Nicolas Hortense: Interview

Nicolas Hortense: Interview

Hello Everybody, my name is Nicolas (Nick) and you have probably already guessed that I love to cook.

I just had to share this great logo from Blogtastic Food with you!

Can you tell our readers about yourself and your blog?

Hi there folks! My name is Nicolas and I am a food blogger from Australia. I studied commercial cookery in culinary school, and I was part of the chef industry for a short while. I then wanted to share my knowledge so I started posting recipes online for fun. As my recipe development, food photography and knowledge as a food blogger improved, I knew that working for myself is what I wanted to do. And my goal now is to get as many people in the kitchen as possible because I believe that it’s important!!

How do you manage time to run your blog efficiently?

I set a daily schedule so that my tasks are clear and straightforward. If I don’t set a schedule for the day, I tend to get in a situation where I work hard and not get much done because I am not organized and ready for the day.

What do you think is the best strategy that worked well for you to get more traffic to your blog?

When I work on a blog post, I think about the user, NOT what I feel like posting. So I make recipes for the season, for any special occasions coming up, etc. And when I work on the post I try to add as much value as possible. Google seems to reward me by ranking me higher when I do this.

How do you want to improve yourself in the next year?

I want to start creating better quality videos, and I have thoughts of creating a YouTube account. As a person, I think making more time for friends because I do work a lot at the moment. Oh, and I want to start learning French.

What would be your ideal working environment?

A studio with a small kitchen and beautiful natural light shining through the windows. A bit of a stretch, but it’s a long term goal.

What do you think you could do better or differently as a Blogger?

I think I need to pay a little more attention to how my past content is being viewed because it helps me to know what kind of recipes and posts people actually want to see.

How do you deal with pressure or stressful situations?

Tony Robbins taught me this in a very effective way, that perspective is everything. It’s not the circumstance that effects how you feel and/or operate, but it’s your mindset and how you see it. Every time I am in a stressful situation, I am able to change the meaning of that situation, however, which can then help me to respond to the situation in a more positive light.

Can you name some of your favorite bloggers and explain why they are your favorites?

First, I have to mention a friend of mine called Reka (her blog: https://holywhiskblog.com/). I remember some time ago, she messaged me about my food photography and asked me to teach her, and now I think she is the one teaching me. Her photos are incredible and she is such a hard worker.

I also have to mention another blogger friend of mine named Amanda (https://recipesworthrepeating.com/). If you’re gluten-free, she is the blogger you want to be following, and she has helped me so much when it comes to growing my blog. If it weren’t for her I may never have got the proper help I needed, and may still be very lost not knowing how to properly grow my audience.

How do you motivate yourself to keep the blog up and running?

Again, it’s all about the mindset. When I see progress it makes me excited and want to keep pushing. However, when I don’t see the results right away, instead of getting frustrated I make it a reason to work harder or in a different way. If I feel doubtful, rather than thinking “this sucks, screw it I’m done”. I try to think “ok, what is this moment of doubt trying to teach me. Am I doing something wrong, is there something I can improve on?”. Mindset and perspective is unbelievably important.

Would you encourage other people to make their blog?

It depends if they have certain knowledge, talents or abilities that I think are worth blogging about then absolutely. If they just want to blog because they’re trying to find an easy way to get money, I would not encourage them to start a blog.

Who takes the majority of your photos?

I take all my photos. I love my food photography.

What’s your most embarrassing childhood memory?

Not quite a childhood memory, but when I was 16 in the middle of an exam, I have no idea why but my stomach wouldn’t stop rumbling, it rumbled so loud and at times it would rumble for so long. The room was very quiet and I knew everyone around me could hear it. Not only that, but the girl I had a crush on at the time was sitting right behind me during this exam. Boy, it was a rough moment.

What are your 3 Favorite Movies?

One, Lord of the rings, two, Saving Private Ryan and three, Fight Club.

I hope you learnt something valuable from my answers! If you would like to check out my blog and/or social media to check out my recipes or just to connect with me, feel more than free to do so!!

And thank you so much, Esme, for giving us bloggers the opportunity to do this!! Keep up the fabulous work you are doing!

My Blog: https://www.blogtasticfood.com/
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/blogtasticfood

If you wish to also participate in this 2019: Wednesday Interview Series please follow the link, and email me and consider it done.  I would love to showcase you and your blog.