We recently connected with Trenika Matthews and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Trenika thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

The idea for my blog was so random. I didn’t really know what blogging was at the time. It had been a little over a year since I graduated from college, and I was trying to figure out who I wanted to be. (I still am Lol) I was volunteering and trying to find passion and purpose. I was serving my community and being productive, but I still felt lost. It was a struggle. Nothing I was doing felt right. Then one day, a friend I was working with (she had started a nonprofit) sent me to a blogger workshop. I had just written a newsletter for an event idea she had. I guess she felt like I was good at storytelling and thought the workshop would be beneficial. My friends knew I loved writing, but my writings were usually poetry. She obviously knew something I didn’t. Lol, any who I went to the workshop and had an amazing time! Huge shout out to Kim Thomas of K.P Fusion, the creator and instructor of the workshop. I felt like creating a blog could be a way to showcase my writing skills. At first, my topics were all over the place! However, during the workshop, we were given a worksheet to help us create some structure for our blog. One topic on that sheet combined all my passions into one, Memphis.

I’ve always had this crazy love and admiration for my city! I knew its history and the influence it had on American culture, especially within the black community. I also knew Memphis wasn’t appreciated and only made headlines for negative things. Residents, past and present, complained and spoke so poorly of the city. It was driving me crazy and pissing me off daily. I couldn’t understand how people weren’t proud of where they were from and how they ignored all that Memphis had done. I wanted to change that! I wanted to show the good and help shift the culture/mindset! I wanted to be a source of light and positivity and show the real Memphis. I needed to change the way we were viewed!

Telling this story makes me realize that I still don’t understand how I ended up creating a blog. Lol But, I assume when passion and purpose collide you never understand how things began.

Trenika, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Trenika Matthews, and I am a native Memphian. I grew up in Orange Mound which is a historical black neighborhood in Memphis. I have a blog dedicated to the city of Memphis called Plug901! I write and make social media post about restaurants, different activities, talented Memphians, new businesses, ways to get involved and so much more. I like to think of myself as a Memphis guide and positive source of information. I often say, “all things positive, all things Memphis”. If you’re looking to get a real Memphis experience, good food, and culture I’m your girl! You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @Plug901 and twitter @Plug901_

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

Yes! I want to change how people see and treat Memphis. It’s not just residents who treat Memphis poorly but outsiders. People act like Memphis is some small fish in a big pond, but the reality is Memphis has ALWAY been too big for the pond! We just don’t believe it! We have allowed setbacks to define who we are! Even though every time Memphis has fallen, we have come back stronger than ever! My mission is to help us tap into that Memphis pride, win or lose. I want to show that Memphis is an incredible city! To highlight the culture, history, talent, and people! As well as show that you can come here to live, raise your family and play! It would also be nice to get paid to do this. I want to turn this into a job in tourism & redevelopment. I am passionate about what moves are being made and the experience people have when here. I want to assist in making Memphis the premier travel, work, and living destination.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Man, this whole blogger/influencer thing is a story of resilience alone. I spend a lot of time fighting Memphians resistance to changing their mindsets and adapting to the influencer world. It is all a struggle. Being an influencer/blogger is a popular occupation filled with many viral moments. So, when your content isn’t doing the same it makes you question everything and feel overlooked. Then Memphis only makes negative headlines. Residents run to social media to circulate negativity. It is tiring and frustrating, especially since I never wanted to be an influencer. I saw that we had a problem and wanted to be a part of the solution.

However, when I think about why I’m doing this and how it is still needed I understand why I cannot stop. For example, Memphis recently made national news for 2 very violent crimes and people were being so harsh! I was feeling like I couldn’t change things here. It was overwhelming. I ended up posting how I felt. The response was so encouraging. My followers helped reassure me what I already knew! What I’m doing is serving a purpose. It is serving people. Regardless of how many people see what I’m doing it is being seen! It has changed the outlook of some and encouraged others to explore the city! The purpose of our work, whatever it is, is to make a positive impact big or small! I know I will be a part of the culture shift if I keep doing the work. Every day I must remember the why and for who!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.plug901.com
• Instagram: Plug901
• Facebook: Plug901
• Twitter: Plug901_
• Yelp: Trenika “Plug901” M.
• Other: Tiktok is Plug901

Image Credits
Trey Easter of Kinetics Media Group (photographer of the person photo)