Game Changer: Julie Nolke

It was by total accident that I happened to see one of Julie Nolke’s Feeling Peckish videos. After a rough night of tossing and turning, sleep seemed so far away. I rolled onto my side and lethargically grabbed for my phone. If I was going to be awake, I might as well look at what was happening in the world. I scrolled through Instagram, scanned Twitter, and checked the weather. The yellow icon was next; Snapchat stories played, some on repeat, albeit quietly so I would not wake the other half. I happen to tap on the Tastemade video line. The title mentioned something about inside-out nachos. I was intrigued since I am obsessed with nachos. Julie Nolke made these incredible nachos in the deep-fryer. And since I am from Wisconsin, where we deep-fry everything...I was in awe. They looked delicious and the video was so funny. I was laughing a little too hard for three o’clock in the morning. While I was thoroughly enjoying the video, my boyfriend was not too thrilled. That is until we made the nachos the next day. 

On choosing to cook for vlogging:

I’ve always loved cooking. Particularly in University when I finally got to cook all my own meals for myself. I would experiment all the time with packed lunches or taking really unique dishes to pot lucks (i.e. Bacon wrapped meat loaf or scratch make biryani). It just felt like a really natural fit to put my love of cooking on camera.

The flip side of it is that I also felt very vulnerable about my acting career. It was a sensitive topic that I wasn’t booking jobs like I thought I would and so I wanted this outlet of mine to be completely separate. I didn’t ever want it to feel like work.

On starting a video blog:

It actually all started as a written blog. I had gone to school for acting in Toronto and upon graduation, much like the stereotype, I was an out of work starving artist. At that same time, I met my boyfriend/partner in crime/business buddy, Sam Larson, and we started funneling our pent up creative energy into a food blog. He would take the pictures (he went to film school for directing) and I would create the recipes and write the blog posts. 

The blog was fairly successful but was also kind of a pain because it was so not what we wanted to do with our lives. He wanted to make major motion pictures and I wanted to act in them. So, this then lead us to actually filming our blog posts. That way I could practice being in front of the camera, trying out characters, and he could shoot/direct. From there it’s just evolved into what it is today. 

Best experiences career has taken you to:

Top of mind is this year’s trip to Iceland. I was there shooting a travel show with a tourism company and we were lucky enough to explore all the natural wonders that Iceland has to offer. Every inch of that country is breath taking and the culture is so beautiful.

On Snapchat helping your fanbase:

Snapchat is a different beast altogether. The app is built to keep users anonymous while making sure people stay on the app. Until the recent “swipe up” update it was virtually impossible to get

audience members to leave the app and follow me on other platforms. 

That being said, there is a large audience there and it’s important to continue to cultivate that relationship. I enjoy the app because it’s a fun way to connect with a different audience but I would also say that, of all the social media apps, it’s the most challenging one to benefit from as an influencer. 

Favorite aspect of vlogging:

It changes on a day to day basis. I get restless easily and like to mix things up. Right now, I’m really enjoying editing. It’s one of those things that just makes sense when you’ve got a vision and pieces fall into place. I also love how easy it is to change a story with editing.

That being said I’ve always loved the writing process whether it’s scripts or creating recipes. Putting a brain child onto paper and then into reality is pretty special.

On making vlogging a career:

In my experience, there are a few basic ways to keep afloat with a YouTube career. Adsense is the ad revenue earned through each video posted on the platform. It is usually a very VERY small amount at the beginning. (I’m talking pennies). And realistically only the huge YouTubers can rely on it entirely. 

Then there is branded content. These are collaborations with brands who want access to your audiences. The rates are always negotiated and are dependent on brand integration in the video. 

And finally, there are contracted videos. These are videos contracted by production companies that we produce but usually don’t live on our channel. Tons of production companies are doing this now because their eager for original content. 

Then, of course, then there are outside resources like Patreon for fan funding or you could sell merchandise. 

On production time:

On average there, is probably a half day of preproduction that goes into each video even if it’s just a “vlog” style. The shooting time ranges from 2-6 hours and then it takes me about 3-5 hours to edit, export and post. 

On choosing career path:

I didn’t choose the vlog life; the vlog life chose me…

No but seriously, I kind of fell into this path and it has led to some incredible things. The best thing about YouTube and online content creation is the fact that it’s still uncharted waters so the possibilities are endless. Anyone can become someone on YouTube and that’s incredibly inspiring for someone like me who once felt incredibly defeated by the traditional film industry. 

It’s is still my ultimate dream to produce and act in films but I now have a different way to get there and it’s one that I now have control of. 

Where video blogging will be in ten years:

I honestly have no idea. I thought about this question for a while and the fact is I don’t know where it will be in 6 months. Even if you just look at the platforms it’s tough to tell what will happen with Facebook, YouTube, Instagram etc. never mind the content itself. 

But if I had to make a guess I would say that the personal feel of vlogging will continue to thrive. I think it will professionalize and possibly become more mainstream. I also think that video footage in general will professionalize. Technology in this area is advancing so fast while at the same time becoming affordable. My partner and I couldn’t do this same job 15 years ago with the cameras that were available so looking ahead I can only imagine what the technology might be like. 

On growth of video blogging culture with YouTube:

I think the transition to video in any domain is natural. People want to be fully immersed in an experience and the best way to do that is through sound and sight. 

The key to what creators are doing on YouTube as opposed to TV is producing content with a raw textured approach that feels authentic, uncut and intimate. So much of what I do is about communicating to real people through this medium and creating a connection. I think generally people feel there’s a place for them and individuals like them on YouTube.

Feelings on popularity and

success:

I feel really excited and optimistic about it! We’ve worked hard to build what we have now and I am thrilled with the community we’ve created. I want to continue to produce bigger and better content for the viewers who give me so much support. 

Advice:

Ooh yikes. That’s tough because I still feel like I’m at the beginning of my journey. I guess the most important piece of advice, and maybe overtly corny, is to be brave. The internet is fickle and it takes patience and hard work to find your audience but even before all that you have to be brave enough to film something and put it out in the world for people to judge. And head’s up, the judging never stops. 

The beauty of the internet is that people are free to speak their mind but the drawback is that it may not always be positive. You have to be brave enough to stick to your vision, your voice and your goal. 

Follow Your Passion: Nickolas Butler

It was Nick’s idea to meet at his property covered with wild flowers and everything else that screams wilderness. With crunch time on the back

 of our minds, we ended up picking a day on a whim that worked for all three of us. There is no better time than summer for a photo shoot in Wisconsin, so we went in with eyes wide open. What we didn’t expect what the downpour of rain that happened within minutes of our arrival.

                  As my photographer and I were scoping out places around the well laid-out property, we saw the storm clouds in the distance. With hopes the rain would hold off, we meet back up with Nick and headed to our first location to take pictures.

Mother nature had other plans for us though as the clouds opened up and the water fell harder and faster than it had in weeks. We sprinted across the yard to a nearby shed and waited patiently for the rain to cease.

It was there that we got to know the author better than we planned. Telling us of upcoming projects and plans for his writing as well as his home, we really got to see how his mind worked. He is charismatic and easy to talk to and told of neighbors, family, and life before writing.

Getting the privilege to chat with Nick, he told us how he got started, some of his favorite experiences his writing career has taken him to, and advice for aspiring authors. Though he may not have filling out forms figured out, he sure has writing down to an art. 

Improper Adult: What got you started with writing in general?

Nickolas Butler: I suppose the earliest piece of writing that I could point to and say, this might be the start of something was in the fifth grade.  I had a wonderful teacher, Doug Smith, who assigned us a yearlong project to write a historical fiction about the westward migration across America.  My project grew to over 120 pages long; still one of my longer pieces of fiction I’ve ever written.  So I give a lot of credit to Doug Smith, but also to the many fine educators I had growing up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

IA: Does anyone else in your family write?

NB: No, not that I know of…  Though both of my parents were pretty voracious readers.  Especially my mom.

IA: Why did you decide to follow your passion as a career in writing?

NB: I think I was 28.  My wife and I had just discovered that she was pregnant with our first child.  I was working at a liquor store for about eight bucks an hour.  We were on state assistance and dangerously close to bankruptcy and foreclosure.  And I just sort of had a conversation with myself where I was real honest about what I might be “good” at.  Or proficient at.  And I decided then to work as hard as I could on my writing.  To take workshops, to read as much as I could, and to apply to graduate programs.

IA: What was your first thought when you saw your book in print for the first time?

NB: I honestly didn’t spend a lot of time basking in that moment.  I’ve always just focused on the next thing, and the next.  I never wanted to write just one book.  I wanted to make a career out of writing books.  I’ve always wanted to just get better and better.

IA: What has been one of your favorite experiences since being a published author?

NB: The travel.  My books are translated in over ten languages, and I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to France (three times), Great Britain, The Netherlands, Denmark, and Italy.  I’ve made friends in those countries and had certain experiences that I otherwise would not have.

IA: Is it hard to focus on a specific idea when you are thinking of a book/story?

NB: Yes, this is one of my biggest challenges.  I have so many ideas, so many interests, that it is often hard for me to maintain focus.  I should be working on a novel, but I’m constantly tempted to write a screenplay, a play, a work of non-fiction, or a collection

of poems. I’m all over the place, and in the worst of ways.

IA: What is a fun fact about you or a hobby that you enjoy that isn’t career related?

NB: I love to mow my lawn. I am terrible at golf but wish that I could golf every day.

IA: What is the most rewarding part of going on the road for book signings/readings?

NB: I’ve been wary of social media from the start.  So, book signings and readings are a very intimate and sincere way for me to reach out to readers and thank them for supporting my career.  I find that rewarding.

IA: Is there a location you wish to go to for a book signing that you haven’t been to?

NB: Spain. Germany. Norway. Portugal. Argentina. Oxford, Mississippi.

IA: What are your thoughts on your books being successful overseas as well?

NB: Mostly I’m flummoxed.  Secondarily, I’m wildly appreciative.  But mostly totally flummoxed.

IA: Do you feel you have truly made it as an author now?

NB: Basically, yes.  But I know I can get a lot better as a writer, too.  I want to be doing this as a seventy-year old, and I have the highest expectations for myself.

IA: Have you ever had an improper adult moment, where you felt you didn’t quite have your life figured out or know what to do at the time?

NB: Of course.  Almost every morning when I wake up.  I look around my house and see projects that need attention, rooms that need cleaning, carpets that need vacuuming, school lunch boxes that need filling, bills that need to be paid…  My passport expired about six months ago, and I can’t seem to get the papers filled out.  That’s a basic adult thing that I ought to sort out, that I should have all figured out.  But the truth is, I hate forms.  I hate filling out forms, so I keep putting it off.  And the result is, if one of my foreign editors asked me to get on a plane tomorrow and fly to Barcelona or Berlin, I couldn’t.  Because I hate forms.

IA: What are you most proud of with your accomplishments in life so far, related to or unrelated to your life as an author?

NB: I’m proud of my marriage.  I’ve known my wife since we were teenagers, and this fall, we will have been married for twelve years, I think.  I’m also proud of our two children, who are kind and compassionate and empathetic and curious about the natural world. Of course I’m proud of my books, too, but I’ve always considered my work as a father and husband more important.

IA: Do you have any advice for other inspiring authors that want to follow in your footsteps?

NB: Read, read, read.  I can’t tell you how many aspiring writers I encounter who really don’t read.  Or they all read the same things.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with reading the Harry Potter series.  I’ve read those books to my children and they are engrossing and full of imagination and wit.  They are wonderful books.  But there are millions and millions of other books in the world.  Read outside your comfort zone.  Read poetry and non-fiction and graphic novels and magazines – read everything.  Aspiring to become a writer without first aspiring to become a great reader is foolish and ultimately a doomed dream.  It would be like a carpenter showing up for a job without a hammer or nails.

Nickolas Butler was born in Pennsylvania, though he is considered a native to Wisconsin where he was raised and has remained with his family. His first novel was a national, as well as international best-seller. Entitled Shotgun Love Songs, it is about four boys who were raised in a small Wisconsin town and are grown-up and learning lessons on life as fathers and husbands. He also has a book of short stories (ten in total), Beneath the Bonfire, about couples gathering at an annual chain-saw party. His latest novel that hit shelves this Spring takes you through the journey of Nelson Doughty, with generational scenes of earlier and later parts of his life. The perfect coming of age novel as he meets up with a friend’s grandson and shares that experience of growing up as well. The Hearts of Men as well as his previous novels can be found on Amazon. 

Powerful Combination

Horror and bemusement have often been the looks in the past of gun shop owners and employees when a woman steps foot in the door to purchase a gun of her own.

                  When people think about guns, they usually picture a man with a rifle hunting, a male officer protecting his neighborhood, or a car of gangsters (again men) that point their firearms out vehicle windows in a drive-by shooting. They don’t picture a woman on a gun range, or a female military officer.

     The times are slowly changing with the ever-powerful feminist movements and marches of the past few years. Firearms amongst women is a trend that is growing and a trend that will stay. According to Harvard Injury Control Research Center, 12% of women in the United States own a gun.

     There are numerous women each and every day that are signing up for firearms classes at local gun ranges. Marc-On Shooting, an indoor gun range, pro shop, and training center, offers all women introductory classes to firearms at their Lake Hallie location in Wisconsin.

     The fear that has long been associated with women and guns is slowly but surely easing. Women want to feel powerful and strong; to show they are just a capable as men in all aspects of their life.

     Nearly three times as many men own guns as women. Why? The combination of women with guns is still a

taboo area for most to talk about. From a young age, men have been exposed to guns via toys such as Nerf guns, squirt guns, toy soldiers carrying guns, rubber band guns, etc. Women’s toys were Barbies, princess sets, and play kitchens.

     But just as the trend of firearms is changing among adult women, it is with small girls as well. My step-daughter recently got a teal and pink girl Nerf gun for Christmas. She loves it because now she can hold her own against her brother. Instead of hiding from his blue flying foam discs, she can shoot back with hers.

Some may say that this is a bad thing to teach violence of any sort in the household. But I believe it is teaching her to fend for herself in a male dominated world.

     A decent portion of the nation’s female population thinks about guns on a weekly basis. 34% to be exact, and 10% of those women think about guns every day. That is kind of a staggering number that isn’t openly talked about in our world.

     Women care about more than their looks. Ask any woman what her three most important things in life are, and I bet she won’t mention the color lipstick she wears. Most men, and even women, don’t realize that there is more to us than the dress-wearing, stick-figure drawings we are so often portrayed as.

     Strong. Sleek. Powerful. Pretty. Loud. Misunderstood. Deadly. These traits can describe guns as well as women. This is not a coincidence.

     A combination like no other. A combination on the rise. A combination of power and grit and everything in between. Women and guns.

By Carrie Reichs

Carrie lives in northern Wisconsin with her two pugs, Gunther and Rachel. Reruns of Friends consist of much of her free time when she isn’t writing.