Kyle Hepp

August 15, 2008

Well, there have been enough questions in the survey to keep me going on the FAQ’s for a while so I’m just going to answer a few more today and then try to get back to some regular posting.

Don’t forget, today is the last day of the survey!!! It closes at midnight so take it now. Shortly after midnight I’ll announce who wins postcards! And again, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to go through and answer my questions, you guys are awesome!

Why don’t you blog about life outside Providencia, gringos always stay in that area of the city but there is more to Santiago. (Someone even suggested that I “come visit Estacion Central!” which I thought was kind of hilarious. I’ll be having lunch there tomorrow.)
The three people asked some version of this question are all people who began reading recently, so I ask you to just go ahead and go back in the archives if you are curious as to what life was like for a gringa in Estacion Central. I’ve only been living in my current fancy schmancy apartment for 7 months. Before that I lived, where else, Estacion Central for 2 years. I’ve also lived 3 months in Puente Alto and spent weekends with a family in Nunoa. Used to grocery shop in Maipu, have been to about 10,000 asados in El Bosque, paradero 36 1/2. It always makes me laugh when people think I’m a cuica. I can’t say I’ve seen it all, but I think I do have a pretty well rounded vision of Santiago.

Can you post tips on photography? I would love to hear what you do to your photos in post-processing.
I think that content would fit in over at my photography blog better and enough people requested this to make it a regular feature. So starting next week I am going to do a once a week photography (most likely focused on Photoshop) tip at Kyle Hepp Photography.

You should post more photos of cities other than Santiago.
Do you want to fund my photography expeditions outside Santiago? I would love to comply with this request. Unfortunately I do have a full time job (writing for 5 blogs that actually pay me, plus this one and my photography blog that don’t pay me) and little time or extra money to travel to other cities. When we go on our trip around the world though, you will be seeing plenty of photographs of other places though, don’t worry!

How did you get your blogging jobs? How do you make a living as a blogger?
My first blogging job was a blog that myself and several friends used to read regularly (I’m Not Obsessed). When I started looking for a job in Chile, banging on doors and getting rejected over and over again at ridiculously low paying jobs (“We’re sorry, you need to have a degree in Secretarianismo, you’re not qualified to be a secretary”) I finally realized it would be much more beneficial to somehow figure out how to earn a U.S. salary and work for a U.S. company. So when a friend saw that the owner of I’m Not Obsessed needed someone to cover her during maternity leave she suggested I apply. I did, and I did not get denied even though I don’t have a degree in Writing Celebrity Gossip. I worked hard at that job and was promoted to editor within months. Then a co-worker told me about another blog that she was going to apply for (Styledash) and suggested that I apply as well. I did, and got that job as well. My boss at Styledash then invited me to work at Green Daily and I began blogging there too. Most recently a co-worker/writer at Green Daily and Styledash told me about Tonic New Network looking for writers and so I added that as blog #5 on my list of blogs that me. I think I’m about done for now though. It’s hard enough to keep up as it is. Making a living as a blogger is a lot of fun, but also a little draining. Keeping my own schedule is fabulous but having the self motivation to write every day is hard and the pressure to be funny and entertaining sometimes really weighs me down.

Other people also asked about how much pay is and where to find jobs. Email me directly and I’ll be happy to point you in the right direction and give you ballpark figures.

Where do you find your inspiration to write? Is it just a natural thing? How long do you spend writing a blog entry normally?
I usually write a full entry in my head before sitting down to type it out. It sounds weird, but that’s how I’ve always done it. Most of the time I will see something during my day to day life that inspires me — for example, a healthy young woman at the grocery store cutting in front of a pregnant woman in line for checkout. I’ll think to myself, “Jeez, that’s disgusting, yet how many times have I seen that happen?” And then as soon as I realize it’s a recurring thing in every day life I usually think it could make a good blog post. I then go back and try to remember what experiences I or my friends have had with similar incidents and my husband or other Chilean’s comments on said incident. I’ll jot down a few quick notes (e.g. pregnant lady, cut in line, used to think this just happened in overcrowded Estacion Central, happens everywhere not just barrios bajos) if I’m out somewhere and in the middle of doing something else so I don’t forget what I wanted to write about. That night I’ll write the entry in my head either before I go to sleep or while I’m watching T.V. and then the next day I’ll type it up and post. Most blog posts take 40-60 minutes.

Also, a lot of you don’t like the blog colors or have trouble reading the text on the background color. I’m going to try a few changes and switch it up today. I don’t know how much luck I’ll have because the text at one point was white on black and then black and white as well as a couple other options and with each different one I got complaints. Guess you can’t please everybody!

So thanks again, and if you haven’t already don’t forget to take the survey! Hurry, you have until midnight Chile time tonight.