Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Rogers.
Hi Jennifer, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m a Southern California native who has spent almost 25 years working a high-stress job as a litigation paralegal. A few years back, I decided to start an Instagram page where I could share my photography and stories as I love to write. It was an incredible stress relief to be doing something creative and although I was warned against writing long captions, I soon gained quite a loyal following who seemed to look forward to my writing even more than my images.
That was when I decided to take a leap of faith and start a travel blog where I can write not only about my travel adventures, things to do, camping tips and tricks but articles on how climate change is affecting these places I love and what we can do to help. I also share stories about my travel mishaps, my adventures and even my childhood. I was told to be a successful blogger, I must focus on only one thing, create a small niche, but my website is a melting pot of sorts because let’s face it, I’ve never been great about following the rules!
Within the next two years, I plan on taking things a step further, quitting my day job and traveling full time so I can focus solely on my writing and photography while exploring this incredibly vast and beautiful world and its unique cultures.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been anything but a smooth road trying to juggle a full-time job working very long hours while consistently trying to create new content for both my Instagram and blog. Add to it that I run and create content for several other Instagram accounts, write freelance articles for other blogs and edit a magazine based out of India, and there just doesn’t ever seem to be enough hours in the day. However, it’s a labor of love and my path forward into a future where I can focus solely on my photography and writing and simply be creative.
What are you most proud of?
It sounds silly, but I am most proud of the success I’ve had on Instagram in such a short period of time. When I started my account, I had no idea it would ever lead to anything. I simply needed a creative outlet. At first, I posted my photography with silly short captions but soon, I started sharing stories in my captions. I figured nobody would actually read them since they were so long, but I didn’t care. I was doing it more for myself as a form of stress relief; much to my surprise, I started rapidly gaining a following of people who looked forward to them and encouraged me to write more. Most people will tell you that you have to keep your captions short on IG or you will fail, but my stories are what set me apart and have led to my success not only on the IG platform but with my travel blog and freelance writing opportunities.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
My advice to anyone starting out is to listen to and trust yourself. You can find all kinds of advice out there on how to be an influencer, a freelance writer or a successful blogger. The advice is great and you should take it into consideration, but be true to yourself. If you have ideas that don’t fit neatly into the boxes of dos and don’ts when starting out, trust your instincts. Take a chance on yourself and do what your passions are telling you to do even if others warn against it. If you fail, you can always start over. If you succeed, it will set you apart from everyone else out there.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.jenrogers33.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenrogers33/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006776476715
