There is so much more to it than what is visible to the eye…
From the fun to the gloomy, whether you are in the same industry I am, or just curious, here are a couple of insights from this filtered life.
1. FOMO
Yes, we all experiences Fear of Missing Out, but when you live a big chunk of your life on instagram, many of your friends tend to be fellow insta-addicts who post in relationship to everything they do, and your feed becomes asphyxiating with reminders of the event you totally missed out on.
2. Perfect shots that didn’t happen.
The total frustration of being in the perfect spot with the perfect outfit, and not having a single soul, or tripod close by to take a picture of you #thestruggleisreal
3. Mistakes happen.
The anger that comes from pressing ‘decline’ by mistake to a message you really wanted to answer, aka really good looking guy if you are single, or really heartfelt message from someone whose handle you can’t recall.
4. Nights when looking at how your life looks on the screen is so much better than your actual life.
Yeah. Sometimes it does, and looking at the girl in the pictures gives me strength as I rebuild myself to try to go back to being her.
5. The not-that-real friendships behind many love messages.
I really wish I saw many of these friends more often. Apparently time management is an issue in every universe, and there’s often more posting and less conversations.
6. How hard it is sometimes to live in the moment.
You are exposed to all these amazing experiences, and yet it’s part of your work, so you’d better take a ton of material. I often save normal pictures and videos and post until I get home to try to live the moment.
7. Sometimes it hurts.
How hard your blood boils when someone who follows you, or works with you ‘re-imagines’ your look or your ideas without even mentioning you. It sucks. The only answer for that is to realize they can replicate a look, but never your journey. Keep creating, get over it, and credit all those who inspire you in hope the world dynamics will change one day. I also tend to block those people.
8. It’s stressful.
The anxiety of a post not getting the response you thought it would get. Sometimes I change the caption two or three times because of the anxiety of my audience not ‘getting’ what I’m trying to say. I know many influencers who would rather delete the pictures that don’t perform to their expectations.
9. People expect you to work for free.
Don’t get me wrong, sometimes it’s the right fit because the product or the story behind the brand makes sense, but creating good content takes time, money and experience. There comes a moment when too many people want a chunk of your time, and it’s just not possible to give it away for free. The experience, exchange or commercial agreement needs to always be a win-win situation. I have so much respect for those agencies and people who realize the value of my work, and will always deliver above expectations to them.
10. It’s hard work.
It looks simple and glamorous, but behind the scenes there are many hours in front of the computer, a life-time of experiences, way to many decisions to take and lots of planning.
11. It’s worth it.
The joy of knowing you had an impact in someone else’s life, because you found your voice, and it resonates with a total stranger. All the above is worth it when that happens. You also get to work and create with brilliant people that change the way you see things. It’s magic.
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