We recently connected with Paige Turner and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Paige, thanks for joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
As cliché as it may sound, I’m truly living the dream. Most of us are familiar with the old saying “If you love what you do, it won’t feel like work.” That adage is my professional reality. Through determination, just the right amount of pushiness, and a strong foundation of skills and connections, I’ve been able to leverage and hone in on a natural-born talent as my livelihood.
I wasn’t always making full-time money as a writer. And for much of my early career, I didn’t think it was ever possible. I started my career like many other writers: with an internship opportunity and a lot of ambition. Although I was born and raised in Austin, TX, I went to college at the University of Central Arkansas and was living out of state for four years while getting my BA in Mass Communication. After graduating in 2013, I moved back to Austin to start grad school for journalism at the University of Texas at Austin and began my search for internship opportunities with a local publication.
My first real Austin writing gig was as an editorial intern for TRIBEZA, a popular local print magazine and website known for covering some of the city’s rising artists, luxury news, and cultural happenings. I had a few articles published in the summer issues of 2013 and got some great experience while I was there. After that internship finished, I applied to tons of well-known Austin media organizations, magazines and publications to continue polishing my writing chops and to hopefully make a career out of my passion.
In 2014, while still in grad school, I got the chance to interview for CultureMap Austin, a website devoted to all things Austin and city life-related. I accepted an editorial contributor internship and the rest is history. I quickly became a staff member and the person behind the Top 5 Things To Do in Austin This Weekend column and wrote about everything from fashion to store openings to real estate and society events. Throughout my career, I’ve been published by The Austin Socialite, Camille Styles, Rank & Style, CultureMap San Antonio, and more.
My journey required a lot of self-confidence and even more tenacity. Whenever one opportunity didn’t work out, I used those moments as fuel for the next job opening. Eventually, my pushiness paid off. And now, I get paid.
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?
I’m a full-time writer and content creator who’s always looking for the opportunity to tell the stories of people, places and events that make Austin the city I love and proudly call home. By day, I’m a Content & Communications Manager for a popular headphone brand that’s based right here in Austin. By night and also by weekend, I’m a regular contributor and freelancer for digital and Austin-based and/or Texas-based publications like CultureMap Austin, CultureMap San Antonio, and Rank & Style. I also create content for my personal influencer brand and am one of a small group of Black influencers in Austin.
I would say the main things that set me apart from others is that I’m literally from here and I can literally do it all. Whether creating content for brands I love or my own, my voice is uniquely homegrown and I’ve been able to showcase who I am while also representing the city of Austin and the greater community of Black Texas influencers from a distinct and authentic perspective.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I’m not sure any writer has a smooth road to their dream gig or even to a paid one, but I can say the road has taught me a lot about perseverance, networking and trusting in my talents enough to let my work speak for itself. As a young person and a Black woman, breaking into the very middle-aged White world of Austin media often left me feeling overlooked and underestimated. There were so many times when I wouldn’t get a reply back to pitch emails or times when I’d make it to the final round of an interview process only to be told someone else with more experience was given the position.
It wasn’t until I joined the CultureMap contributor staff that I finally found a publication that was willing to invest in my voice and my perspectives. From there, I was given a lot of space to write about things that interested me and about subjects that I knew locals would care about. Bylines began to pile up and because of both my quality of work and the trust that the CultureMap editorial team put in me, I became a widely known expert on all things local city life. Ultimately, it was the access and a media company’s willingness to take a chance on me and what I had to say that helped catapult me to the many spaces I occupy today.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Social media is all about making connections that foster and bolster alignment. It took me a long time to learn that in order to grow a community or a presence on social media, you have to be a mirror to those you hope to attract. Don’t get so caught up in your follower count. Instead, focus on the kind of content you share on social media and try to curate that content to appeal to the interests and views of the community you want to create and grow.
Once I stopped worrying about my follower count and my likes and started focusing on sharing the things that make me feel centered (like my travels, my dining experiences, content that inspires me as a creative, my self-care routines, outfits that make me feel lke my prettiest self, etc.) in the most beautiful way I knew how I saw my account grow tremendously.
My other piece of advice is to break the mold. So many of us are on social media now and so many accounts look and feel the same. Identify what makes you special or unique IRL (in real life) and figure out how to transfer that quality into a digital community space. For example, I have always been fond of floral arrangements and became pretty skilled as an amateur florist during the beginning of our pandemic. I started sharing videos and photo content of my bouquet creative processes and they were a hit. Florals have now become one part of my digital aesthetic and it’s been so awesome to connect with a new group of people online and IRL who also appreciate the hobby.
Also, remember that social media is fake. I mean that in the least problematic way possible. Think of it as a canvas where you’re the painter of your own reality. Share the things that bring you joy or the sides of you no one typically sees. Be adventurous. There are no rules. Just be yourself and be the best at it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lillianorpaige.com
- Instagram: @lillianorpaige
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lillianorpaige/
- Twitter: @lillianorpaige
- Other: My LTK Shopping Page: https://www.liketoknow.it/lillianorpaige
Image Credits
Chloe Paige Photography, Erin Horn Photography