Conversations with the Inspiring Olivia Arnold

Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Arnold.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Olivia. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am an original ATLien having grown up in Buckhead, but I moved to the Northeast for college and then worked in NYC for over seven years. I moved back to Atlanta in 2015 to work in Marketing at a CPG company, and around the same time, I decided to start my @Foodistagirl Instagram account, which is focused largely on my food explorations in Atlanta (with some travel mixed in). I had been working in Marketing on Marc Jacobs Perfumes while in NYC and had run several campaigns with large Instagrammers (e.g. @Songofstyle), and I wanted to see if I could do something similar – but with food, since I am not super well versed in fashion (but was eating out every night anyway). I realized when I started food “Instablogging” in Atlanta that the food scene was undergoing a huge transformation and was booming with tremendous energy. It was like a totally new city!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has definitely been an interesting road, but I work a full-time job as a Director of E-Commerce at a CPG company, and balancing that workload and my Instagram hobby has not been the easiest challenge. I work a lot with China, so I am on calls at all hours and travel a lot for work, and the balance is tricky. But, I believe staying busy and having a lot of irons in the fire is important, and my Instagram account is a great creative outlet when work is insane.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
My Instagram is my hobby, but I feel very passionately about it, and I use it as a way to express myself creatively as well as justification for going out to eat fairly often and for trying new restaurants and food experiences. I focus a lot on the beauty of the images I share, and I do all of my photography with an iPhone so that it is authentic. I also rarely advertise and almost never do giveaways, so my Instagram is truly a reflection of what I am actually doing on a particular day. I think that is appealing in a world where social media is so promotional. I try to limit the spam and make my gallery as inspirational and visually appealing as possible.

Separately, I have a full-time job as the Director of E-Commerce Global Business Development at a Fortune 500 Consumer Product Goods Company, and I have worked in E-Commerce/Marketing or Finance for 11 years (I am a little older than some of the influencers out there!). I went to Harvard for my undergraduate degree and have always been particularly focused on career development and being a strong woman in the workforce. I lead a team of eight in Hoboken, NJ, and I have a separate team of 12 in Shanghai, China. I strive to set an example for young women looking for advancement in their careers and balancing both a career and a side hustle.

It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
I really enjoy murder mystery podcasts (shout out to local Atlanta-produced show “Up & Vanished”!), but otherwise, I do not really leverage other people’s creative content for my own betterment. I try to take inspiration from the creative people I know personally and my professional mentors.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.instagram.com/foodistagirl/
• Email: foodistagirl@gmail.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/foodistagirl/

Image Credit:
My husband William Arnold

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