The Personal Side of Influencing

Being an influencer requires a rather unique and very specific middle ground between personal and impersonal. For starters, your social media presence is dedicated to the brand you're creating, which in turn should be treated as a business. However, your followers will feel much more connected to you if they feel as though they know you on a deeper level. Finding this middle ground can be tough, and, unfortunately, there isn't really a cookie cutter way to achieve it. For me, I've been able to acknowledge the more personal sides of my life throughout a few different posts, while keeping my focus on my style. That being said, I want to share my story with you, the same story that I have tried to convey over time to those who consistently follow my posts:

I have showed interest in clothes, jewelry, make-up, etc. for as long as I can remember. Just like any young girl, I loved playing dress-up in my mom's closet and doing my sister's hair (whenever she'd let me, that is). There is one experience in particular though that has not only made me into the woman that I am today, but that has also shaped the passion that I continue to have for fashion and beauty. When I was in kindergarten, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. At that point, my father had already tragically passed away, so I was living with my grandparents almost full time. My grandma stayed by my mom's side throughout her treatment, which left my grandpa as the one taking care of the kids. When he came to pick me up from school one day, he was expecting his "chatty Kathy," rambunctious, six year old granddaughter to run up and give him a big hug. To his surprise, I went straight into the car, silent as ever. He knew something was wrong and, once we got home, I finally cracked. I explained to him that all the girls at school had these long, beautiful braids, that their moms did for them every morning. Not only did I want to be a part of the trend at a young age, but I also wanted a healthy mother, who could do my hair for me every morning before I got dropped off on the playground. My grandpa did the only thing he could do: reassure me of how loved I was, tell me that my hair is beautiful just the way it is, and gave me an extra big hug and kiss before he put me to bed that night. The following morning, I walked downstairs to eat my breakfast, only to find that the dining table spread was filled with bobby pins and rubber bands, not my usual cereal and milk. My 75-year old grandfather had in fact called my aunt the night prior and had learned (or at least attempted to learn) how to braid hair, all so that he could make sure I never felt like I was missing out. I will never forget being dropped off that morning, with a paper-bag lunch in one hand and two semi-janky braids on my head, but feeling as beautiful and confident as ever.

This experience gave me two huge things that have led me down the influencer path that I am on today. The first is the ability to recognize my appreciation and love for beauty at a young age. I don't mean that in a shallow way, as I believe we are all beautiful in our own unique ways. Nevertheless, it showed me that my love for something can be manifested and put into a more long-term goal, specifically career wise. Secondly, and most importantly, my grandfather, who is my best friend to this day, helped me understand that anything is possible if you have patience and are willing to work for it. There are times where I get discouraged, whether that be on the influencer front or beyond, but his attitude is something that I try to implement into my own work everyday. There are plenty of times in our lives where something seems unattainable on the surface, but I guarantee you that, if there's a will, there's a way! I hope that by sharing more about my story, you have been able to get to know the person behind all these blog posts on a deeper level, while also gaining a better understanding of how to convey personal details about your own life through your influencer platform.