Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Livingston.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jessica. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
After about 10 years of doing event management in the hospitality industry, I decided that I needed a change. I loved doing events, but I felt like I needed something more fulfilling. I decided to start my own business in order to have the flexibility to work on the events and projects that I wanted to. So I started my business doing marketing and event planning and my clients consisted of locally owned, small businesses and nonprofit organizations. Taking that leap of faith proved to be truly rewarding. Since then, I’ve gotten to do really cool things like organize a makeover and fashion show to promote local clothing stores and salons, manage the family fun area during Market Days (Concord’s annual three day event), dance in a local “Dancing with the Stars” event to benefit the local community college and assist with international food preparation for the Women’s March.
For three years, I organized a community event – Midsummer Night Magic – to showcase Concord’s vibrant art scene with features such as an aerialist, Burundi drummers, belly dancers, outdoor movie and a parade, and for Concord’s 250th anniversary, I organized a community art project – Mosaic 250 – in which we created four panels with imagery that represented Concord and New Hampshire and brought it to different events and organizations so community members can place tiles on it and feel ownership in our gift to the City. And perhaps one of my favorite projects is my family’s #100ActsOfKindness that we do during the month of December, in which we – two adults and two teenagers – each do one act of kindness for each of the first 25 days to equal 100.
Not long after going out on my own, I became aware that I was skilled in organizing community events, and that skill set is what lead me to make the best decision of my career: taking the lead on Concord’s annual Multicultural Festival. It was a decision that did not come easily. At the time, there was no one to continue the popular annual festival. I barely knew anything about the event or the people that I would need to work with. After speaking with many people, it was clear that the community wanted – and needed – the event to happen. Everyone was willing to help, but no one wanted to take the lead. Once I realized how important it was for the community, I also realized that I had the skill set to lead a group of volunteers and manage the event planning. And there was a bonus benefit: I would be able to make new connections with people that I didn’t already know. So I stepped up to the role of Festival Director and we have had a fabulous festival for the past four years.
The decision to step into the lead role of the Concord Multicultural Festival has shaped my work in such a meaningful way. Since taking the lead, the festival has grown in attendance, awareness, engagement, and impacts. But I couldn’t have done that alone. I am just the director, the many volunteers, partners, and participants are who really make it spectacular. That’s the best part of what I do – everything I work on is meaningful and I always get to work with incredible people. I’ve made so many wonderful relationships and friendships through my work and for that, I’m truly grateful.
We are now working on turning the work of the festival into a year-round initiative by implementing the mission every day, instead of just once a year. We are planning more cultural events and programming with our new American neighbors to help to incorporate diversity into our community’s everyday lives in order to further our mission of creating a welcoming community.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Is entrepreneurship ever a smooth road? I love the saying “Entrepreneurs will work 80 hours a week to avoid working 40 hours a week.” My work consumes me, but I love it. Some people think you shouldn’t talk about work during family events or that your work shouldn’t define you. But my work does define me and I love when people ask me about it. However, that’s not to say that there aren’t challenges. Sometimes I miss the days of being able to ‘clock out’ and leave my work at the office. It’s challenging to balance work and home life. It’s also challenging to make enough money when you mostly work for nonprofits and you don’t want to take money away from their work. But at the end of the day, I know that I’m doing work that feeds my soul and makes a difference and I’d rather have that than a million dollars.
Please tell us about JLiv Inspirations.
I am an event planner, project manager, and community builder. I mostly work with nonprofit organizations but will do an occasional birthday party or wedding for close friends or family. I specialize in events, projects, and initiatives that bring people together and build community, especially related to arts and culture. Whether it’s raising funds for a nonprofit, sharing the right message about a cause, empowering people to make a difference, and everything in between, I’m proud of the impacts that my work has.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
This journey has not been without its ups and downs, and I certainly learned some lessons along the way. But I think that those lessons have helped shape who I am today and I don’t think that I would have done anything differently.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jlivinspirations.com/
- Phone: 603-568-5740
- Email: jessica@jlivinspirations.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jlivinspirations
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jlivinspirations/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JLivInspires
Image Credit:
Abbigail Eva Photography
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