Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jules Trotter. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jules, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I am the quintessence of people-pleasing. And while it’s not always a bad quality to be mindful of those around me, one of the pitfalls of being able to read a room well is that the public is a very big room, and it is full of opinions.

When I first started vlogging and photographing theme parks, I was quickly confronted by the reality that I would have to do this in front of an audience–sink or swim. So many questions would run through my mind, like how ridiculous I looked walking around with camera equipment at a theme park, or recording a vlog at a crowded special event. And then to post these things online was stamping my seal of approval that I indeed looked at my work and deemed it worthy of the public’s attention. At the time, it was a living nightmare.

Pushing through the initial jitters was the best decision I could have made in that moment. My abilities have grown exponentially since then, and I have learned a lot about what it means to stand behind what you create. To some, it might not ever make sense. But I am glad that I pushed through the awkwardness long enough to discover the confidence to keep creating.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Julie, but on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok I go by “Theme Park Jules”. It’s a silly play on words simply meaning that I create content focused on the jewels, or gems, found in Theme Parks. It’s a funny thing, being interested in theme parks as an adult, because there are a lot of assumptions about what that lifestyle entails. But beneath the surface of Mickey ears and Hogwarts Houses, theme parks offer guests a way to be transported to a place to marvel at and be inspired by imagination and ingenuity. In the same way that people enjoy musing over paintings or savoring good food, I enjoy romanticizing theme parks in a cinematic and aesthetic way.

When I first started creating content, I often asked myself “what makes you different from other theme park content creators?” And my answer has always been simple. We all see the parks from a different lens (camera pun totally intended). For me, growing up with a nerdy dad, a passionate and creative mom, and disciplined grandparents, my craft of choice is not at all surprising. I love the nostalgia of the Wizarding World, Jurassic Park, ET, and all of the Disney classics. And capturing that special theme park feeling has been my motto from the beginning.

Though I can be found at the parks frequently as a local, the appeal is never lost on me. Just seeing one family decked out in their vacation gear, spending time with their loved ones on a once-in-a-lifetime vacation takes me back to all of the fond memories I had of visiting the parks growing up. I will always cherish those memories, which inspire much of the content I create. I hope those who follow along can feel that same heart behind every video and photo.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

It may just be unique to me, since my creative platform is primarily social media. But being creative, specifically, in the social media sphere can be challenging. It might be tempting to think that we live in a day and age in which social media gives creatives exposure more than ever before, but I don’t believe this to be the case.

One of the biggest challenges with creating social media content is the over-saturated market. It seems that with the monetization of many platforms, there is a lot of incentive now to publish videos and photos on a consistent basis. Even for businesses and individuals who don’t care much for photography and videography. It’s become highly competitive to have eyes on your social media account. In fact, many platforms favor and promote content that conforms to whatever seems to be “trending” at the time. In other words, you are far more likely to grow an audience on social media from following the crowd instead of paving your own path.

As a creative, it goes against everything in me to acquiesce to the trends. Call me a “hipster” or a “poser”, but it’s just the truth.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

As a photographer, I must give a shout-out to The School of Photography for briefing me once again on the basics of photography after an almost ten year break from being behind the camera. A lot of times people will tell you that YouTube will teach you all you need to know on certain topics, but I have to disagree to a small degree. If you want to master something from the ground up, it’s going to take a lot more than just watching a few videos and filling in the blanks. Having a curriculum to go through, complete with exercises to put into practice everything you learn is a huge part of building a solid foundation and laying one brick at a time. It takes more time, but it is well worth the extra time and effort.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themeparkjules/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu0YKOu9Z9NZMQrL7Kcs–w