We recently connected with Liz Parker and have shared our conversation below.
Liz, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
When I was in middle school or high school, I originally wanted to be an editor for books – today I am a book blogger and a lifestyle blogger, in my spare time, and for my job, I am a B2B editor of two magazines: one about snack and bakery, and one about candy.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Yes/No Detroit (www.yesnodetroit.com) was originally started as Yes/No Films, in January 2010, when I had recently graduated from the University of Michigan and was looking for a creative outlet to share movie reviews and movie news. In the summer of 2017, I was writing about many more topics at that point, so I rebranded it to Yes/No Detroit, along with a full site revamp, to better showcase the city I primarily wrote about, and the lifestyle topics I approach.
Books I Think You Should Read (http://booksithinkyoushouldread.blogspot.com) was founded in August 2009 – I had graduated from UM that summer, in May 2009, and I was looking for something to do (while I was also looking for full-time employment). At the time, I was probably reading 4-6 books per month, so I decided on a book review blog. Nowadays, I don’t have as much time to read, but a blogger friend, Becki, is a guest reviewer, and has been doing a lot of reviews for me; I am able to chime in with my own reviews when I have time, as well.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Social media is a tricky thing, because sites come and go, although the big ones seem to have stayed around (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.), along with some “newer” additions like TikTok.
I enjoy interacting with others on social media and I recommend that, if you are just starting out: follow others that have similar interests as you, and respond to what they are putting out there. I like to interact with others and then give them a follow, to have a greater chance of them following me back, for example.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
Rely on fellow creatives in your field – you don’t have to go on this journey alone! I’ve met a lot of other local bloggers, and we even have a few Facebook groups in which we can converse – whether it be to ask about website issues, local contacts, or more.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.yesnodetroit.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/yesnodetroit
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/yesnodetroit
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parkerelizabeth/
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/yesnodetroit
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=rr5zzVWVu0u-P5P1rHIV-Q