Creative report: Natasha Nuttall (interviewee)

My questions sent to Natasha Nuttall

Hello Natasha !! 

As you know I am a 2^ndyear Graphic Design student at Leeds Arts University, desperately trying to figure out the x10000000 different routes that I could take once I graduate. I would love to find out more about yours and then also focus on your creative blogging as this is something that I would love to start up.

Ok, I’ll start with a few questions about the career side of your practice:

Q:

Is there anything in particular that you were doing whilst still at uni that has really helped you to get to where you are today?

Q:

Did the work experience during uni help you out once you had graduated?

Q:

What were the first few steps you took after you graduated to create an identity as a Graphic Designer? 

Q: 

Which design companies were you part of?

Q: 

How are you finding it being a freelance designer? How do you set up projects?

  

Now I would love to hear more about the blog!! :D 

Q: 

When did you introduce the blog to your design website?

Q: 

I am currently wanting to share the exhibitions that I have visited and the places that I have travelled to, but I am unsure how to do this in a way that will excite people. 

Did you initially start with a theme on what you would publish or did you write about as many creative things that excited you?

Q: 

I can see that you are a fan of travelling, how does this feed into your design practice and how do you share your travels with people?

Q:

What are good ways to share your blog and gain loyal followers?

Q: 

Which platform (Instagram, website/blog, YouTube) do you get the most from as a creative in terms of self-promotion and possible design projects? 

Lastly!!

Q: 

Do you have any books, websites, people to follow that you find to inspire your design and just general creative enthusiasm? 

I cannot wait to hear back from you as I love what you do, 

Many thanks

Hannah Rice xxx

Email response from Natasha Nuttall

Hi Hannah,

Don't have loads of time at the mo but don't want to leave you hanging... what I will say though is that you can find a lot of the answers on my blog - have a look back through. I started writing it in college (2008), went to Uni in 2010 and graduated in 2013, so that will help you navigate a bit.

1. I guess writing my blog? I feel like it gave me an edge which not many other designers at my level had. Not many students really knew how to use social media effectively at this point, but for me it was a platform to connect with more established creatives. Things are quite different now though.

2. I didn't do work experience during Uni but - http://graphiquefantastique.com/2014/07/21/ba-honest-graduate-advice-4-the-internship/

3. I panicked, got an internship, panicked again and then got another internship which lead to a job. Maybe these posts are helpful... http://graphiquefantastique.com/2014/01/12/honest-illustrated/ & http://graphiquefantastique.com/2014/09/05/reflection-12-months-since-graduation/ http://graphiquefantastique.com/2014/06/04/ba-honest-graduate-advice-2-options/ 

4. http://graphiquefantastique.com/2014/02/06/be-a-yes-woman/

5. This is quite a big one... I can't really answer that right now ha But what I would say is that you shouldn't go into freelance fresh from Uni. You need to go into a studio to get some experience - http://graphiquefantastique.com/category/graduate-advice/  & http://graphiquefantastique.com/2015/09/14/reflection-18-months-as-a-junior-designer/ 

6. I don't understand what you mean here, sorry? My Blog existed before my design website... which is rubbish & really out of date btw.

7. You can check back through my blog archives for this one but mainly I just shared whatever I liked! I did a couple of series type things e.g. Tri Fri - http://graphiquefantastique.com/trifri/ 

8. Travel is really refreshing and inspiring. I love visiting new places and seeing the way that other cultures live - their transport, pizza shops etc etc It just inspires me like a breath of fresh air. I don't travel as often as I'd like to but mainly share through Instagram & Youtube I guess. And a blog round up - the Bristol one is the most recent: http://graphiquefantastique.com/2017/10/19/colour-hunting-bristol/

9. I'm not sure about this anymore. It's a very different game now compared to when I started 9 years ago. It's taken a long time to make online friends & get noticed but now there are more blogs so it's even harder. I guess just using the social platforms to their best - hashtags, good images, tagging relevant people. But I wouldn't start a blog just to get noticed - you have to start a blog because you want to and you have something different to offer. Also you have to ask yourself - who reads blogs anymore? Do people just scroll on Instagram? Do people only watch Youtube videos? 

10. Erm I don't really know how to measure it. I don't usually ask where referrals come from but I'd guess Instagram just because it's the most visual platform. And word of mouth through networking etc.

11. http://graphiquefantastique.com/2018/04/11/the-best-books-for-creatives/ , http://graphiquefantastique.com/2018/02/22/best-art-galleries-london/ , http://graphiquefantastique.com/2018/01/11/best-podcasts-creatives/ , http://graphiquefantastique.com/2016/02/01/21-creative-youtubers-need-follow/ , http://graphiquefantastique.com/2017/01/30/21-creative-youtubers-need-follow-2/

I hope that's helpful in some way but like I said, I think a lot of your answers are out there already. But ultimately if you want to start a blog then don't let what I say sway you - you have to do it because you want to! And starting a new blog now is very different to when I started my blog - it's hard to compare!

Hope you had a good weekend. 

Good Luck with the blog if you go ahead with it!

Natasha

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Natasha Nuttall
Graphic Designer & Creative Blogger

Blogging: graphiquefantastique.com
Vlogging: NatashaNuttall
Tweeting: @natashanuttall
Gramming: @natasha_nuttall

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