Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Anne Wells.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Julie Anne. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My professional background is in local journalism. I spent several years during and after college writing for a Rockwall-based newspaper. I would interview lots of small business owners and provide live coverage at different small-town events across Rockwall County. It was so fulfilling to write about the people who make their town unique and to hopefully make a positive impact on their businesses with my words and photos. When my career shifted into marketing, I missed writing about the people and places that make a local culture so special. I decided to create my blog Live Love Local as a passion project and creative outlet. For the past year, I have searched all over DFW for local gems and covered them on my blog. At first, there was a huge learning curve with setting up and maintaining my own website, but the hard work felt worth it when I clicked “publish” on my first article.
I’m always on the lookout for unique local events to feature (so far, I’ve attended a murder mystery, a french food festival, and a Harry Potter high tea, just to name a few), and I’m always eager to spotlight local restaurants and shops. I believe that local businesses are the lifeblood of any community, and in the Amazon Prime era, we need to support them and protect them. Live Love Local primarily covers the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but occasionally I also include blogs about my travels. I want to encourage people to explore local art, shops, food, and events wherever they live.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The biggest hurdle for me initially was learning how to host, design, and maintain my own website. If I was going to commit to becoming a blogger, I didn’t want to just pay someone to set up a website for me. I was determined to learn how to do it myself so that I could take ownership of this project. Although maintaining a website definitely comes with headaches, it has been so rewarding to have the freedom to write about anything I think would make a great story. One challenge that I still continue to face is carving out the time this project needs to continue to grow. I am not a full-time blogger: I still have to show up for my day job 40 hours per week and make time for my passion project on the side. In seasons where pageviews were low or Instagram growth has been slow, I’ve almost felt like giving up because this project is such a major time commitment. But having a place where I can be truly creative and use my skillset to make a positive impact drives me to keep working at it.
Please tell us about Live Love Local Blog.
My primary goal in creating content for Live Love Local is to help people in the DFW area discover new businesses and events both in the heart of downtown Dallas and across the smaller suburbs. We all have a tendency to stay within our comfort zones sometimes, but I think exploring new places and trying new things makes life so much more fulfilling and interesting. If every corner of our metroplex was filled with chain stores and restaurants, it could be a carbon copy of any other city in America. The local businesses are what makes each city and town unique. By spotlighting local businesses and events, I hope to inspire more people to support them. It is critical not only to our economy but to our culture that small businesses continue to thrive. One of my favorite articles I’ve ever written was a Christmas Gift Guide that curated the best gift ideas from shops in the Bishop Arts District downtown. I spent one Saturday hunting for unique products and featured ideas from seven different small businesses on my blog. My hope is that it encouraged people to do some of their holiday shopping in actual brick and mortar storefront instead of just loading up a cart online. With every Instagram post and blog article I create, I hope to add something positive to our DFW community.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Every mountain and valley in the process to create my website and turn into what it is today has been a worthwhile part of the journey. But my biggest regret is that I didn’t start to pursue this dream sooner. I’ve always loved writing and photography, but in a professional setting, there will always be limitations on what you can do creatively. Becoming my own boss where this project is concerned has been incredibly rewarding. I have the power to shape Live Love Local into anything I can imagine, and that is invaluable to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: livelovelocalblog.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @livelovelocalblog
- Facebook: @livelovelocalblogger
Image Credit:
Julie & Austin Wells, Live Love Local Blog
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
