Blogger Talk at Kerns Kitchen

Blogger Talk at Kerns Kitchen

2935 NE Glisan St.

Portland, OR 97232

First adventure—whew!  Here we go.

So, first off, I am a gal that needs structure and support when I try a new project (i.e. the blog).  To me, these can both be met in the form of a mentor.  Someone who has seen the scene, taken his/her lumps, and can offer some good advice to aspiring noobs.

To me, that could be none other than Toku, author and owner of MindFitMove.  I’ve been following his blogging adventures for a couple of years now.  His posts are inspiring, mindful, and real.  I’ve had the good fortune of seeing him speak in Portland and pick up from his wisdom in person. 

On a lark, I reached out to him and told him about this blogging idea of mine.  I asked if I could pick his brain (figuratively, not literally) to see if he could share insights on blogging.  He agreed and we decided to meet at Kerns Kitchen, which I’ve never heard of and never been to.  What a perfect setting for a first documented adventure!

Let me tell you, it’s amazing how impactful one email can be.

Tell me this isn't the epitome of Portland.  Moss, old wood panels, bicycles?  God, I love Portland.

So Kerns Kitchen is a playground of all the things I love about Portland.  The battered wood décor, menus and specials written on chalkboards, locals sitting at the bar, laughing with the staff.  It’s the kind of warm, comfortable place that you walk into and you feel immediate inclusion.

All of this.  Love, love, love.

The food?  To-die-for.  Portland-style home-cookin’ (Southern draw and all).  If you need a place to start, I ordered the Dragonfly Chai Tea Latte with almond milk.  The mix-master extraordinaire even added a cinnamon heart in the middle of my tea.  I will tell you—there’s nothing quite like sipping a warm chai from a ceramic cup and saucer.

Dragonfly Chai Tea Latte with Almond Milk

For noms, I ordered the egg & roasted veggie breakfast sandwich.  The herbed chevre they smeared on a warm, homemade biscuit…Lord.  I had no gumption to take a picture while I was eating it.  It was that good.

Toku and I chatted while we were eating.  I was:

a.)   very thankful that Toku didn’t notice me completely overjoyed with my meal, and…

b.)   thrilled he didn’t say anything, if he did notice.  I’m a lady who likes her food.

Toku was an absolute delight to speak with.  In fact, though we’ve been acquaintances for a few years, this was the first time I had a full-blown conversation with him.  Bless his heart, he was a good sport.  I get nervous meeting new people and unfortunately, you can see it in my face, neck, and chest.  I get all splotchy and red.  I was without my usual method of camouflage (a scarf), so poor guy—he had to see my blotchy, scary-looking nightmare while we chatted.  Did I mention Toku was a good sport?  He didn’t say a word about it.

Though my interview skills are rusty at best, I did make a hodge-podge attempt to write down some semi-intelligent questions, which of course, I didn’t refer to at all.  I did, however, take notes on the insight he had to share:

·         If you’re going to blog, keep going.  Toku shared that a vast majority of blogs fail because writers stop writing.  Keep going, even if you get stuck.  Most readers won’t find your work until you’re well into your project (which could realistically be a few years).

·         Be consistent.  Toku noticed that successful bloggers write anywhere from twice a week to every single day.  The point is to stay consistent so your readers know what to expect from you.  He suggested to start at twice a week and see how it goes.

·         Stockpile posts.  Boy, I thought this was brilliant.  He suggested that while writing a blog, make an extra post or two and keep it in a file off to the side.  That way, if you’re having an insane day and can’t make the time to post, you can pull one that’s written and ready to go.  It goes along with the consistency thing.

·         You’re going to stumble and make mistakes--it’s going to be ok.  We talked quite a bit about this one.  It’s a fear for me and a lot of people out in the big, lovely world.  He was open about his experience with writing a blog and posting it for all the world to see.  He observed that the more he kept writing, his focus improved and his errors subsided.  He encouraged me to keep going—even the best authors wrote ‘eh’ works for their first attempts.  Keep writing and you polish your skillset.

Overall, the conversation was fantastic and insightful, the food was an incredible comfort, and I left feeling empowered and ready to air out my ‘eh’ posts.  Watch.  In a few weeks, months, years, etc., this blog will take life and grow.  Gotta learn to crawl before you walk, right?  Or walk before you run?  Something like that.

A huge thank you to Toku for his leadership and guidance.  You can visit his site at www.mindfitmove.com.

Until next time, consider the power of putting yourself out there and asking for guidance.  You’ll be delighted by what you’re given in return.

al