Meet The Blogger – Jenny in Neverland

The amazing Jenny Marston is the lovely blogger iv interviewed this time, she has been blogging for 8 years now and her blog Jenny in Neverland focuses on personal growth, lifestyle and wellness & self-care.

So, for anyone who’s not read your blog before, tell us what your blog is all about!

Hi Rachael, thank you so much for having me! So my blog has been through a lot of evolution and changes over the 8 years I’ve been blogging but right now, I’m dedicated to sharing content around wellness, self care and personal growth. Particularly for women and other creatives to help them find balance, share tips and tricks and help them prioritize their self care! However as I’m under the lifestyle umbrella, I also share content around blogging, travel, interiors and more!

What made you want to start blogging? What’s your inspiration!?

When I started blogging back in 2013, I started as a book blogger. I started my blog at an incredibly low point in my life, where my anxiety was the worst it ever was, I had lost all my friends, my independence and also £700 on a course that I had to quit because my anxiety was too bad.

But I always loved reading (and still do) so one day I was Googling reviews of the current book I was reading at the time and I came across a book blog. I had never really even heard of blogging at the time – particularly book blogging – so I was a little blown away! I contacted the author of the blog and had a chat with her and she VERY kindly helped me set up my own. So Jenny in Neverland was born.

Obviously I’ve come a long way – as has my blog – since then but originally, the inspiration to start was based on being in a terrible place in my life and needing something to hold on to to keep me going. And blogging (and reading) allowed me to do that.

Do you blog full time or do you have another job too? 

I currently blog full-time!

Have you managed to monetise yet? If you have, how so!

Yes, my blog has been monetized for some time now, in various different ways which have inevitably changed over the years. Back in 2014 when I was still a book blogger, it was notoriously hard to make money from book blogging. I started my own business organizing online book tours for authors which was very successful at the time!

But by 2016, Jenny in Neverland had started to gain a lot of traction and I had sort of fallen out of love with organizing book tours (and book blogging in general) by then. So I decided to close up shop and focus solely on my blog. 

Since then, I’ve been able to monetize in various ways but for me, predominantly it’s about brand collaborations, sponsored content and working on advertorials with amazing brands. That’s what I’m passionate about now so that’s what I put most of my energy into doing and it’s paid off tenfold.

I’ve dabbled in things like affiliate marketing and courses but they just haven’t been for me.

Do you have any other creative paths – youtube, insta, podcasts, etc…

Sadly no! I’m not particularly confident behind the camera – so YouTube is probably out of the question! Plus I’m not very good with technology (weird, as my whole work life is online haha!) so editing sounds like an absolute nightmare to me!

I’ve always loved the idea of having my own podcast but to be honest, I don’t think it’s the right time to delve into something like that. I love to listen to other bloggers podcasts and there are some seriously great ones out there, so I think I’ll stick to the listening side, for now!

I have an Instagram account which I use alongside and in conjunction with my blog but it’s by no means the most creative account you’ll see!

What’s been your proudest moment since you started blogging?

Ah there’s been a few and I still pinch myself sometimes. I think hitting my income goal of £3k this year, after just 3 months of setting it was a huge achievement for me and I’m incredibly proud of it because I made the money in the way that felt good to me, without working myself to the ground on things that I wasn’t passionate about. I find the more I do that, the more I get from it. So it’s actually looking like I might beat that figure once more in June!

Another hugely proud moment was when I was sent to the Brooklands Hotel and Spa for a complimentary stay and meal with my boyfriend (in exchange for content of course!) We were offered a 3 course meal with wine and the most expensive suite to stay in for the night and it was just absolute luxury. I was wandering around in a daze wondering if they’d sent the right person!

And what’s been your lowest point?

I’m glad you asked this question because not many people do as naturally, we don’t like to look at the low points or the “failures”. But I think they’re important to talk about. I’ve had a few moments over the last few years where I’ve wondered if this was really for me. I’ve had times where I would look at my blog and hate what I did and be constantly comparing myself to others.

But I think those feelings are totally normal! I had a pretty low point last year, when I released a course that didn’t do particularly well. After spending so long on it and being so excited to share it, it’s obviously incredibly disheartening. I ended up actually taking it off sale and I rarely think about it anymore but looking back, I think I can see where I went wrong. There’s always a lesson to be learned in the low points!

What’s your favourite part of blogging? And what’s your least favourite part!?

It’s weird, my least favourite parts of blogging come to me a lot easier! My least favourite things would have to be Pinterest and all the “techy” side of running and owning a blog, like SEO. I’m a very creative person and I’m NOT interested nor do I really understand that side of blogging. I’ve taken a lot of time to learn about SEO and things like that, I’ve bought audits and eBooks and had Zoom calls with people to help me learn. And I know the basics but still, at the end of the day, I just hate it!

My favourite part of blogging then has to be the creativity. I adore writing. Writing it, well, everything to me. It’s the way I can get my thoughts and feelings across in the most accurate way. Then paired up with amazing brands and incredible products and being able to put your own spin on topics. I just love it. And I love sharing it all with my readers and interacting with other amazing creatives all over the internet. 

What’s your creative process? (mine is write, procrastinate, cry, snack, repeat…)

No! No tears in the process please! 

I’m not much of a procrastinator really, once I start something, 9 times out of 10, I’ll just get it done so I don’t have to do it tomorrow! I usually start with the writing part of content, as I naturally find that the easiest and most enjoyable thing to do. I’ll then take the images if I need to and do all the necessary editing and then come to assemble the whole post before I schedule and promote etc! 

What’s your ultimate goal?

Yikes. That’s a big question. 

I don’t tend to think TOO far in advance. Like, I couldn’t really tell you what my goals are for my blog in 5 years time. Or even if I’ll still be doing this in 5 years time. I think 2020 showed us that everything can change in a heartbeat.

I think the ultimate goal would just be to be earning enough from blogging every month – without worry or hesitation – to be able to live my ideal life. I mean, I’m not asking for a mansion and 17 holidays a year! I’d just like to be able to grow my community and audience, work with amazing brands and get paid what I’m worth to be able to continue being my own boss and having control over my future. 

What’s your best piece of advice for someone who’s just starting a blog or thinking of starting one?

Do what you love. Don’t do something just because everyone else is doing it. You’ll find yourself resenting blogging and it’ll quickly become a chore rather than something you love to do every day.

What’s been the biggest surprise since you started your blogging career? 

My biggest surprise is simply that I am where I am today. Considering my blog came from the hardest and most devastating part of my life so far, I was able to build my career from scratch from rock bottom. Back in 2013, I didn’t even know how to promote a post. I didn’t know where followers came from. I didn’t know ANYTHING.

But I did. I made it. And I’ve built something that I am so proud of from it. Blogging has been such a delightful journey and career. I’d love any new blogger reading this to know that magical things really can come from it.

Where you can find Jenny…

JennyInNeverland.com

Twitter @jennymarston_xo

Facebook @Jennyinneverland

Instagram @Jennyinneverland