Good Peoples: Spotlight on Katy Hill
Truth be told, Katy Hill was one of the first people I met in Charlotte. When I moved here in 2011, my first job was at Packard Place and her husband, Adam Hill, was my boss. Packard Place had just opened, and Katy would often help the team. Four years later, she is one of my favorite people in this city. Here’s why:
Katy’s instagram is on point
Getting work done while Nola snores at my feet.
A photo posted by Katy Hill (@iamkatyhill) on Oct 10, 2014 at 7:52am PDT
From inspirational quotes to pictures of her beloved furry children (Nola and Penny), Katy’s Instagram is beautiful. Still a little intimidated by Instagram myself, I asked her for some pro tips:
Q. Do you use hashtags? If so, do you have go-to ones or does it depend on the picture?
It definitely depends on the photo. I use very few hashtags these days; I used to use a lot more. I noticed that a bunch of hashtags may have resulted in more likes on a certain photo, but didn’t equate to more engaged followers.
Q. What are your favorite things to Instagram?
I’m drawn to beauty wherever I am and love to find it in everyday, ordinary things such as a cup of coffee, the beauty of blueberries strewn next to a stack of pancakes, or the way the light pours into a room. I really love styling photos, so I’ve also been doing that more.
Q. Editing tips for Instagrammers?
Good lighting takes away the graininess and provides a more beautiful picture, so try to shoot in natural light as much as possible. Find some fun apps and take time to play. I use Afterlight and VSCO and will edit the photos a little in both.
The best Instagram tip I ever received was to find an aesthetic you like and try to stick with it. My favorite feeds are the ones that have a cohesive look, whether it’s with the color scheme or type of filter they use.
Lacking motivation today. My brain has sailed off to Saturday and my to-do list is a mile long. Send help and coffee. A photo posted by Katy Hill (@iamkatyhill) on Feb 6, 2015 at 8:18am PST
Her blog is genuine
The internet is content overload. Not to mention, sometimes I read people’s blogs and get frustrated because I think to myself, “Wait, why am I not perfect like that?” Katy’s blog is called The Girl And The Good, and her perspective is fresh, and most importantly, real.
Q. What inspired you to start blogging?
It was 2009 and I was in a full-time internship, desperately needing a creative outlet. I …really loved reading about how others saw the world and I thought I had something to add to that.
Q. What is your blog about?
My blog is a peek into my life, what/who I’m inspired by, and my favorite local spots. It often seems silly that anyone would find my life interesting, but I fully believe that we all have a unique story to tell and my blog is mine!
NEW post on the blog! The run that fed my soul. http://t.co/nt3VCLEDVN
— Katy Hill (@iamkatyhill) April 1, 2015
Q. How do you choose what you are going to write about?
Sometimes I have a post in mind for a while and sometimes I’m inspired by something I’ve seen or read. My all-time favorite posts to write are the ones that aren’t really planned. Something happens where my brain shuts off, I stop overthinking it and my fingers just start typing. It’s like that moment during a run where you forget you’re actually running and it feels effortless, even if just for a moment.
Q. Are there any blogger tools you use that you think are awesome?
Editorial calendars are amazing! I also use the Notes app on my phone to keep ideas in mind. All my best ideas come to me late at night when I’m about to pass out, so having a way to get those ideas down without having to get up in the middle of the night is key.
Katy has a killer current project going on
She and her husband are working on a company called Two Bottles. Their mission is to spread the goodness of Italian wine to people here in America. They are currently pre-launch (soft launch in April, full launch later this summer) but you can keep up with them on Twitter, Instagram (both @TwoBottlesCo) and Facebook.
A few more weeks and you’ll be able to be one of the first to purchase from us. Here’s a peek at one of the bottles! pic.twitter.com/o1JTecDman — Two Bottles Wine Co. (@TwoBottlesCo) February 12, 2015
Q. How was the idea born?
Adam lived in Salerno, Italy for a year before we even really knew each other, and I had been there a few times. We have a heart for the Italian people, the food and the wine! We had always talked about how affordable the wine was there and how amazing it was compared to the cheap wine here in the states. A few years ago, Adam came to me with this idea to bring that amazing, affordable wine over here and have an online shop.
Q. What was the moment when you and Adam were like, “Okay, let’s do this?”
It took a while to get to that point, but I do remember the exact day. We were going through a hard time and there were a ton of doors closing for me, but not enough opening. Finally I looked over to Adam and said, “What if we just went for it?”
I had the time to put into the business that he didn’t and so we started! We got home and hashed out some initial ideas. Less than a year later, we were in Italy visiting wineries. I truly believe things happen for a reason and I think we had to get to a point where it was now or never to really make it happen.
A photo posted by Two Bottles Wine Co. (@twobottlesco) on Mar 13, 2015 at 11:43am PDT
Photo: Katy Hill’s The Girl and the Good
This story was originally published April 1, 2015 at 11:26 AM with the headline "Good Peoples: Spotlight on Katy Hill."