We recently connected with Dominique Hazzard and have shared our conversation below.

Dominique, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Creativity has to be nurtured in order to make an impact. Growing up, I’ve always been surrounded by creatives that inspired me to perfect my craft. My father was a musician and a photographer in his spare time. His work ethic and drive inspired me to pick up photography and music. I was always the kid taking pictures on our family vacations with the disposable camera. At Christmas time, I was asking Santa for camera upgrades. I learned most of my initial skill from my dad. Not only was I engaged in photography and music at home, my primary schooling also encouraged me to pursue my interests and topics that I am passionate about. I was able to work on my photography and videography by working at the school’s television station as a camera operator.

There were some years that my drive and passion for photography were almost nonexistent. During those times, I wish I would have found the motivation to continue to perfect my craft and get more handy with digital cameras. My school workload began to pick up and spare time was limited. It was difficult to juggle school, work, and my hobbies. At the time, music was more of a passion of mine than photography so it took a backseat.

When you are truly passionate about something, it always finds you. I’m glad that I was able to find a space where I could connect multiple passions of mine into one. There are obstacles. Some days are tougher than others and you can easily get distracted by what others in your industry are doing. You have to ignore that. Keep pushing forward, keep developing content that’s true to you. There will always be someone who loves what you do.

Dominique, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Food is a universal love language. You can literally connect with any and everyone through food. As a food influencer, that has been my reason since day one. I love being able to connect people with good food and restaurants.

The food scene is soo diverse in Atlanta, so I wanted to start exploring that more. I noticed that my passions, food and photography, collided when I saw lots of food photos in my phone’s camera roll. I researched to see if food photography was really a thing and to my surprise, it was! Food Goddess ATL was born at that moment.

When you visit a new city, you are always looking for good vibes and food. Food Goddess ATL definitely displays both of those. I highlight the places I like and feel are worth trying. It helps my followers take the guess work out of finding good food.

I am proud of how much my blog has grown. It is a creative safe space for me to try out my ideas and continues to help me grow. I love the connections I’ve made thus far and I look forward to what the future holds.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Honestly, I never intended or thought Food Goddess ATL would grow this big. I just wanted to share my love of food and my experiences with the people I’m closest with. I think the only advice I would give is to be authentically you, however that looks. People connect most with authenticity and that is what keeps them coming back for more.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Support is a verb and it’s free. Support creatives by liking, commenting, sharing, and subscribing to their content. Performing those actions goes a long way!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/foodgoddessatl
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/foodgoddessatl
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/foodgoddessatl