We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessica Ornelas a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, thanks for joining us today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

Blogging is where I began to story tell, get creative and build a community on the internet. I started blogging in 2016 as a form of postpartum therapy. For me it was online journaling but then social media really developed into pictures, videos and a different way to share your story. Some people even my close family members tease me about making videos and sharing my motherhood journey online but it has given me many opportunities. I’ve met some really awesome people and I’ve been able to make income from content creating. I may not look like a typical influencer if you think glamourous and put together. and that’s what I am here to show- that you can be authentically you, believe in your gifts and share!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am now 33 but let’s take it back 14 years ago because that’s when my life trajectory changed. A few months after I graduated high school I got pregnant with my boyfriend and I decided to have my son. I dabbled my way in and out of community college but ended up working full time to provide for my son. After 5 year’s of working hard on maturing, providing for my son and learning how to be a mom I got married to my son’s father and we shortly after had our second son. Life was butterflies until Covid hit and that’s when I started to take Instagram and Youtube more serious. My audience was turning into a Mom community that was curious how I was handling the pandemic. During the pandemic I got pregnant with my third baby and documented my pregnancy experience through video. That is when my Instagram following grew and I started building a community. While being pregnant during the pandemic my husband and I started to research states we wanted to move to and we decided to move to Texas. I continued to build my social media community and I’ve expanded it even more by starting Mom Meet Ups in San Antonio, TX. Once I moved to Texas I plugged into Facebook groups, joined a walking group and made friends right away. I started to host monthly Mom meet ups which are mommy and me friendly to encourage postpartum community. My current focus is to have 12 meet ups for the mom group in 2025 and to collaborate with small businesses for our future events. Women thrive in community; we can inspire each other, motivate one another and give each other recourses and tools we need as a mothers or as entrepreneurs.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The goal is to make sure no mother feels alone in her postpartum journey. I hope women can use the meet ups and community as a way to make friendships in their personal life and network for their businesses as well. There is room at the table for everyone!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

It’s very rewarding to find like-minded people that are driven with whatever their vision is. It makes me feel less alone as a creative when I see other people using their talent. It really does give me fuel and inspire me when I see others living out their vision.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://campsite.bio/jessicaornelas
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rootedinmomlife/

Image Credits

Brandi B. Imagery, LLC