By David Jenkin

Please tell us a bit about liberating yourself from ‘corporate slavery’ ...

I had been working in corporate for seven years in Johannesburg and desperately wanted to move back to my hometown of Cape Town and get closer to working with food creatively. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do at the time. I just took a big risk.

Were you at all doubtful about your prospects of success as a blogger, or was it a case of clear and determined vision?

I started out as a food stylist and then developed that for a couple of years before I started blogging. I also started two small food businesses. When I started my blog, I didn’t really think of it as a career but rather a hobby and a fun creative outlet. Back then, blogging hadn’t become what it is today. As I progressed down the path, I knew that I needed to improve my photography in order to be successful at it, so I spent a lot of time working on that. I was also very determined and I just kept pushing myself and ploughing a major amount of time into it.

How did it grow and develop? What was that journey like?

Initially, it was fairly slow, but there weren’t as many blogs in South Africa back then so I think it was easier to get noticed. It grew quite quickly around year three to year five, and then it’s been a steady growth since, with a few dips along the way.

What would you say is the secret(s) to a successful blog? Is there a recipe for success?

I honestly don’t think there is a formula for making a food blog or any blog work other than to try and create the best quality content that you can. The whole adage about ‘content is king’ holds true and if you are creating something that people like and want to share, then you will succeed.

In a world with millions of blogs you really need to be extremely good in order to get far with it and to turn it into a profession. The cream floats to the top in all things in life. I get a lot of work tangentially through DrizzleandDip.com and it’s been a great way to showcase a variety of my skills.

What do you love most about what you do, and what (if anything) poses a challenge?

The whole journey of creating this website has been amazing. I’ve learned so much about tech and social media because I’m so completely immersed in it. I’ve grown as a cook through pushing myself to try new techniques and constantly practicing the craft. I’ve become a photographer, which I wasn’t expecting or planning to do, but I totally love it and have a lot to learn.

I’m also making videos now which is an exciting new chapter. I’ve learned so much about myself personally and how if you put your mind to something, and feel overwhelmingly passionate about it, you will succeed. I’m not afraid to take risks anymore and, in general, I feel like I have few limitations. There were a lot of challenges on the way, which I had to overcome, but I’m convinced you can learn almost everything via the Internet. I want to evolve, so I’m looking for new challenges actually. A person stagnates when they are not pushed out of their comfort zone. It really is the only way you grow.

For more information, visit drizzleanddip.com. Alternatively, connect with Linsell on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.