Q&A With Catherine Bircumshaw

Today I'm very excited to share with you a Q&A with my lovely blogging friend Catherine Bircumshaw, aka the writer of smileycentral106.blogspot.co.uk. Catherine's blog is somewhere I always go for a bit of positivity, because her posts are so motivating and uplifting. Not to mention she truly writes in an outstanding way. Also, she has a fantastic youtube channel, also by the name of Smiley Central, where she shares her thoughts using her amazing accent. Please show her some support over there because she really deserves it! 

Here are the actual questions I asked her to get to know her a bit better:

1. Your blog name is so creative. How did you come up with it?

I have always been a happy person so I knew that I wanted the word 'smile' in my blog name. I wanted my blog to be a little corner of the internet, a happy place that people could be apart of. My blog was almost called 'Happy Town' or 'Smiley Place', I spent hours thinking of a blog name and when 'Smiley Central' popped into my brain, something clicked. I love my blog name and I am very happy that it is not 'Happy Place' lol.

2. Where do you get your inspiration for your posts, is it from somewhere in particular or just a spontaneous idea?

I get my ideas from real life situations mainly but occasionally an idea pops into my mind, most of them are rubbish but I will get some good ideas for posts. I take some time each night to think of a post I can write in the morning because I find that the time before I go to sleep is a time that I can think of good content.

3. I've noticed that you love sharing wonderful photos on your blog, how long have you been passionate about photography?

I have always had a brain that can spot photo opportunities at any scene so I guess I have always been taking mental pictures. I loved taking pictures on my phone but I truly found my passion near the end of September 2015 when I got my camera, now I can't stop taking photos.

4. The music lately has been absolutely incredible. What songs have you been obsessed with at the moment?

I have recently been loving all of Troye Sivan's music, specifically his song 'Youth', I love so much! I never thought I would say that one of my favourite songs is by Justin Bieber, but Love Yourself is so great! It's probably because it was co-written by Ed Sheeran, he is amazing! I have also been loving the YouTuber Dodie Clark's music, she inspires me musically and I look up to her.

5. Did you consider starting your YouTube channel before you had your blog, or did you get an interest for it through your blog? 

I wanted a YouTube channel for years but I did have the equipment or knowledge to do so. I found out about how Zoella and Sprinkle of Glitter started with blogging, found out how to start a blog and got addicted to hitting publish. Fate put a camera in my hands and I knew it was time for me to start YouTube, I'm so thankful for that camera, it means that I can do YouTube while also blogging.

6. Would you ever consider dyeing your hair a different colour, and if so, what colour?

I like using natural products in my hair and I hardly ever straighten it so that I don't damage my hair so I doubt that I would ever dye my hair. If I did dye it though I would probably dip-dye it blue, pink or blonde or I would dye all of my hair, starting at green then going to blue then to purple, I don't mess around lol.

7. Even though it is a lot of fun, some people find there are difficulties when it comes to blogging. What do you think is the hardest thing about running a blog?

I think the hardest thing about running a blog is that there will be times when you feel as if you could write forever and there will be times when you feel sucked dry, your creativity can't always be consistent but when you're running a blog you have to be. With time and experience, blogger finds ways around the rough parts.

8. Where is the coolest place you've been on holiday?

I went to England in the middle of Winter a few years ago and it was definitely cool, hahaha, I'm so funny. I really did enjoy the experience though, I got to see snow for the first time in my life and I met so much of my family for the first time (I'm half English).

9. It's always for to try experiment with a few types of genres on your blog. Do you have a favourite type of blog post to write?

I don't think I have a favourite type of blog post to write, I think each type of blog post is fun to write in a different way. I love chatty posts because I think those are the posts where my true character comes out, I also get to ramble, if you know me, you know that I love to ramble haha. I love writing inspiring posts because I get a warm feeling when somebody comments on my post telling me that I have inspired them. I love doing photography posts because I can show people other passions of mine. I just love blogging in general.

10. What is the overall message that you are trying to get across with your blog?

I think that main message that I want to get across is that you can be yourself and entertain and inspire others with a blog or just by yourself. I also want my readers to know that they can be happy if they choose to be happy, it's a choice and a good one to make.

Thank you so much for reading Catherine's lovely answers, I hope you love her blog and channel as much as I do (which is a lot). And thank you so much Catherine for taking part, I really enjoyed finding out more about you and it seems we have very similar music tastes lol!

Izzy K xxx