Aaaaand, we’re back with another #OpenBook installment – our way of paying homage to other black bloggers in their thirties. If you need to catch up on the rest of the series, you can do so here.
Today we’re in conversation with Zimbabwean blogger Thembelihle Terry-Lynne Zulu, popularly known as Thembi Terry. She’s a thirty year old copywriter from Bulawayo (South West Zimbabwe), a personal blogger and a creative consultant with a knack for solving problems creatively.
I have to send a special appreciation to the beautiful Thembi because we first spoke about her featuring on the blog months ago. But then we had to wait for her to actually turn thirty, then I had so much going on that I had to take a step away from blogging, but finally, we made it! Thembi, thanks for your patience. A massive shout out to you!
It’s been a long time coming Thembi, but finally we’re here. Tell me about your blog
My blog is Thembi Terry’s blog. I started it over five years ago and I’ve been through so many phases. It started off as “As told by the Zulugirl” and it was on Blogspot. I transitioned to WordPress and it became “TheComplicatxn.” Three years ago that’s when it became Thembi Terry’s Blog when I learnt about personal branding and blogging as a business.
I blog about life as a young woman living in Zimbabwe. I get most of my content from personal experiences and the things I observe in the lives around me. I’ve found that Twitter is an amazing source of content leads so I’ll ‘like’ tweets that I want to develop into blog posts. I currently have over 100 liked tweets on Twitter all waiting to become full-blown blog posts.
Why did you get into blogging?
It was mandatory for my module in university. It gathered a following and I stuck with it. I’ve never liked being edited so the blog gave me the full creative license that I enjoyed. I guess I’ve always been a storyteller and it was a pleasant surprise that people enjoyed my stories.
How long have you been blogging for?
It’s been five wonderful years of content creation.
What is your favourite written blog post to date?
My favourite blog post to date is right here. Its title is How Do African Women Engage The World and Create a New Paradigm? This blog post is the reason why I teach other young women the ins and outs of the blogging craft. I’d like to see more black, female digital storytellers and this blog post is a manifesto of that. I was so passionate when I wrote it, that’s how I know this is my purpose in life. If there is ever a need to pick out a blog post as my epitaph, this is the one.
What do you love and dislike most about blogging?
I think, personally, what I don’t like is how I can’t predict my audience. I write content sometimes which I think will break the internet and it tanks. Then sometimes I write something and I’m really not into it and then it rakes in the traffic and I’m just stunned.
In terms of the blogging community, I don’t appreciate the people that make it seem like it’s a hobby because it hinders the industry as a whole and we don’t get taken seriously. Some of us are trying to build a career on this platform. We’ve taken the time to read, research, and learn to perfect our blogging skills. We’ve invested time and money for this to be turned into some jokey joke pass time.
What has been the most significant moment in your blogging journey so far?
Besides being recognised for all the hard work that I put into blogging, the most significant moments for me, are when women reach out to me to tell me how they can relate to my content. I write some of this blog content from a place of vulnerability and past hurts, so if it inspires people then that makes it worth it for me.
What’s the best piece of blogging advice you have ever received?
Push through the pain. Drawing from painful experiences can make you doubt yourself and eventual censor yourself. Feelings of inadequacy and ‘what if no one reads it?’ are common in this business but you need to get past the birthing pains of being a content creator.
You may also want to read: Open Book | Charlene Chinn
What have you learned on your blogging journey?
Keep creating the content. Don’t think of anyone else, write the content for yourself before you think of anyone else. This will help you to remain true to yourself and authentic to your unique blogging voice. No two stories will ever be the same and no one can tell your story better than you can.
What is next for your blog?
I am currently going through a blog theme revamp. Every year I change the WordPress theme on my blog for my birthday and this year I decided to DIY it and that’s why it’s not yet complete. I am becoming more of a blog business and the new blog exemplifies that. It’s centred around my services as opposed to my blog posts.
What other projects would you like to embark on as a blogger?
Stephanie Kapfunde and I are currently running a WhatsApp group called Women That Press. This is a group of female bloggers whom we mentor in terms of blogging and content creation. It’s become a platform for creative women to share their work and discuss blog related experiences. The support network is vital to Zimbabwean female bloggers because sometimes it can be a trying industry. We follow each other’s blogs, read and share feedback on how we can improve. I learn so much from all 58 of them. Collaboration is really the new innovation. I’d love to open a school of content creation and digital skills.
Thank you Thembi. It has been great knowing you. Where else can we find you?
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thembiterry
Twitter: www.twitter.com/thembiterry
Instagram: www.instagram.com/thembiterry
LinkedIn: https://zw.linkedin.com/in/thembiterry
