So you’re an influencer?
Let’s talk about ‘that’ word, its negative connotations, and why, at its core, it’s not that bad.
I always find it so difficult to explain what I do in a short sentence, and the reason for that is because of how tainted the words ‘influencer’ and ‘content creator’ have become. I honestly can’t count how many times I’ve had a conversation where the word influencer pops up and the person I’m talking to has said, ‘I hate that word’, even though they themselves are an influencer. There are several different types of conversations with different types of people I’ve had where the word influencer has popped up. There are the people who are influencers who hate being called influencers, and then you have the people who just generally hate influencers, but all in all, I think we can agree that the word influencer doesn’t have a great reputation.
Prior to writing this, I decided to head over to an online forum to see what kind of threads pop up when you search the term influencer. Considering the world has become so openly judgmental, I don’t know why it surprised me when I came across countless threads literally hating on influencers. I kind of went down a rabbit hole on the site, and it saddens me that there are so many people out there who think it’s acceptable to bash anyone who is successful in their own right. The people who are writing these hateful threads genuinely came across to me as jealous and bitter. I don’t know which influencers they were talking about, and I wasn’t familiar with some of the names that popped up, but most of what I read was frankly disgusting, derogatory, and unnecessary.
The amount of time these people spend on forums discussing influencers or celebrities they hate is crazy. And some of them were pretty articulate, so it led me to think that if they had spent that same amount of time writing about things they are passionate about in a positive and constructive way, then they themselves would most probably be able to create a business around that. And it’s a shame that some people focus so much time on what others are doing instead of focusing on what they could become themselves, and I only end up feeling sorry for people like this. They clearly have deep-rooted insecurities, and I cannot believe that any one of them has a successful career that they truly love. My mind just cannot comprehend that someone who is happy with their own life has so much hatred for others.
Personally, I don’t have anything against the word influencer because I see it for what it really is at its core: a person who has amassed a following on an online platform such as Instagram and creates content that is influential to their following. Oh, and I left out the most crucial part: they get paid for doing so. I feel like this is a legitimate way to become an entrepreneur, and I applaud anyone who decides to give it a go, as long as it’s legitimate.
Don’t get me wrong, there are unfortunately some influencers that have kind of ruined the term for the rest of us who have created a business around content creation and are legitimate entrepreneurs. The ones that I’m talking about are influencers who have either bought followers and/or taken on brand deals, trying to sell products to their audience with no research or even having tried the products themselves. It’s the kind of influencer who accepts all brand deals because they see $$$$ and not because they truly believe in the product or service. These are the kinds of influencers who have tainted the term influencer for the rest of us.
Unfortunately, not everyone can see through these types of influencers. It’s usually legitimate influencers who only endorse products they believe in and are very selective with brand deals that they accept that can spot a fake influencer a mile off. Yes, it does frustrate me when I see such influencers; however, I choose to focus on myself and my own business of content creation in the hope that, in the long run, legitimacy and honest passion will prevail.
I guess because of how tainted the word influencer has become and kind of where the word content creator is heading, it’s become difficult to answer the question, What do you do? So let me attempt to explain to you what it is I do, and then maybe you’ll sympathize with my difficulty summing it all up into one sentence.
I have an educational YouTube channel focused on beauty, and I release a new video every three days. I have done so for the past two years without fail. What it entails is research, planning, and executing shoot days to produce educational content. I emphasize education because I don’t just do tutorials. I create content that solves problems for people in the beauty niche.
I have a second YouTube channel that is focused on self-care, entrepreneurship, and real life. The channel is fairly new, and I publish two videos a week.
I have an online publication called Confessions of a Creative with a minimum of three newsletters a week covering topics such as beauty, fashion, travel, and culture.
So for most of my career, I have been a professional makeup artist, and over the last eight years, my clients have funneled down to a very elite clientele. My clients include royalty and celebrities.
I’m also in the cosmetics industry. We have a large collection of false lashes that I have designed and created. Our lashes are available at leading beauty salons and retailers.
My Instagram account is what ties everything together. It’s where I can promote my online publication, my YouTube channels, my cosmetics, and my makeup artist side of the business. I also create regular reels to endorse products that I genuinely use and love.
I’m sure there’s a much easier way to explain all of the above, and trust me when I tell you I still don’t feel I have gone into enough detail on each point. It’s a shame that the world has become so judgmental. For many years at the beginning of my career, I struggled with telling people that I was a makeup artist because, firstly, I cared what people thought, and secondly, I thought they would think there wasn’t much substance to me because all I did was paint faces. I guess this is why, throughout my career, I have been so adamant about diversifying my business: I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.
I’m happy to share that I no longer care what anyone thinks of me. I guess this comes with age and life experience, but I’m just so happy to be at this place where everything I do is for my own satisfaction. When people ask me what it is that I do, my answer now is that I am an entrepreneur in the beauty industry. If I could give you one piece of advice that you should carry through your journey of career growth, it would be to focus on yourself and not others. The more you focus on yourself and your own growth without comparing yourself to others, the more likely you are to grow. As soon as you start focusing on what others around you are doing and how successful they are, this is when you start slacking because your attention is not where it should be: on you.
Beautifully articulated article. I think if you're going to put yourself in the public eye, you got to be able to take the good with the bad and accept 1) you're not going to please everyone and 2) the trolls out there really have nothing better to with their lives. If you become a victim of these comments, I think it would take a very strong headed person to ignore. I don't see you as an influencer, I see you as my chief tester of products and a teacher! Being a similar skin tone to you, give or take a shade up or below, I know the product is likely to suit me too. Some of the products you recommend are not cheap and let's face it, not everyone has the budget, however, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be endorsing it just for the dollars. Authentic people on YouTube are not easy to find. Saddens me when I see little kids being paid an arm and leg because they play with a few toys... Is that clever move by the parents? Maybe, but let kids be kids. Content delivery, as you point out, is hard to maintain. Keeping followers engaged is not easy. Even with your personal vlog, you really do show a very vulnerable side to yourself. The pain you go through regarding your hair. It really stresses you out and I felt for you.
Hello Nina. I am sorry, but this is the only way I could find to address a current issue.
My credit card got hacked, and I am trying to update my card information so I can continue to be a subscriber. I have tried everything. I cannot even begin to figure out how to go about this. Can someone guide me through this?
And here I thought I was tech savvy. 🤦🏼♀️ 😇