Chapter One

Recently, I have found myself feeling stuck in more ways than one, but I want to talk about how I have chosen to overcome this obstacle. Being a creative, art – of all forms – helps me to find the words that I do not have. It opens up my mind and allows me to say what needs to be said, sometimes without even saying anything at all. Furthermore, I have always loved the idea of being a public figure or influencer, if you will. Growing up in the age where you can be anything that you want to be, I want to take the route of creating social media content. I have done some research – minimal, but I did it – and have stumbled upon some tips and tricks that have given me the confidence to finally start posting on a regular basis.

First, I rebranded my Instagram. I wanted my page to have a certain aesthetic with a clear color scheme and vibe. I like to keep a good ratio of pictures of me, positivity quotes, fun text messages, and activities that I am excited for. Each thumbnail is a picture of me, mostly faceless but not always. The aesthetic is warm, earth tones and gold. As for music for each post, I keep it within the genre of 2000s-2010s rap/hip-hop/r&b. Doing this and having a clear brand is important because it makes people think of you subconsciously when they see or hear something that reminds of them of a post you made or something that they saw on your page.

During the research that I did, I found that in order for your page to be monetized, you pretty much have to be sponsored in some way. The easiest way that I found was to post pictures of objects that you already have (makeup, jewelry, clothes, food, etc.) and tag the company that makes that product in a post of you using/wearing said item. For example, I carry a Marc Jacobs purse everywhere I go, so I have a ton of outfit pictures featuring this accessory. Apparently if I start tagging Marc Jacobs and I get noticed, they will do one of two things: send me product to promote for free or pay me to keep advertising. Most companies prefer to send their stuff to small influencers without having to pay for them rather than have to reach out to popular/well-known influencers that charge thousands to be sponsored. I haven’t started this yet but it is something that I plan on experimenting with.

The next thing I did was start an Etsy for the small cards that I make. I have always made custom cards for family and friends but I have never charged for them as I see them as something that I do out of love without expecting anything in return. For years, people have told me to create a storefront where they can purchase and promote them for me. While I have launched my Etsy, I’ve yet to make a sale. It has been a process of figuring out what price works best for my product and how I can add more to my shop without taking away or straying from the aesthetic that I have already established. My friends have been very supportive in helping me to come up with new things to post and how to advertise.

The last thing that I would like to try is TikTok. For some reason, this is the most daunting to me. I feel like putting my voice out there and posting videos, as opposed to just pictures, is the utmost intimidating form of media for me to upload. My goal is to have two pages: one for promoting my Etsy and one for fun. The page for my Etsy will be aesthetic videos of me working on the cards, POV videos of me restocking my art supplies, and possibly a time-lapse here and there. As for the page that is for fun, there really is no telling what can come of that. I am a fiery ball of personality with a pretty great taste in music so I am excited to see what comes of it.

Thank you for taking the time to reflect on this journey with me. I hope you find this information useful or my story entertaining.

With love,

Madison