erin: an interview

It is a great honour for me to publish that interview: Design for Mankind is one of my really favourite blogs and Erin was really helpful to me in the beginning of Milk tooth's rain (I sent her an email asking for tips and she was so kind to answer to me).
Enjoy the reading.

Me. I have tagged your blog into my bookmarks with the tag " inspiration ", if you'd give only one tag to describe your Design for Mankind, what term would you use?
(I think you are one of the most inspirational blog I ever seen...you talk about things I love to talk about - well, ok I am a fan! Eheh)
Erin. You are so sweet! Hmm... that's a tough one, as I'm a woman of words. If I had to choose, however, I'd say simply 'design.' Design of words, stories, objects --- they're all sort of interwoven into things I love.

Me. What is the triggering reason that makes you create a blog?
Erin. There were a lot, and I think I'm fairly normal in that Design for Mankind began as a way to connect with a broader community, gain more perspective, catalog intriguing finds and foster my creative spirit.

Me. Today do Design for Mankind's project can be considered part of your daily job? If so how many time has elapsed before that could happen?
Erin. Oh yes, definitely. I owe Design for Mankind for so many things, including the bulk of my freelance writing career. I started Design for Mankind in 2007 (wow -- can't believe it's been three years!) and officially left my day job exactly a year later. Because I also produced a monthly magazine, it was easier for me to make the jump to working for myself.

Me. Tell me a little bit about the process of researching inspirations for your graphics, where do the ideas come from?
Erin. I actually just sat down and created an editorial calendar that helps me hone into the variety of topics I love: whether it be totally bizarre news, unique style finds or interesting product picks. I'm pretty picky about what I post, so I scour the Internet on weekends and bookmark a lot of things I'd like to use for the following week. It's really just one big trail down the rabbit hole!

Me. How many hours do you dedicate to the blog daily/weekly?
Erin. Oh gracious. Blogging alone is probably only about an hour a day, but the emails? Oh, the emails! I'd say the emails and communication w/ my readers (which is my favorite part!) take up an additional three hours of my time.

Me. What does a typical day at work involve for you?
Erin. I like to reserve the daytime for work on my other projects and such, so my schedule really does vary. During the day, I'm working on my articles for ShetlerPop, ReadyMade Magazine, DIY Life and Holidash (or any guest posts I've committed to for the week). At night, I schedule my Design for Mankind posts for the following day and catch up on my feed reader. I usually throw in a yoga class and coffee run between there --- and always make time for playtime w/ my dogs! I'm also ShetlerPop's social media director and consult for my company BAKERY (w/ Jaime of Design Milk), so I send a looooot of emails out during the day!

Me. Do you collaborate with mag or other blogs? If so, which one?
Erin. Because I'm a freelance writer, my work is usually all over the place, yes!

Me. How many time do you dedicate by reading other blogs?
Erin. Not as much as I'd like anymore. I've narrowed my feed reader from 339 feeds down to 51, so I usually just check in with those in five minutes and call it a day.

Me. What tips can you get to someone that will start a blog?
Erin. Hmm. If you want to start a blog now, be sure you've got a killer idea to stand out among the crowd. Be sure it's a topic you're passionate about (knowledgeable helps, too!), and immerse yourself in the community. Be friendly and you can't go wrong.

Me. Which are your favorite blogs by the moment? What tag describes them in a better way?
Erin. I love my e-friend Jeff's blog (Booooooom.com) and Amy (All the Mountains) always finds the best stuff.

Me. What are you looking forward to?
Erin. Moving into my fixer-upper in July, and releasing a special project I've been working on for over a year.

Thank you for your helpfulness Erin!

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