FAQ

Personal

Where do you live?

I live in the Washington D.C. area in a cute little house in the burbs. Even though we’re just outside the city, we have tons of trees in our backyard and are often visited by families of deer. We’ve even had a few foxes stop by! I’ve always wanted to own our own home, and we’re having a blast with it. It’s a constant work in progress, but for now you can check out how we redesigned my studio and our basement.

What’s your favorite place you’ve traveled?

That’s such a hard question—sort of like choosing a favorite kid. Fortunately I only have one contender for favorite kid, but since I’ve traveled a fair bit, that’s tougher! I can’t pick just one, but can we settle for my top three?

I stayed a couple weeks in Guatemala nearly ten years ago, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. But more recently the animal-lover in me was completely taken in by the Galapagos Islands, where we snorkeled with sea lions and spent days on a little boat among the wildlife, and by South Africa, where we did a couple safari trips and saw so many animals my heart almost exploded. You can check out some of my past travels for photos.

What’s your spirit animal?

Okay, so nobody actually asks me this one, but I’m going to tell you anyway because you need to know. It’s the pangolin. And it’s the sweetest little artichoke ever.

Is your daughter’s name really Cricket?

It’s not, but we’ve been calling her that since she was just an itty bitty bump, and it stuck. We want to keep her life a little more private and give her a chance to create her own internet footprint (or not) when she’s old enough to decide, so for now, she’s our little Cricket!

Blogging

Where did the name Shrimp Salad Circus come from?

People tend to give me strange looks when I tell them my blog name, and I don’t blame them. It took me years to not feel totally weird saying it out loud. And honestly it still makes me giggle. Here’s where it came from.

I want to start my own blog. Do you have any advice?

That’s so exciting! My biggest suggestion is to write about something you truly love, and blog because you love it, not to get pageviews or make money. If you’re not passionate about it, your readers will be able to tell, and you’ll burn out quickly. If you love it, everything else will come with time and hard work.You can check out my blogging tips for more specific advice.

Who takes your blog photos?

I actually take almost all of them myself—even the ones with my own hands or me in them! I taught myself over the years, and you can definitely tell a different from my earliest photo until now. I use a tripod, and my phone works as a remote so I can get everything just right before clicking the shutter.

What camera do you use?

I shoot with a Canon 6D, but I used a Canon Rebel T3i for years and still had great photos. I’ve made a helpful list of all my photography equipment in case you want to get started with photography or blogging.

Do you ever worry that you’ll run out of ideas?

This is probably the question I get asked most often, and when somebody asks, I do have a moment where I think, “Oh no—what if I do run out of ideas?!”

But the thing is, it really isn’t something I worry about because I’m constantly inspired by new and different things. I always come back from my travels feeling like I’m bursting with new things I want to me. And now that I have a little one, I’m always thinking of things to make for her.

As my life changes at different stages, so will my ideas!