“For me, I value keeping things as natural and true to myself as possible.”
Michelle is the Social Media Manager for a beauty brand in California. She loves taking photos and creating content on social media. (Head to the Gallery to meet her!)
Alison: Can you tell me a little about yourself?
Michelle: So, I’m Michelle! I was born in Singapore, mostly grew up here, but moved to and lived in Perth from when I was a teenager all the way up till I graduated from university. I currently work full time as a Social Media Manager for a beauty brand and on the side I do freelance copywriting and content creation! I also take, edit and post photos on my personal Instagram pretty regularly, write bi-monthly blog posts and keep my tumblr alive. If you’re still on tumblr you may recognise my blog, cloudilly! If I’m not living and breathing social media, you’ll probably find me with a book, watching YouTube, Netflix or k-dramas, or just chilling with some freshly brewed tea.
Alison: Nice to meet you! I have a few questions for you today. You mentioned in your introduction that you are active on social media. So, my first question is, “What is your view on social media?”
Michelle: For me, I see social media as a place of creativity, where you can meet like-minded people from anywhere in the world – people you may never have met if not for platforms like Instagram.
Alison: I can’t agree more. Let’s talk more about what you do. What is your experience with content creation?
Michelle: It’s definitely been fun since the start, and is still something I enjoy taking time out of my week to do! I remember I used to go on walks with mum back when I lived in Australia and she was one of the first few people who took my Instagram photos for me. She still is one of my favourite people to take my photos just because she knows my angles so well.
Brands started reaching out for collaborations about 1.5 years ago and it’s been a humbling and fun experience ever since! I’m challenged creatively to create content that resonates with both the brand and the audience, and that itself helps me continuously improve as a content creator. For me, I value keeping things as natural and true to myself as possible so I only accept collaboration requests from brands that I already love, or can see myself enjoying their products!
Alison: Do you have any tips for striking a balance between social media engagement, a full-time job, and a relationship?
Michelle: For me, I feel like I try to maximise the hours of my day. I schedule my Instagram feed and posts in advance so that I rarely worry about not having something to post! I take pictures whenever possible and sometimes do planned shoots with my friends so that we can get a couple of outfits shot for the weeks ahead.
My current role in my full-time job also revolves around social media, so I’m able to keep myself updated with the latest trends and types of content that engage well.
As for balancing my relationship on top of social media and a full-time job, I am grateful that my boyfriend is supportive and we both have our own personal time to develop ourselves and excel in the areas we are interested in! So I would say mutual understanding and support plays an important part.
Alison: That is some sound advice. Thanks a lot!
Check out Michelle’s blog and find her on Instagram and Facebook!
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