A Conversation With the Austin Eavesdropper: Part Deux!

Wow, I have gotten so much great feedback from Part I of my interview with Tolly Moseley, writer of Austin Eavesdropper. 'Tis greatly appreciated, as always. You may or may not know this, but in Fashion Capstone, my class created a magazine. I wrote a piece about my move from Montana to Texas, and had the opportunity to do an interview. I chose Tolly because not only is she a fun-lovin' gal, but she's an amazing lifestyle blogger. Basically, I just wanted to pick her brain. If you do not read Austin Eavesdropper, be sure to ASAP! It will make you laugh and cry and pee your pants, simultaneously.

As was promised, here is the remainder of my interview with Ms. Tolly:

As someone who does have another career, along with a husband and a psychotic kitty cat, how do you find the time to sponsor events such as the Austin Bleet-Up and P.S. a Paramount/Stateside Affair?
I don’t know! Haha. I’m honestly working on cutting down my commitments. I’m just a sucker for a good party.

You have had amazing opportunities, including interviewing musicians for SXSW with Express Rocks. How did these opportunities come about/was your blog a part of these opportunities?
Yes, my blog was indeed a part of these opportunities. Often, a friend-of-a-friend will know someone who’s looking for on-air or writing talent, and they’ll send them to my blog. This happened with both SXSW (a publicist friend at Giant Noise recommended me to Express when they were looking for a TV host) and SheKnows.com. A friend of mine at Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau recommended me to them when they asked about local Austin writers. So it was partly my blog that landed this stuff for me, but honestly just having some really amazing buddies out there!

Your blog is now a for-profit blog with both a healthy readership and sponsorship. What made you decided to become for-profit?
I think the first time a business (Birds Barbershop) approached me, asking if I’d be interested. I said: “yes of course” and bam, for-profit blog. It was never an explicit aspiration of mine, but hey, if I can support local / worthwhile businesses and they support me back – I call that a mutually beneficial partnership.

What’s the best and most frustrating aspect of blogging? How do you respond to negative feedback?
The only negative feedback I’ve gotten is when I’ve posted about something political (like when I wrote about universal healthcare a few months ago). But shockingly, that’s the only time anyone has ever written something negative to me. No one has written anything overtly nasty (knock on wood) or borne out of jealousy. The most frustrating aspect of blogging is feeling like I just don’t have enough time for it. I always feel like there is so! Much! More! I could be doing! But, all in due time. Someday, I’ll get a good camera for it. Someday, I’ll create a Facebook page for it. If I have to let it improve gradually, then that is ok by me.

Give us a slice of a “day in the life” of Ms. Tolly Moseley.
7:30 : WAKE UP / breakfast / make myself coffee (even though I promised day before I was giving up coffee)
8:30 – 10:30 : BLOG STUFF / post / respond to email or comments / Tweet / Facebook
10:30 – 5:30 : WORK (from home) on book publicity: Email, write press releases about books, make calls to media, assure authors, bitch/laugh with colleagues, take lunch break, try not to get on Twitter or Gawker too much, walk outside, notice sun, vow to take walk after work, write more emails, attempt to charm a TV producer into booking my author(s), hug husband when he walks inside, dodge accusations (all true) of leaving dirty dishes in sink, pet my kitty.
5:30 : JOIN FREE WORLD via happy hour, samba school (husband and I take each Weds), aerial silks class (I take every Tues/Thurs), dinner or porch time with friends

10:00 : Remark that I should go to bed, start a blog post

11:00 : Say, “ok ok really I should GO TO BED” then sneak in a little Top Chef or book tim

12:30 : Finally turn off light (or, sometimes, realize I have a freelance story due the next day, four-letter expletives follow).

Do you have any tips for those who are currently blogging and/or aspiring bloggers?

Figure out what you are in it for – writing, photography, vlogging, displaying your art, etc. And then focus on that thing and try to do it really well. The other aspects of blogging will follow suit. Also, keeping a balance of consuming / producing art. I am a better blogger (and writer) because I am an obsessive reader. If you are a photographer or artist, study those who inspire you; if you are a vlogger, watch camera personalities who delight you. I think 60% of being successful, creatively, is seeking out quality examples and role models.

How would you describe Austin to someone who is visiting the city for the first time? What sights would you tell them are a must-see?

I would say that visiting Austin will probably make you want to move here. No, really. It’s so pretty, people are so nice, it’s funky and offbeat and there are lots of trees. So just be prepared for that, I will tell them. Next, I will say that you have to eat at a food trailer – DUH – and recommend Anthony Bourdain’s favorite, Odd Duck on S. Lamar. I would also tell them to get a fancy cocktail at East Side Show Room, and that even though you’ll have to wait a while because it’s tiny and disorganized, it’s oh-so-worth it. The drinks and the gypsy jazz music are just incredibly. Finally, if the weather is nice, I would tell them to go stand-up paddling on Town Lake! I discovered that last summer and it’s a blast. As well as easy, even though it looks like a feat of balance and abdominal muscles. You can go home and tell people, “dude, I totally did that.”

And, lastly, how would you describe your personal style from day-to-day? Where do you like to shop in Austin?

A (gay) friend described me as a little Stevie Nicks, a little Audrey Hepburn. I think that’s about accurate. My style is somewhat polished, somewhat bohemian. I ADORE vintage, and for that, go to Blue Velvet (on North Loop), Buffalo Exchange, and sometimes the vintage stores on S. Congress. New Bohemia has great bags, Feathers has killer boots. When I’m buying new, I tend to stick to Strut. But I fantasize about Anthropologie. I make an annual trip to Urban Outfitters and get a few things – skinny jeans, lockets, orange heels. Thanks Chelsea!

Thank you, Tolly!

If you did not read Part I of our interview, you can access it here.

My class is presenting our magazine as a whole tomorrow, and hopefully I will get some great photos in. Might even load the entire magazine as a PDF on here...we'll see! Hope everyone has a happy Monday!

Thank you to Tolly for the photo.

A Conversation With the Austin Eavesdropper: Part I.

In addition to writing about how I moved from Montana to Texas for Fashion Capstone, I had the pleasure of interviewing Tolly Moseley, the writer of the Austin Eavesdropper. If you're not reading her, leave now and go check out her blog. Seriously. Tolly's not just an Austin blogger; she's one the most personable lifestyle bloggers I've come across. Which is why I thought she was a perfect subject. Unfortunately, in our magazine there was limited space, and I had to cut our interview short. Lucky for you, I have a blog, so I get to share Tolly's golden drops of wisdom with y'all. I'm breaking it up into two sections, as it is pretty long. Without further ado...

Tolly and me at The Austin Bleet-Up in December.

You started blogging after returning from grad school in Davis, California (Yay for former Davisites!). What drew you to blogging?
I’ve always been addicted to text. I majored in English and went to grad school for English Literature. I wrote for my high school and college newspapers, interned at a Sacramento magazine. But the ability to publish my own writing – whenever I wanted – was the siren song of the blogosphere. I came of age in a time (not that long ago, actually) when seeing your writing “in print” meant submitting to a magazine or literary journal, and hoping against hope that they’d publish it. But blogging lets you decide what’s good enough for the public to see. And for a long time, mine wasn’t. (Even though I repeatedly hit the “publish” button anyway).

From my understanding, “The Austin Eavesdropper” is not your first blog. Why did your other forays into blogging fizzle and why did “The Austin Eavesdropper” succeed?
Austin Eavesdropper is my third attempt at blogging: The first one was a Livejournal (a Livejournal!) about my daily activities, such as, what flavor of Frappuccino I had that day. It was really boring. I think Austin Eavesdropper stuck because at first it was sort of a local resource – like, what’s going on in Austin – then it became more of a girl-about-town chronicle, and now, it’s 75% introspective and personal. That was a big surprise to me: That people had any interest in, say, my cat. Or my alcoholic friend. I’m still trying to understand the appeal. But I think the real reason this one has been more successful is because I’m a better writer and storyteller than I was when I first started.

How did you come up with the name “Austin Eavesdropper”?
It used to be called “That Austin Girl” and then I decided that was really lame. It was supposed to be be a “That Girl” reference but no one got it. Anyway, everywhere I go around town, I love to eavesdrop on people (to my husband’s embarrassment). I think it’s a writer thing – your ears are always perked for interesting tidbits. I don’t really publish the private snatches of conversation I hear around town, BUT about half a year into “That Austin Girl,” I was ready for a new name – and I decided “Austin Eavesdropper” was not only catchy, but kind of autobiographical.

You write about many different topics, from food and fashion to music and the various on-goings in Austin. Where or from whom do you draw inspiration for story ideas?
Sometimes pitches. Bands / designers / artists / restaurants (or their publicists) will write me and ask if I’d be interested in trying out their music / clothes / show / food. From time to time their creations really resonate with me. But mostly, I think that listening to KUT, reading the Chronicle, going to coffee shops and checking out fliers, reading other blogs (both local and non), my friends – all of these funnel down blog post ideas to me. I’m so lucky to have these wildly creative, smart people as friends, and to be married to a musician. They all help me tune my awareness to the crackling sparks of weirdness in Austin – weirdness that, as all Austinites know, is beautiful too!
That and NICENESS. If a band, restaurant, whatever is not only talented, but genuinely comprised of lovely people, I try to support them. Nice is a very big deal to me.

How do you plan your posts—do you go by a calendar, or when you are inspired?
I try to post 3x/week minimum, and write them down on a “schedule” I keep on my laptop. The weekly schedule look something like this:
--MONDAY: Mouth Rejoices: Dinner at Foreign and Domestic
--WEDNESDAY: My session with a psychic
--FRIDAY: Sponsor Spotlight on Birds Barbershop
As you can see, my writing is part reviews – part personal stories – part business hustling. ☺ As I get more advertisers I try to be good to them and show them a little love in blog posts. (It helps that I happen to adore my sponsors).

Aesthetics is a big part of blogging. You recently changed up design on your blog. Did you source this out, or are you an HTML whiz? How important do you think it is for a blogger to know basic HTML?
Changing my design was one of the BEST decisions I ever made! I hired a company called Freckled Nest, and specifically, a designer named Kelly Ann Mount. I found her before I found her company – she’s an artist with a blog called “The Flowerchild Dwelling,” and I stalked her. Seriously. I wrote her in November asking her I could hire her for a redesign, and she couldn’t … I kept asking … finally in February her schedule freed up and she took me on as a client. Power of persistence!
I think it IS important for a blogger to know some basic HTML (which is why I prefer Blogger over Wordpress; Blogger is easier for newbies to tweak their own templates). But, if you’re serious about blogging, or have been doing it for a while and are ready to take the next step forward – hire a template designer. I can’t recommend Freckled Nest enough. My traffic increased substantially after I launched the new design. I think people like spending time in pretty, eye-pleasing corners of the Internet.

You are a passionate and open writer, from your first house-hunting experience to an intervention you had with a close friend. What leads you to write about such personal experiences? What is something that you would definitely consider a taboo subject to write about?
I went to a naked yoga class last year and it is SUCH a good story – but I don’t think I can blog about it! Maybe I can save that one for a magazine somewhere. Anyway, nakedness + sex are pretty much the only off-limits topics for me. I admire sex bloggers a lot, but that’s a topic I keep just between Ross and I. ☺
Anyway, as for the other personal experiences, I think I just have a craving to tell good stories. I’m not a very good story-teller in person. But I’m good in writing. Shaping my experiences into narratives helps me make sense of things (both when they are happy things, and also when they are very, very hard things). Also, you know those people who just LIVE to cook? They love shopping, picking out all their special ingredients, marinating chicken breasts for hours, etc? I am so not like that with cooking. But I can relate to the passion. Picking out words, shaping sentences and dialog, the satisfaction that comes with a really punchy story conclusion – that all just makes me feel like a badass when I can pull it off.

You work for the local boutique publicity firm PR by the Book. How has your work as a publicist influenced your work as a blogger and vice versa?
Being social media savvy in any realm – whether you’ve got a ton of followers on Twitter, you post on Facebook all day long, you blog – always helps in publicity. I train my authors how to use these tools, and further their message by building up their own social media networks.
But being surrounded by books helps my writing, too. I read diverse items for work – cookbooks, memoirs, sci fi, children’s books. I’ve learned that there is a market for nearly everything, which encourages me as I think about taking on more serious writing projects in the future. Also, being a book publicist taught me how to publicize myself! I mean, I don’t really send press releases out about the blog, but I’ve got good relationships with local media, and they know they can call on me for quotes and media appearances. Part of being a blogger is “selling” the blog, and although I don’t do that enough – I don’t even have a Facebook page for it, and I really need to make one! – I’ve learned how to offer myself as a helpful source without being pushy.
There is also the question of: What are you an expert on? I teach all of my authors early on how to answer that question. I am (sort of) an expert on Austin, and (sort of) an expert on transitioning from kid to grown-up.

Stayed tuned for Part II of our conversation!

(And thank you everyone for the positive feedback on my post about moving to Austin. 'Tis greatly appreciated, and I am honored to be an inspiration to a few of you. If you haven't read it, please do, and tell me what you think! It is by far the most personal thing I've written for my blog, and it's exciting in a daunting sort of way. Happy Wednesday!)