I always questioned when people would try to make a trend their entire personality because it felt to me like it would drain your energy so quickly to never settle on something you truly liked. It feels like we're losing the formula to actually be ourselves without a guide or a voice telling us how we should be instead of our intuition. I love learning about myself and improving on every part of me, but never at the cost of forgetting who I am or what my values are. At the end of the day, I'll always be the person I'll be with the most, so I should strive to make me someone I'd love to be with.
I think it's definitely a certain kind of comfort to simply belong into a group and I think it's that sense of belonging that often drives individuals into embodying different/new aesthetics and trends. I personally have never once felt like I belong (third culture kid + different fashion taste than most in my home country) so i've never really had that need to fit in, but I can see it would probably feel like a safe option for most. The latter part of your sentence is music to my ears~❤️ I also love learning about myself, improving, changing (hopefully mostly for the better as I age), and seeing how all of that affects my world view, style etc, but knowing I'm still me at my core. I know self-love has been kind of used as a band-aid word online these days, but I think if we really truly learn to love and respect ourselves, we'll find so much more peace with who we are, not just by ourselves, but around others too. I don't see why I'd ever wish to be a different person when I'm uniquely me.
Slow growth = dedicated community ❤ Big platforms are nice and all, but I genuinely trust the insight of smaller creators so much more than people who have an affiliate link handy for every item they mention in passing.
I would choose my little dedicated community over a big non-interactive audience any day 💕 I agree with you, I definitely have trust issues with content creators who have gone a little overboard with promotions/affiliate links etc. If I ever have the privilege to make this my full-time job, I think I'd rather occasionally partner with brands that are educational/provide something useful(/are of good quality + sustainable if they're clothing brands). 😊
As someone who also has a design background I am all for creating cohesive branding but not to the detriment of giving up who I am at the core. As a multi-passionate creative person it’s been so hard to stick to a niche but going forward I am gonna embrace sharing me and my interests. In the end I love making things & fashion which in a way is a niche just not that ultra specific as many of the short form creators are. Long term I think this is the best strategy. Short term it might not lead to a lot of growth. Unless you have a personality like Kelly Stamps or something that captures people at a specific moment in time.
I 100% agree! If there's anything I've learned throughout this time, it's that none of the self-branding/aestheticizing I've done has felt right in the long run. I'm really hoping UA-cam will slowly start changing back to what it used to be - more about authentic individuals and creatives being appreciated for their ideas, craft etc. But unfortunately right now we're still in an era where being authentic is not rewarding from a business perspective. I think it's also why I really prefer long-form - you can form connections, share thoughts, and showcase more of you than you ever could with short-form content. I've tried to be a short-form creator too for a long time (and now I'm doing it with the least effort because my heart is not in it) but it really doesn't feel right.
@@jemi_ I really hope so, too, and I am slowly seeing a small shift happening among people who value similar things to us. Slower-paced, more real and raw content. It can be "aesthetically pleasing" but it's because you as a creator value beauty. In contrast, most people who get views are not authentic. We are currently seeing a lot of people who are very unhinged online and trying desperately to get attention by sharing rage bait in hopes of going TikTok viral.
Yeah, I've noticed the sort of unhinged/rage-bait content blowing up because people love reacting to stupid/annoying content! Personally I skip that content because I know the whole goal is to rage-bait people into interacting with the content. I just tell myself "not my business, not my drama, moving on~". I've never understood how anyone can enjoy making a living out of making people mad/having people insult them because they are or pretend to be mean/selfish etc online. I feel like I'd be emotionally crushed if my goal was to simply garner negative attention. I want to make people smile and feel good about themselves, not fuel them with hate, so I really don't get it 😔 I've also noticed in some creator circles that the influencers who's sole focus is rage-bait/brand focused content act kind of shallow and inauthentic even in real life. It's kind of sad to witness in my opinion.
Most regular people don't really have specific or discerning tastes anyway such as with their personal style. This could be due to a number of reasons. Internet aesthetics and influencers end up being an easy template to copy and still feel like you are a part of the in-group without all the hassle of figuring things out for yourself. That in turn makes it easier for influencers and brands to sell unoriginal yet 'new' aesthetics constantly. Influencers are similar except that their motivation to be cookie-cutter comes from money.
I agree with you, it's definitely "the easy way out" to try to emulate how influencers are dressed rather than do the work of discovering your personal style. It's a blessing in disguise that I've never been in any "in-group", I've always been the odd one out in most places - I think because of that, I've never felt the need to fit in or buy into a specific trend (though admittedly I've tried some of them and implemented some parts into my personal style if it felt right). I just hope we can see an increase in content creators who are genuine and don't just strive to make money. It's a big reason why my video topics are analytical/educational/entertaining rather than product/brand focused.
Aww thank you, I really appreciate your comment so much! 🥹💕 This is why I love my long-form content viewers❤️ A lot of the mean comments are in shorts, I guess my videos get found by an audience I'd rather not have 🥲
The cat is amazing and I like how sweetly you are talking to him / her!! 🥺 And back to the main topic, I totally agree with you. And I also noticed that even inside your niche there is an expected behavior, style and content design according to your age, race, social status or whatever. It's quite difficult to break this pattern and achieve something at the same time. I like aesthetics but I'm kind of tired of it already.
Both of my kitties are boys, the black one is Cool 🐈⬛ (he loves to meow loudly and get attention, as you can tell) and the tabby is Paws 🐈 (he's often sleeping when I film, but he's a real sweetheart too)! I got them both as kittens from rescues, they're the best cats I could ever ask for ❤️ And yes, I've definitely noticed this expected behavior! You can actually tell from most of my videos from fall 2023-early 2024 I tried a bit more to adhere to the fashion creator trends and style, but it ultimately didn't feel right for me because I didn't find my content to be very educational or meaningful. I've come to accept that my growth will be slow, but rewarding to me personally because the content I make now feels right to me 💕 If it means not promoting things I don't believe in in order to grow fast, so be it 🥰
Originality is not dead it's just lost in the algorithm and the globalization of data ... back in the day (I'm old! lol) in the early 2 000s there was the Black Block manifesting agains G7 countries for the Globalization of our market boy oh boy! they lost that fight but at the same time the were so ahead of the curve. I think influencers think there is only two way to make it on social media ''join them'' so they do SEZANE, EVERLANE, FLATTER, insert (sustainable fashion brand of the hour), wearing all beige, black and white and call yourself a minimaliste OR do a SHEin -ZARA- TARGET- thrifted haul create an aesthetic as weird, or cute, as you want and call it a day. and PLEASE do wear your Samba's, Adidas (insert the sneakers of the hour) and call yourself original and stylish LOL (I'm hard on people I'm sorry) so creators that is really original just get lost in the click wars, sponsorship. I find those who really have a creative mind also cannot the same output of video. I'm always happy to discovered new creators who strangely manage to be suggested on my UA-cam feed (Bliss Foster, Hautelamode, B. Jones Style, Carla Rockmore, Emily Weathley, Zoe Hong, Mina Le etc)
I feel you, it's definitely become lost to us as a collective! I remember when UA-cam first launched their community partner program and how content started shifting from "this is fun, let me do this thing" to "how can I make the most money from my content". Yeah I think there's definitely a branded divide between the sustainable fashion and fast fashion influencers, but at the end of the day they're both selling a product/lifestyle to their viewers. I honestly think not being able to afford most of the clothing that's being advertised to me has actually really helped me see how quickly my so called "influenced thoughts" fade if I'm not constantly exposed to the same product. It's been refreshing to notice when I'm thinking "this is what I'm supposed to wear" vs when I actually find something I would love to wear. And it helps that apart from very few brands, I don't care at all about branding and never have. A brand doesn't make an item any more stylish than something non-branded. Also I freaking love Bliss Foster and Mina Le, Mina Le actually used one of my videos in her blokette analysis video 🥹❤️
I always questioned when people would try to make a trend their entire personality because it felt to me like it would drain your energy so quickly to never settle on something you truly liked. It feels like we're losing the formula to actually be ourselves without a guide or a voice telling us how we should be instead of our intuition. I love learning about myself and improving on every part of me, but never at the cost of forgetting who I am or what my values are. At the end of the day, I'll always be the person I'll be with the most, so I should strive to make me someone I'd love to be with.
I think it's definitely a certain kind of comfort to simply belong into a group and I think it's that sense of belonging that often drives individuals into embodying different/new aesthetics and trends. I personally have never once felt like I belong (third culture kid + different fashion taste than most in my home country) so i've never really had that need to fit in, but I can see it would probably feel like a safe option for most.
The latter part of your sentence is music to my ears~❤️ I also love learning about myself, improving, changing (hopefully mostly for the better as I age), and seeing how all of that affects my world view, style etc, but knowing I'm still me at my core. I know self-love has been kind of used as a band-aid word online these days, but I think if we really truly learn to love and respect ourselves, we'll find so much more peace with who we are, not just by ourselves, but around others too. I don't see why I'd ever wish to be a different person when I'm uniquely me.
Slow growth = dedicated community ❤ Big platforms are nice and all, but I genuinely trust the insight of smaller creators so much more than people who have an affiliate link handy for every item they mention in passing.
I would choose my little dedicated community over a big non-interactive audience any day 💕 I agree with you, I definitely have trust issues with content creators who have gone a little overboard with promotions/affiliate links etc. If I ever have the privilege to make this my full-time job, I think I'd rather occasionally partner with brands that are educational/provide something useful(/are of good quality + sustainable if they're clothing brands). 😊
As someone who also has a design background I am all for creating cohesive branding but not to the detriment of giving up who I am at the core. As a multi-passionate creative person it’s been so hard to stick to a niche but going forward I am gonna embrace sharing me and my interests. In the end I love making things & fashion which in a way is a niche just not that ultra specific as many of the short form creators are. Long term I think this is the best strategy. Short term it might not lead to a lot of growth. Unless you have a personality like Kelly Stamps or something that captures people at a specific moment in time.
I 100% agree! If there's anything I've learned throughout this time, it's that none of the self-branding/aestheticizing I've done has felt right in the long run. I'm really hoping UA-cam will slowly start changing back to what it used to be - more about authentic individuals and creatives being appreciated for their ideas, craft etc. But unfortunately right now we're still in an era where being authentic is not rewarding from a business perspective. I think it's also why I really prefer long-form - you can form connections, share thoughts, and showcase more of you than you ever could with short-form content. I've tried to be a short-form creator too for a long time (and now I'm doing it with the least effort because my heart is not in it) but it really doesn't feel right.
@@jemi_ I really hope so, too, and I am slowly seeing a small shift happening among people who value similar things to us. Slower-paced, more real and raw content. It can be "aesthetically pleasing" but it's because you as a creator value beauty.
In contrast, most people who get views are not authentic. We are currently seeing a lot of people who are very unhinged online and trying desperately to get attention by sharing rage bait in hopes of going TikTok viral.
Yeah, I've noticed the sort of unhinged/rage-bait content blowing up because people love reacting to stupid/annoying content! Personally I skip that content because I know the whole goal is to rage-bait people into interacting with the content. I just tell myself "not my business, not my drama, moving on~".
I've never understood how anyone can enjoy making a living out of making people mad/having people insult them because they are or pretend to be mean/selfish etc online. I feel like I'd be emotionally crushed if my goal was to simply garner negative attention. I want to make people smile and feel good about themselves, not fuel them with hate, so I really don't get it 😔 I've also noticed in some creator circles that the influencers who's sole focus is rage-bait/brand focused content act kind of shallow and inauthentic even in real life. It's kind of sad to witness in my opinion.
Most regular people don't really have specific or discerning tastes anyway such as with their personal style. This could be due to a number of reasons. Internet aesthetics and influencers end up being an easy template to copy and still feel like you are a part of the in-group without all the hassle of figuring things out for yourself. That in turn makes it easier for influencers and brands to sell unoriginal yet 'new' aesthetics constantly. Influencers are similar except that their motivation to be cookie-cutter comes from money.
I agree with you, it's definitely "the easy way out" to try to emulate how influencers are dressed rather than do the work of discovering your personal style. It's a blessing in disguise that I've never been in any "in-group", I've always been the odd one out in most places - I think because of that, I've never felt the need to fit in or buy into a specific trend (though admittedly I've tried some of them and implemented some parts into my personal style if it felt right). I just hope we can see an increase in content creators who are genuine and don't just strive to make money. It's a big reason why my video topics are analytical/educational/entertaining rather than product/brand focused.
AGREE also where's the 12 year olds sending you mean comments 😤 let me at em
Aww thank you, I really appreciate your comment so much! 🥹💕 This is why I love my long-form content viewers❤️ A lot of the mean comments are in shorts, I guess my videos get found by an audience I'd rather not have 🥲
The cat is amazing and I like how sweetly you are talking to him / her!! 🥺 And back to the main topic, I totally agree with you. And I also noticed that even inside your niche there is an expected behavior, style and content design according to your age, race, social status or whatever. It's quite difficult to break this pattern and achieve something at the same time. I like aesthetics but I'm kind of tired of it already.
Both of my kitties are boys, the black one is Cool 🐈⬛ (he loves to meow loudly and get attention, as you can tell) and the tabby is Paws 🐈 (he's often sleeping when I film, but he's a real sweetheart too)! I got them both as kittens from rescues, they're the best cats I could ever ask for ❤️
And yes, I've definitely noticed this expected behavior! You can actually tell from most of my videos from fall 2023-early 2024 I tried a bit more to adhere to the fashion creator trends and style, but it ultimately didn't feel right for me because I didn't find my content to be very educational or meaningful. I've come to accept that my growth will be slow, but rewarding to me personally because the content I make now feels right to me 💕 If it means not promoting things I don't believe in in order to grow fast, so be it 🥰
Originality is not dead it's just lost in the algorithm and the globalization of data ... back in the day (I'm old! lol) in the early 2 000s there was the Black Block manifesting agains G7 countries for the Globalization of our market boy oh boy! they lost that fight but at the same time the were so ahead of the curve. I think influencers think there is only two way to make it on social media ''join them'' so they do SEZANE, EVERLANE, FLATTER, insert (sustainable fashion brand of the hour), wearing all beige, black and white and call yourself a minimaliste OR do a SHEin -ZARA- TARGET- thrifted haul create an aesthetic as weird, or cute, as you want and call it a day. and PLEASE do wear your Samba's, Adidas (insert the sneakers of the hour) and call yourself original and stylish LOL (I'm hard on people I'm sorry) so creators that is really original just get lost in the click wars, sponsorship. I find those who really have a creative mind also cannot the same output of video. I'm always happy to discovered new creators who strangely manage to be suggested on my UA-cam feed (Bliss Foster, Hautelamode, B. Jones Style, Carla Rockmore, Emily Weathley, Zoe Hong, Mina Le etc)
Trinnylondon, Beepworld, stealthespotlight and yohomegirl if you’re looking for others 💕
I feel you, it's definitely become lost to us as a collective! I remember when UA-cam first launched their community partner program and how content started shifting from "this is fun, let me do this thing" to "how can I make the most money from my content". Yeah I think there's definitely a branded divide between the sustainable fashion and fast fashion influencers, but at the end of the day they're both selling a product/lifestyle to their viewers.
I honestly think not being able to afford most of the clothing that's being advertised to me has actually really helped me see how quickly my so called "influenced thoughts" fade if I'm not constantly exposed to the same product. It's been refreshing to notice when I'm thinking "this is what I'm supposed to wear" vs when I actually find something I would love to wear. And it helps that apart from very few brands, I don't care at all about branding and never have. A brand doesn't make an item any more stylish than something non-branded. Also I freaking love Bliss Foster and Mina Le, Mina Le actually used one of my videos in her blokette analysis video 🥹❤️
@@jemi_ Awe so fun of Mina and I think that's how your videos got suggested on my feed :)