Tolly Moseley is still reeling from getting to meet her idol, Wayne Coyne. The Flaming Lips’ front man showed up at Fun Fun Fun Fest a few weeks ago, and Moseley spotted his wild hair, approached him, praised his work and talked to him about how great the city of Austin is.
Moseley has been singing the city’s praises on her blog, Austin Eavesdropper, for four years now. The San Antonio native lived in Austin for a year after graduating from the Southwestern, and it was love at first sight.
“I remember driving down Guadalupe [Street] and being fascinated by the signs,” Moseley said of her first visit to Austin. “I was just so fascinated that signs could look that way. It’s just this city where people take chances and do their own thing.”
But when Moseley left Austin to attend University of California at Davis for her graduate degree in Victorian literature, she dreamed of returning to her favorite city in Texas.
And return she did. Moseley did not take any time in reacquainting herself with Austin’s nightlife scene. She started Austin Eavesdropper in 2007 as a means to keep track of bands and deejays downtown, but as her life toned down so did the blog, morphing from a nightlife tracker to something more personal. The blog’s posts vary from personal anecdotes to features about events and interesting people.
Moseley has since become an Austin personality herself. The book publicist by day, blogger by night has bright red hair that makes her easy to spot.
“It’s delightful to meet people who read the blog. They are recognizing me around town more and more,” Moseley said. “They even recognize my husband, too.”
Bloggers abound in Austin cover a variety of topics, such as gluten-free cooking and biking. Moseley, who enjoys reading blogs just as much as she loves keeping up with her own, created “Austin Bleet-Ups,” an event that allows local bloggers to meet one another.
Indiana Adams, the face behind the local fashion blog Adored Austin is a regular at the Bleet-Up events.
“Tolly has her fingers on the pulse of this city, marches along with its heartbeat, and then documents it all on Austin Eavesdropper,” Adams said. “She writes in a way that makes you feel like you’re listening to one of your dear friends who just so happens to be funny and knowledgeable.”
Writing is only one aspect of creating a successful blog. Moseley encourages bloggers to not only make sure their posts are well written, but also to make sure they really enjoy the subject they are covering.
“I think the rule of thumb is to make sure that even if you aren’t blogging, that you would be doing the same thing,” Moseley said. “Food bloggers would still be in the kitchen cooking and photographers would still be taking pictures.”
Moseley abides by this rule wholeheartedly. Take a quick look around any of the big events going on around town, and you are sure to spot her red hair in the crowd.
The blogger is a strong advocate of getting up from behind the computer and really experiencing life. Moseley recently took up aerial silks, a form of acrobatic performance that involves hanging from strands of silk. The hobby allows Moseley to escape from all the multitasking and focus solely on one thing.
The writer plans to stay in Austin for as long as she can. She claims that big cities such as Los Angeles and New York have their charm but lack the community support that Austin possesses.
“I think this city kind of picks people. It’s not a city where you are on the fence for awhile,” Moseley said. “I’ve met people who are not into Austin, and I’m like ‘Who are you?’”
