Sonofabeach by Tony

Met sonofabeach reading his comments on other blogs I followed and his genuineness caught my attention.  Got to know him better reading his posts but amongst his good qualities are his authenticity and really sincere love of family and home.  His photography is well worth checking out and he loves to answer questions, so fire away!  He keeps us posted when he travels, recently to Europe. He is cheeky but kind, funny and sincere.

Please give a brief personal background and talk about your hobbies/interests?
I’m in my late forties, married for 22 years, a dad to 3 amazing boys, I’m an occupational therapist by day, and a small-time farmer/photographer/outdoorsman/music lover the rest of the time.  We love to travel, we love to be home, and we love each other.

 

the boys have grown into teens …

When, where and why did you start blogging?
I started doing this right here, on WordPress, in June of 2015.  Why?  That’s a good question.  I’m typically a very private person, with only a handful of close friends who know much of anything about me.  I started this as a journal of sorts, while trying to work through some issues with my dad.  It worked, I suppose, because I acquired some measure of peace about the relationship with my dad.  But something happened in the process: I actually enjoyed doing this, and meeting some of the folks here, many I’d  now consider friends.

What blogging tips or advice would you give someone just starting?
Be authentic, be yourself, and do not get discouraged by low numbers or shitty comments here and there.  People can tell if you’re being honest, so don’t fabricate nonsense.  Just be you.  You started doing this for a reason, and if it’s to feed some aspect of you, versus trying to go viral or some shit, you’ll be fine.

What do you most enjoy about blogging and what have you learnt?
I enjoy the photo challenges I frequent.  They give me inspiration to take photos, and to see old photos in new lights.  I also love the interaction with other bloggers.  There are some really fantastically talented people out here in the ether.

Has your blog or writing led to opportunities for you?
A little bit.  My wife and I have a side-gig, making some art projects.  We’ve gotten a few orders for pieces from people seeing photos I’ve posted.

What methods do you use to expand your readership?
I don’t really try.  If I have a new visitor, I’ll check their site out.  If it interests me, I’ll follow.  And I try to engage people on their comments to me and on posts of theirs.  Gaining readership isn’t why I’m doing this.

Time management can be a challenge for bloggers: how do you stay disciplined and organised?
I enjoy doing this, creating my own posts and reading others’ posts.  I just read when I can, and post every morning, usually.  I see it as fun, not a chore, so finding time to do it isn’t hard.  Of course, I don’t follow 5 million people either.

Which is your favourite post and why?
Not sure that I have one.  I’m pretty proud of all of my posts.  They were a little more personal at the beginning, but morphed into photo stuff at some point.  I’m happy with all of them though.

What has been your most popular post and did you expect it to be the most popular?
Hang on a sec, I’ll have to check……

Ok, It apparently is this one:

https://sonofabeach96.com/2016/02/11/love-is-i

Over 700 views.  No, I did not think it would draw that kind of attention.  At all.

Share something funky about yourself, or something that most don’t know?
Gee, funky about myself?  I don’t know.  I guess I have a few things that may be considered funky.  I’ve been a whitewater kayaker since I was roughly 13. I collect ashtrays with advertising on them, I play a little guitar, I can speak a bit of French, I can juggle, I’m pretty damn good at golf, I love old stuff, our house is haunted, I have a friend who is a voodoo priestess, if you see me, I’m likely gonna take a picture of something within a minute or so.  Shall I go on?  

Here ya’ go.  First time I’ve been interviewed.