Meet Trailblazer Jackie Bryant

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jackie Bryant.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Jackie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve lived in San Diego for four years now and am originally from New York. I moved here from Manhattan because my then-husband got a university job that we couldn’t pass up. Admittedly, I wasn’t excited–even though I hated my career working in finance at the time, I still loved my life in New York, which included being close to my friends and family.

After moving to San Diego, I re-entered working in finance, which was a difficult and miserable experience on top of trying to get adjusted to a new city. I started freelance writing about food and travel on the side, focusing on local-to-San Diego happenings and the growing food and wine scene in Tijuana and the Valle de Guadalupe. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but I kept sending ideas to editors (which I later learned was called ‘pitching’) and started to land ideas at good publications.

Sometime in 2016, I landed my first national bylines, which coincided with my decision to leave finance for good. I started freelancing full-time in January 2017 and haven’t looked back since. In the last two years, I have added photography, poetry, essay writing, vacation planning and coordinating and tour guiding to my resume (in addition to journalism) and continue to grow and evolve as a creative professional, a writer and, hopefully, a human. I am now writing about personal issues like love, sex, and divorce; food; travel; cannabis; wine and spirits. I occasionally write about art, design, and music, too.

My marriage ended last year, and, to be honest, my professional and personal life have blossomed since then despite the generous support I received from my ex-husband during the early growth stages of my journalism and writing career. We weren’t right for each other, but I firmly believe our marriage put us exactly where we both needed to be to move on with our lives and be happy on our own paths. I also absolutely love living in San Diego now–I relish all the local stories I get to tell and am beyond glad I didn’t move back to New York once my ex and I decided to part ways.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Oh man, absolutely not! But it has been exceptionally freeing and fun.

Freelancing is a grind no matter what stage of a career you are in. You have to balance many other peoples’ deadlines, schedules, demands, and preferences; there is no job security; you don’t get insurance; you often don’t get paid on time (or sometimes ever) and you are constantly pitching people for story ideas and work. It’s not for the faint of heart.

The lack of financial security was my biggest fear when I realized I’d be getting divorced. I had a solid income and work pipeline but the removal of my ex-husband’s stable monthly salary along with his health insurance completely freaked me out. Remember, I used to be a career woman who worked on Wall Street–I was used to the convention, to security and to the trappings of a normal, structured life.

My divorce was a surprise to me, so that affected my work and income for a number of months, which is something I’m still bouncing back from. But I feel so grateful I had the flexibility to lick my wounds and take a lot of time for self-care, which is something most people don’t get to do. I credit that with the good mental state I’m in today and that’s a major benefit to freelancing. Of course, that time wasn’t paid, so there are obvious drawbacks.

The freedom that comes with freelancing isn’t for everyone but I thrive on it. I realized that being a salaried office worker was severely demotivating for me and I thrive on the last-minute, scattershot nature of project-based work and deadlines.

My advice to anyone who might want to walk a similar path is to get to know yourself and your process. It’s okay to have a weird schedule, to work better in the evenings than the mornings or to hole up for a few days and do nothing but work. Whatever works best for you without blowing up the rest of your life. It is not okay to be completely unreliable and disorganized–that’s what gets you on your client’s blacklists. Also, make sure you have at least three months of savings in the bank. Freelancing is often feast or famine and working in media is a difficult game these days.

That being

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am known for being a food, travel, wine, spirits and cannabis writer and journalist. I tell stories about people and places, mainly in San Diego, Hawaii, Mexico, and Spain, though I have covered other regions, too. I love telling stories at the intersection of politics, culture and the aforementioned topics, but I also love being “in the know” and getting to let my community know about things I know to be kick ass, like the best new restaurant or secret off-menu dish that’s better than anything on the printed menu.

I like to think that I know what I’m talking about–I’m a serious student of the world and I enjoy researching and learning, so I think that obsessive nature sets me apart in that I will make sure I know what I’m talking about before I recommend it or write about it.

In addition to writing, I also run a boutique, curated culinary tours to Europe and Mexico with travel company Salt & Wind.

What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a young woman just starting her career?
Make sure you are financially free and stable. Get rid of your debt the best way you know how. Make sure you have savings. And don’t let others get in your head–everyone is going to have an opinion and it’s wise to listen to advice, but remember that most advice is projection.

Something else to keep in mind is that if you choose an unconventional lifestyle or career path, many people will make you feel bad about it whether intentionally or not. It comes from envy, from that feeling of the grass is greener–pay no mind. Many people wish they could be free and will resent you or be jealous that you have the courage to be different. Relish in it and use it to your advantage.

Contact Info:

• Website: jackiebryantwriting.com
• Instagram: @jacqbry
• Twitter: @jacqbryant

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