Our first interview in the Do What You Love series is with design blogger wonder woman, Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge. Her blog is read by over 40,000 people daily and was one of the first I found that inspired me to start Modish. I've always wondered what life is like for her behind the scenes of running such a successful website and happily, she's given us a little glimpse!
What do you do for a living?I
run
Design*Sponge, which takes up most of my 24 hours a day. Until two
weeks ago I was a contributing editor at Domino and
Craft Magazines,
but they both closed within a week of each other so now it's all
D*S
all the time.
I left my full-time job in 2006 and haven't
looked back- I've always kept a few freelancing jobs on the side
because it's fun to do something different every once in awhile (especially if
it requires me to get out of the house- which I need help with
sometimes).
The decision to leave was a scary one, but I was fundamentally
unhappy in my day job and knew that if I was ever going to try to do
the site full-time, that was the time. It was new, a good time to try
to make a living from a blog (as opposed to say, our current economic
climate), and I was excited to see if I could make it happen. So I made
an economic plan, met with someone at my bank to see if I could do it
and then made the jump. Basically, I like to look before I leap.
Do you work from home or have a studio/office elsewhere?
I
wish I could afford an office, but I can't- so I work at home in a
makeshift space known as my living room. I'm not a desk person (even
though I have one), so I prefer to work with my bad posture on the
couch.
Do you have a partner or assistant, or are you going it solo?
I'm lucky to have 6 (woah, I just now realized that I'm really
not alone
anymore, it's a still a little weird for me) freelance contributors to
the site. They make it possible to try to make the transition from
product blog to online magazine a little easier. My goal is to make
D*S
as much original content as possible, peppered with cool homes,
projects and products during the week. I'd like to move away from
products and shopping-related content a bit.
How do you organize your days? At what part of the day are you most productive?
By
the skin of my teeth. The only guaranteed part of my days are between
the hours of 7am and 9am (emailing, posting morning content) and
9pm-10pm (Rock of Love Tour Bus on VH1).
I'm most productive in the early morning so I like to get up as
early as I can and just throw myself into work- I prefer to get
emailing done early in the day because I know I won't get an instant
response back- that way I can really plow through submissions and not
get bogged down in immediate responses right away.
How do you keep procrastination and distraction in check, and stay motivated to get things done?
Oh man, there just isn't time for it. I've
gotten better at not working on the weekends, and not opening my laptop
on trips (Thanks to
Anne, who works with me now) so those little spurts
of being un-connected really help me focus more when I do work. I've
just learned that I work really well at home- even with the TV or music
on- I do well when I'm by myself because I'm not tempted to go to
someone else's desk and talk, etc.
In terms of motivation, it's tough- sometimes I have a bad week and
don't love the content on the site, but other times it's great-
normally I try to get myself out of the house and into the city during
the down times- that usually lifts my spirits and inspires a new
project or collaboration.
How many hours do you put in per day? Do you work on the weekends?
At least 12 hours, usually more like 13 or
14. My boyfriend starts work on the late side, so he's home late, so
rather than sit around by myself at home (or do something productive
like say, go to the gym or do my taxes) I just keep working until I
hear his key in the door around 8:30 or 9.
I used to work 6 or so hours on the weekend, but I try to cut that
down to 2-3 on Sunday night, just to get Monday's posts lined up. I get
so little time with my other half these days that I really try to turn
off the internet world and give him my undivided attention.
How do you handle a non-steady income?
Until
recently, my income was fairly steady because the site was doing well
and my jobs with magazines were monthly so I knew what to expect. But
now everything's been turned on its head so I'm doing what I always
wish my old bosses would have done- cut from the top down. So I'm
taking a huge pay cut so that that I can keep our contributors and pay
them what they've always been paid. Hopefully advertising will pick
back up- but in the meantime we're brainstorming ways to get income
back in place without selling additional advertising or selling-out in
any way.
What do you think is the most difficult part about being your own boss?
Cutting
myself slack. I'm pretty tough on myself and sometimes I need to let
loose and remember that it's just a job. Normally I'm pretty good at
that, but I go through blue-streaks where I need someone to lift me up
a bit and shake away the blahs. Thankfully I have good friends in my
neighborhood, and Aaron, who can help with that.
And the best part?
That's easy- setting
your own schedule. Hands down the best part of the gig. I love being
able to start and finish work when I want, where I want. You can't beat
it. That and there's no one to tell me what to write about or what to
do at any given time. I'm a pretty big control freak so it's a good
position to be in ;)
How do you reward yourself for a job well done and keep yourself from getting too burnt out?
I'm a big fan of mid-day naps and
time-outs. If I'm feeling stuck or frustrated I give myself an hour to
move past it. So I say "ok, you can be sad/mad/frustrated from 12 until
1pm, but then, hit the restart button and get over it". So I'll go get
coffee, frozen yogurt, go get magazines at the store, or do something
to jog my brain a bit. Lunches out with local artists and friends are
my new treat though- it's really important to connect in person with
people when you're used to being by yourself all day. I know it's time
to reward myself with a lunch out when I start talking to my cats too
much.
Would you say you're making a living doing what you love?
Absolutely- times are tough right now, but I feel a
stronger sense of connection with my readers, friends, the people I
write about and even our advertisers right now. We're all struggling,
but we're all in it together. It just renews my commitment to
buy/support/live locally and on a small-scale.
What is one nugget of wisdom you can pass on to someone who is
desperately seeking to get out of the 9-5 grind and follow in your
footsteps?
Plan
ahead. It's romantic to just quit and run away to start your own
business, but so many promising businesses fail that way. Invest in a
business advisor, accountant, counselor- anything you need up front to
get your ducks in a row. That way, when things like the recession
happen, you won't be left wondering how to pull it all back together.
It's basically that old saying "measure twice, cut once". Plan and
double check your plan, then make the leap.
Head to Design*Sponge to see the product of all of Grace's hard work! While you're there, be sure to check out their new gardening column, Weeder's Digest, and the 1st article in her the Biz Ladies series for more creative business tips! You'll also like the really cool video series she did called design by the book, following artists as they created works inspired by the New York Public Library's collection.
Thanks Grace, for sharing your days with us and all your words of wisdom!
>> further reading: Do What You Love, the series introduction
