Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela White.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
I started my blog, OurTricities, as a school project in 2017 at East Tennessee State University. The project aimed to create a website from scratch, write articles, and take photos of something you love. At the time, I was trying to branch out in the community. I had not ventured far from my college campus and thought it would be easy – I could go somewhere and shop, eat, and drink for a school assignment, a win-win! After I did the assigned 20 blog posts, I could not stop. After spending time with these businesses and their owners, I was inspired by their passion for their company, craft, and community. After about a year of blogging, I started to get discouraged. Businesses I loved were closing, some for personal reasons but others could not justify staying open because of cost. That is when I decided to do whatever I could to share their stories and advocate for them.
Let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Since 2017, the blog has been through a lot of changes. Businesses came and went. I got an internship with the Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association, which helped me grow not just as a marketer but as a member of the community. I moved away for a while and returned quickly because I missed the region. I got my MA in Brand and Media Strategy – my thesis was on Instagram’s impact on tourism. I learned to code, edit photos and videos, and build a brand to help share other brands’ stories. Whenever I learn a new skill, I change the website or Instagram. You can see my growth and the communities growth by scrolling the pages. While blogging about small businesses isn’t miracle work – some businesses still close for good far too soon – it has helped put small businesses in the forefront of people’s minds, which is what matters.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in branding and brand storytelling. When people think of a brand, they think of its color or logos, which is so much more. It is a company’s heart, soul, messaging, and morals. The best part of creating for OTC is sharing so many brands and turning them into one refined voice. I am creating a brand for Northeast Tennessee. Outside of OurTriCities, I work full-time for the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, TN. I am their communications associate, where I maintain their brand, act as a one-person ad agency and help share the power of storytelling with people across the country. I am a brand storyteller for actual storytellers!
Can you talk to us about the role of luck?
I am lucky to live in a community with many spectacular chefs, bakers, artisans, and business owners. Their passion is my passion, and there is no shortage of it here. We are fortunate to live in Appalachia, where the community is still very much of who we are. The rest is grit. I got a print from a local artisan years ago, and it is in my office on my mantel – it says, “Grit gets it done,” and that is true. Running a small business is hard – it takes a lot of blood, sweat, tears, time, resources, and energy. For these owners, it is everything, and advocating for them and sharing their passions has become my everything. Every skill I learn or interview I have pushes me closer to my goal of sharing these stories with more people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ourtricitiestn.weebly.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ourtricities/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-c-white/
- Other: https://angelawhiteportfolio.weebly.com
Image Credits
Angela White
