Hot Cup of Inspiration V: Charissa Moore

Hey Everybody! Today it's the fifth installment in the 'Hot Cup of Inspiration' Interviews. Each Thursday I'll be interviewing a different creative entrepreneur. We'll chat with all sorts of people - from writers, to designers, jewelry makers and photographers to see just what makes them tick.

Today I'm chatting with the lovely Charissa from House of Bliss. She is a blogger, freelance copy writer and CEO of House of Bliss LLC.

You can see other installments here:

one

two 

three

four

How and why did you start blogging?

I started blogging to increase the visit length on my business website. :) I just had it as a static site, and then decided that i wanted to blog, too…. So, I started the blog on my website about a week after the website itself launched. I love writing (which is good, ‘cause I write for a living…) so it came really naturally to me.

Did your blog become an extension of your business, or was the business there first?

Yep, the blog became an extension, after the business had been established for about a week

Have you always been a writer?

Ever since I was little, I’d wanted to write. I write copy full time through House of Bliss, and also write for myself on my personal blog. (swirlblog.com)

Are you self taught or did you major in a writing based field at college?

 Do you think getting a degree is really necessary to be successful?

I’m one of those people that is an English junkie, and loves linguistics SO much that I decided to have a hemispherical IQ test done. My right brain is WAY stronger than my left, so it makes sense that writing comes naturally to me.
 

I don’t have a college degree (but do have college English classes under my belt). I think there are tons of successes — especially in today’s world — without a degree. I’m walking proof.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Honestly, once you’re a marketer or a copywriter, most of what you see is a trigger. You’ll see commercials, ads, products, labels on candle containers… all of it jogs something for you. So i’d say that most of my inspiration for writing on my own site comes from life experience, and from listening to my target market. There’s a lot we can create when we listen to what our readers are thinking, feeling, and telling us.

What motivates you to keep doing what you do?

I love it. And as cheesy as that sounds, you’ve gotta love what you’re doing — or it will end up sucking out your passion. (Gross.) Keep going, keep loving — and when you don’t love it anymore, change. :D I keep myself able to write because I focus a lot on my mental health through meditation, my emotional health through coaching, writing for me, and my physical health through clean eating and Bikram yoga classes 6x/week.

How do you keep on top of copywriting, hosting mint & mingle, being active on social media and blogging?

HA! It’s a juggling act, for sure. I have a really great team of assistants, and my staff help me with our projects when I get super booked. My staff take first priority, after my health. Then, my clients and their writing/projects. After that, I leave myself a lot of room to play inside my schedule, so I’ll host things like Mint and Mingle, and trips with my sisters and friends. Life should be created — it’s my job to enjoy every minute.

Social media is no joke. I stay connected and current by using my favorite automation tool, Buffer. (bufferapp.com). And no, they don’t pay me to say that. ;)

How do you write for clients and still manage to stay true to yourself on your own blog? 

Do you ever struggle with your voice being inconsistent?

Part of writing for so many clients is being able to change my voice to match theirs. When I write for a client, I want them to read what I wrote, and wonder how I got “in their head”. Whenever I get comments like, “I say this all the time…” that’s a big win for me. I keep my own voice developed by writing for myself on my personal blog, and writing all of the posts on the House of Bliss blog, too. Those are all in my voice, and all authentic to me.

What's your advice for those interested in pursuing their own career in the writing business?

Don’t give up. Sometimes it’s really hard to keep writing, writing, writing, and change your voice to suit multiple clients (if you’re into copywriting). If you’re wanting to write for yourself, author a book, or keep blogging more consistently, the biggest advice I have for you? Keep writing. Make time in your schedule every single day to write. Even if it’s only a half-hour, every single day, write. You’ll become attached to it, like a habit, and you’ll actually miss it if it can’t happen one day. It’s kind of like that runner’s high that people talk about. You never think it will happen, but the first time it does, it’s life changing.

I also encourage music, if it helps you focus. If you're one of those people that needs it absolutely silent when you write, then obviously ignore this. Hahaha. If you’re not… and you like ambient noise, I suggest creating a Spotify playlist for your writing. If you want to hear what I use most often while I write, it’s here: http://open.spotify.com/user/claycakes/playlist/0aecSilRUBRpgAZB6LUvkn