like meeting friends for coffee, Pilates or taking Harry for a walk.
What are the disadvantages of being a professional blogger?
Your income is not stable. Like any freelance job, your income can change from month to month depending on your advertisers and other variables.
What do you hope the future holds for your blogging career?
I have started a second Blog, www.kimgraypetite.com and I hope that it may gain the same following as kimgray.co.za in time and that I am just able to keep on doing what I love. With the arrival of Harry, now 6 months, I don’t have as much time on my hands, so I hope I can keep up the pace! I’d obviously love for both my blogs to be well-known; a household name if you will, but at the end of the day I just hope it comes across as inspirational and classy.
What advice would you give others who wish to pursue their hobby as a career?
For me it was a gradual shift, slowly doing less styling and more blogging, but eventually you have to take a leap of faith and put all your heart and energy into you new career if you want it to take off. If you’re passionate about it, you can make it happen!
Thinking of turning your hobby into a career? Browse our full short course portfolio here to brush up on the skills you may need to do it. Or, do you want to start your own blog? We recommend the following courses to help you along the way:
UCT Web Design short course
UCT Search Engine Optimisation
UCT Web Development short course
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