This blog brought to you by Girlilla Marketing Account Director, Conley Sweeney.

My name is Conley Sweeney, and I’ve been a Girlilla since 2016—which means I’ve spent a lot of years submerged in the internet! I fell in love with this job as an intern, with one of my first tasks being to submit impersonator accounts for celebrities. For a girl from a small town in Kentucky, this was the coolest intern assignment ever. But as time went on, I began learning that while this is a cool job, just like any career, it’s easy to lose steam—even when you know you’re living your dream.

In the digital space, it’s easy to become discouraged in a world that never sleeps and is constantly fueled by negativity. That’s why it’s important to know how to battle this and keep your passion for the field alive. One way I combat burnout is by looking for the “moments” in everyday situations that remind me why I do what I do.

When I started my career journey, I knew I wanted to be in the music industry. But it wasn’t until I became deeply familiar with this world that I realized my passion wasn’t just for the music industry itself, but for helping creators share their art with the world. This is my “why.” But how do I keep that at the forefront of my mind in stressful moments?

One day, I was frantically planning for the release of a new song, ensuring we had everything we needed—from cover art to headers to short-form videos. I had to adjust plans that day, and after a week of traveling, I was feeling extremely overwhelmed. Honestly, I was just ready to get through the midnight release.

At 11 PM CT on that Thursday, the posts were deployed, and I went to sleep. The next morning, I woke up and started reading through the comments on the new song. People were deeply touched by it. They shared their own stories and connections to the lyrics, and I realized I had played a role in making sure that project reached the audience it needed to. This happens more often than not, and it never fails to remind me that music helps and heals people.

Naturally, we work with several music artists, but this passion applies to every type of person or account we manage. I realized this when we started working with a bar to maximize its social presence as a live music venue. When we began posting for this account, we decided to implement viral trends—but as a business rather than as a person. One of the first videos we launched highlighted unique features of the bar that you wouldn’t find anywhere else, loosely based on a few trending formats at the time. Thanks to TikTok, that video hit several For You pages, and our audience began to grow. Soon, we saw people sharing their experiences at the bar and tagging friends, insisting they visit. Although it was just a single video, it sparked the growth of a social community that had never really existed for this venue before. Of course, we still see comments like, “This isn’t what it used to be back in the good old days.” But for every one of those, there are five more from followers eager to visit, engaging with content, and staying updated on events.

One of my favorite things about this career is the live music aspect. I have to admit—I love being home, and sometimes I find it hard to push myself to go to a live show. But without fail, once I’m there, I’m always grateful I went. There have been several times—especially at places like The Opry—where I’ve taken a step back and thought, “Is this really my life?” Some of my favorite moments on the job have been watching an audience sing back to an artist and witnessing that artist take it all in. Even though I can try to recreate these moments socially through an iPhone video, nothing compares to the feeling in that room. I always leave those events recharged because I was able to see the impact in person.

I’m incredibly thankful for a job that allows me to have so many of these moments throughout my career. My dad (and everyone else’s dad) always used to say, “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

While that can be true at times, I would argue: “If you love what you do, it’s easy to find the moments that recharge your passion and keep you chasing your dream.”

This is how I battle losing steam while living my dream.

Thanks for reading,
Conley