Conversations with the Inspiring Holly Davis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Holly Davis.

Holly, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My story starts out like other women out there that have decided to quit their corporate jobs to stay home and raise their children. At first, it’s all snuggles and baby coos, but after a while, you’re hiding from your kids in a bathroom that stinks of toddler pee, drinking wine out of a dirty coffee mug, and wondering what the hell you’ve gotten yourself into!

Motherhood was nothing like I thought it would be.

Two kids, two years apart: a strong-willed, stubborn-as-hell toddler and an infant that was attached to me at the boob who NEVER slept. That was all I was – Mama – 24 hours a day, seven days week. It was a tough time full of tears, sleepless nights, and coffee by the gallon. I call those first few years with two kids “the lost years.” Because I lost my sanity… and myself. But once my kids started getting a little older (and going to preschool – can I get an AMEN?!), I started feeling like I needed something extra in my life – something just for me – something to fulfill my creative outlet.

I knew I had a lot of thoughts, tips, and ideas about parenting and motherhood that I wanted to share. A friend of mine from church had a successful lifestyle blog, and I thought to myself, “I could do that!” I’ve always loved writing, taking pictures, and sharing my life on social media. I figured a blog would be the perfect thing to fill my need to create.

And so, I started Sunshine and Holly – a blog that focuses on motherhood, food, and travel.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Most parents know how impossible it is to get anything done when kids are around! It’s been hard to juggle my kids (and the other annoying tasks of keeping my home semi-clean and running) while trying to churn out blog posts. I try to set blogging goals, but give myself grace if I don’t meet them on time. Life happens!

The technical side of blogging is also very overwhelming. My Master’s Degree in Human Resources did not prepare me for the blogging world! I was brand-new to WordPress, and getting my blog up and running was a huge pain in the booty. I also had to teach myself all about widgets, plugins, coding, FTC laws and regulations, photo editing, malware protection, etc., etc., etc. Google and YouTube were my go-to websites when I hit a technical roadblock.

As for advice for other women and moms out there that would like to start a blog, I’d say to search for some blogging groups on Facebook and join. There are a few groups that I’m a part of that have been a wealth of knowledge. I’ve also met some amazing bloggers through Instagram who’ve also been there to help out when I get stuck with something technical.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I love writing about local family-friendly events and attractions, new restaurants here in Atlanta, easy kid-friendly crafts, yummy recipes, party ideas, travel destinations, and my general thoughts and opinions about the trials and tribulations of motherhood. My readers are mostly moms like me – spending our days wiping butts, doling out goldfish and doing mountains of laundry. We’re all just doing our best to raise decent human beings while trying to get a moment or two for ourselves.

I’ve been lucky enough to work with some amazing brands in the past year as well. I really enjoy sharing information with my readers about new products, events, and places here in Atlanta.

It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
I use a few apps for photo editing for Instagram – Lightroom, and VSCO. And of course, all social media apps are super important for bloggers – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. It’s one thing to write a great post, it’s a whole different ballgame to promote that post so people actually go read it! Pinterest is my number one source for blog traffic. I use Tailwind, a pin scheduling app, and it’s really been instrumental in driving people to my blog.

Thanks for the interview and I hope you all check out my blog below!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sunshineandholly.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: instagram.com/sunshineandholly
• Facebook: facebook.com/sunshineandholly
• Twitter: twitter.com/sunshineholly7
• Other: pinterest.com/sunshineandholly

Image Credit:
Holly Davis, Amina Montana

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