Julien Garman wants to be your muse. And late at night, long after she’s left her Marketing Manager job for a Commercial Real Estate Company in Arlington, VA she becomes just that through her fashion blog It’s Julien.
Three years ago, Garman launched her blog to inspire others through imagery and a fresh, realistic point of view. In this month’s Moonlight Masters feature, we talk to Garman about the good, the bad, and the beautiful of stretching yourself and building your dream.
What are the benefits, in your opinion, of moonlighting?
I think it really enables me to ‘have it all’ when it comes to a fulfilling career. After graduating college, I worked at a local parenting publication and I loved helping small businesses grow, as well as the exciting opportunities that come with working at a magazine. When I moved on to commercial real estate, I missed those opportunities, so I thought I’d build my own little empire.
But to be honest, my favorite part of blogging has been meeting so many ambitious women who have the same interests as me. I’ve built my favorite friendships through blogging – with advertisers, other bloggers, and readers – and it remains the reason I continue putting in the hours.
Any disadvantages?
There’s definitely less time for true leisure. There’s rarely a moment when I feel I can relax in my spare time without having the blog on my brain. If I’m watching a TV show, I’m wondering, ‘what’s an interesting angle I can tweet about?’ I take a bath, I’m wondering, ‘are my bath products aligned in a beautiful way so I can share this moment on the ‘Gram?’ If I’m eating dinner, I’m asking myself, ‘where’s the most aesthetically pleasing spot in my house – with the best light – where I can capture it for Instagram Stories?’
Is your side gig your passion? If so, do you hope to do it full time one day?
Creating content is most definitely one of my greatest passions. When I was younger, my sister and I would do mini photo shoots in our church outfits. People thought we were so odd, but creating beautiful imagery is what inspired me.
Why haven’t you gone full time?
To be honest, I’m not sure yet if that’s the path for me. I really love my full-time job, in different ways than I love my blogging job, and I’m not sure I’m ready to give either one up.
I really love my full-time job, in different ways than I love my blogging job, and I’m not sure I’m ready to give either one up.
How do you currently juggle these two very intense priorities in your life?
It’s definitely a challenge to juggle 2 passions at once. But I love a good challenge. My secret weapon is my bus ride into work. I have about an hour ride in and coming home that I devote to getting blog work done. Without that, I don’t think I could make it happen. I utilize my lunch break to meet with other bloggers, shoot a look, or get filler content (coffee photos, cityscapes, and more).
Connect with Julien on Instagram and on her personal website here.
Photography courtesy of Julien Garman
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