FK Guest Contributor Jade Suine chats to Alischa of letterpress blog, Bespoke Press.
Tell us a little about your blog and why you started it?
Our blog is a little journey into our letterpress studio here in sunny Brisbane. Letterpress is quite a dangerous craftsmanship and as such we are unable to allow visitors into the studio whilst in production. Our blog allows us to invite readers into the studio for a little visit, (hopefully with a cup of tea and choccy biscuit).
What do you love most about blogging?
Sharing our stories and being able to have a voice and educate the masses on letterpress!
Does your blog generate a lot of interest in your process?
It definitely helps to educate. Most people are intrigued about letterpress but are not really sure how it all works or the blood, sweat and tears involved in designing and printing for this process. We are also holding all of this history of letterpress and the origins of print in our hands. We are its protector and its advocate; it is our vision to keep this craft alive by being able to educate others about it. It really is such an amazing way to ensure that the letterpress revival is a long and fabulous one!
Do your readers inspire your work?
We love to get their feedback so much. It almost seems like they are these fabulous invisible friends whose opinions and comments we value! It is such a joy to actually get to meet readers. We have been at the Finders Keepers market previously and have had conversations with blog readers who we have not met before. It is quite funny when they say, “how was your holiday”, “how is Miss Ruby Tuesday”, (our ever-faithful studio dog), and “gosh I love this story you just wrote”. It seems quite amazing that we can be complete strangers yet know so much about each other’s lives. It truly is a magical thing.
Do you have any tips or hints about successfully running your own blog that you would like to share?
We have chosen not to advertise on our blog, it would make our design ugly. We value beauty over income! Also trying to keep our blog fresh can be a challenge but we try hard. We find that our readers love when we also steer off the topic of letterpress and talk a little about our other adventures. Sharing vintage finds, road trips, or trips to the beach with the dog all make for interesting stories!
Is there a pattern in your posting habits?
Usually we post most days. Some days we get quite busy in the studio so it can become tricky to find time each and every day, but we try hard! We have a blogging break on the weekend.
How do you manage to balance your creative work and keeping the blog up-to-date?
It can be tricky. Usually I am coding posts at midnight in preparation for the next day. Taking constant photos of our work allows us to have a nice little library of images to choose from. This certainly helps make blogging time quicker!
Can you share with us your 5 favourite blogs?
Only five, gosh I couldn’t choose! I have a great big list of blogs that I rotate through. I usually visit each blog every couple of days and check in on what is new. It would almost be a fulltime job to read them all each day!
