Life & Work with Angela Addington

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Addington.

Hi Angela, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I like to say I am a Jack of All Trades and Master of none and one thing seems to lead to another. In 2000, I started a local non-profit in Dayton, Ohio and after 13 years handed the baton of leadership off in order for the organization to grow and move to the next level. At that time, I was approached by a woman to take over a parenting platform, which eventually became a parenting blog.

Once my daughter was in college and we moved to the Lexington area, a parenting blog really was no longer my focus. Focus changed to SEO and PPC for a web design company out of Australia and my “side gig” was a travel blog promoting my adventures on places to eat, stay and play in the Greater Lexington area. That blossomed into photography work, digital marketing, SEO and various consulting projects.

Today, I am most well known for Adventures in Lexington – a travel blog that has grown outside of the Greater Lexington area as I housesit around the country taking care of people’s homes and pets. It’s a great way to see new cities, experience new places and meet new people.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Absolutely not! I became a blogger not really knowing what one was and not being an avid fan of blogs. I remember going to my first conference and basically stating that I had inherited a blog and had “bitten off more than I could chew.” That was a great opening by the way and I met many great mentors who helped me along the way. Of course, there’s been a move to a different state and basically starting with a blank rolodex and having to build all of those relationships amidst a pandemic and travel coming to a halt.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
A big part of my blogging experience is the fact that I am also a professional photographer. It wasn’t something I had planned on doing, but a sports person at a major university saw some of my work and wanted to know more about my background. I basically said, “I just shoot for fun.” His response was, “if that’s for fun, I wonder what you would do if you put your mind to it?” From there my photography adventure began and I shot college and pro sports and started travelling. Friends started asking me for recommendation about where I had been, where I was going and if I knew anything about their next destination. I guess you could say I was bitten by the travel bug, so the blog has been a great success.

The side work as a photographer has been great as well. I’ve done interviews with people in the travel industry and taken photos of them and of their location, they’ve loved them and then signed me to do more project work for them. I tend to see things a little differently and shoot in a more journalistic and candid style.

What were you like growing up?
My mother will tell you that I never sat still. I was always networking, always meeting new people, always making some deal. Having a single mom, I was heavily involved in sports in school, which kept me busy instead of having to go to a sitter or be home alone. If it wasn’t sports, it was some club or activity. I don’t sit still, never have, never will. I’d rather have an overflowing plate than an empty one. I do better when I am overly busy. It’s just how I’m wired.

Contact Info:

• Email: adventuresinlexington@gmail.com
• Website: adventuresinlexington.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adventureslex/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adventuresinlexington

Image Credits
Angela Addington