My very first magazine feature was thrilling.  It was a small blurb about my blog in Flea Market Style magazine and I was over the moon.  When I started my business, I was interviewed by the college student who designed my business cards, logo, and blog as a class project.  She asked about my goals for the business.  Other than making enough money to help with paying off a student loan, I didn’t really know.  I wanted to do well, but I really didn’t have any idea what the possibilities were.  I finally thought of something a bit more specific and exciting.  “It would be cool to be featured in a magazine.”   (You can read more about the early days of my blog and business HERE.)

Those were the days when you had to know the right people or be in the right place to get featured, but that was changing.  The traditional gatekeepers were being bypassed by the Internet and, more specifically, blogs and social media.  They could scout homes, projects, businesses, and people to feature without leaving their desks.  I was definitely a beneficiary of that industry shift and I now have two plastic storage bins full of magazines with features, articles I wrote, and photography I contributed.

And the story continues with Traumwohnen magazine.  It’s a German magazine I’ve contributed to over the past few years and recently had several features.  Their Christmas edition not only features my home and Christmas decor but also a segment on knitting and crochet.

For those who don’t know, I spent my childhood in Germany due to my dad’s position in the US Army.  He was a Russian Specialist, so he was stationed in Garmisch Partenkirchen to study at the language institute (that is in Bavaria at the foot of the Zugspitze) and then in Stuttgart to work with the OSIA (On Sight Inspection Agency.)  While we lived in an American community or on a military base and I attended DOD schools, we often went to the “economy” (off-base) to experience Germany and other surrounding countries.  It greatly impacted my decor style and preferences, so it’s a wonderful compliment that my work is selected so often to be featured in a German magazine.

In many ways, things that are German feel like home to me.  And sometimes, homey things feel German to me even if they aren’t!  It’s funny how childhood memories can morph.

I’m not sure where you can order Traumwohnen magazine outside of Germany, but you can check out their website HERE or follow them on Instagram HERE.

No matter how many times my work, words, or photography are featured, it’s exciting.  I don’t think it will ever get old or become something I’m blasé about.

If you have the dream of having your work featured in magazines, this is the advice I would give.

Share your work publicly.  You might get lucky and someone finds you, your home, your business, or your work offline, but it’s far more common to be discovered on a social media platform or website.

Produce magazine-worthy photos.  Publications still send photographers and stylists to locations for professional photo shoots, but you’re far more likely to have your work featured if they can hire you as the photographer and stylist.  With the camera quality of iPhones, it really is easier than ever.  I shoot with a DSLR camera, but I know magazine covers that have been shot with an iPhone!

Do your work as if editors, producers, agents, publishers, etc. are watching…  because they are!  I submitted my work to one magazine almost 15 years ago and never heard back.  All of my features came from people who found my work online and thought it was worth sharing with their audience.

I’m sure some of you are curious about pay.  For many features, I was compensated as a contributor, freelance writer, photographer, and/or stylist, but not for all of them.  I believe in making connections and friends in an industry, so I’ll often collaborate even if payment isn’t involved, because you just never know what the future may hold!  I’ve had many paying gigs come out of unpaying gigs.  If it’s a photo I already have and it’s easy for me to share, I’ll do that without a second thought.  This topic is somewhat controversial, though, and people I respect disagree, so you ultimately have to do what works best for you and your circumstances.

If you’d like more information about starting and running a creative business, you can check out my business archive HERE.