This spring I had the honor of being able to interview a sweet, creative, talented, and inspiring young lady named Sophia Talavera. She attends the University of Houston, majors in communication sciences and disorders with a minor in psychology. She loves to create with as many colors as she possibly can and loves to add a positive emphasis into it. Here is our interview over her creative outlet as a content creator.
What is your niche? What does your content consist of?
I consider myself a colorful creative. I love posting bright, colorful content about my life with fun edits.
What are some of your favorite things about what you create and why?
My Instagram is my creative outlet. It’s like a hobby to me and I actually enjoy doing it. I love looking at my feed and thinking about what I’m going to post next.
Another plus is the people I’ve met! I’ve made Instagram friends that I have never met in real life, but they are some of my biggest supporters and always hype me up when I post.
How does your job empower you? How do you help empower other women?
Seeing women supporting women via social media is so refreshing. Whether it is promoting a woman-owned small business, sharing another person’s post, or even showing support in the comments is the best way to do this. I try to do the same. Social media can be toxic, but it is important to show that there are a lot of creators wanting to support one another and see each other grow.
What are some stereotypes about women on your industry that you would like to change?
A stereotype for the platform as a whole is that people think everything is a competition, especially when it comes to numbers. I’ve really been focusing on building a community and creating relationships with other creators. I love when people are in my DM’s, asking me questions about what I’m doing and how to work with brands, and I always try to give the best advice I can. I think this is what tends to make people more successful, because there are so many advantages when it comes to community, rather than competition.
Pros and cons about creating content?
Pros:
- I love being able to express myself through my content. I love turning a regular everyday photo, into something different and sharing it with others.
- The community is amazing. Ever since I started, I have met so many amazing like-minded people that just wants everyone to succeed. Talking to people via DM’s or hyping each other up in their comments is fun!
- Being able to work with brands I love is a huge plus. I’ve had the opportunity to do paid and gifted collabs with brands like Grubhub and Koolaburra by UGG. I’ve also been able to experience some local opportunities, like visiting a restaurant before they even open to promote their business!
Cons:
- Being consistent on Instagram can be hard, especially when balancing school and work!
- I second guess myself a lot. Even though I have gained a lot of confidence since the beginning, it is not always easy putting yourself out there. Before I post something, I almost always freak myself out, asking myself “Should I even post it? What if people don’t like it? What if people make fun of me?”. I know people will ALWAYS have something to say, so I just always have to remind myself that I post what I like, and that’s all that matters.
Who inspires you?
Creators who started their Instagram in college, worked a full-time job while building their Instagram, and then were able to quit their job to pursue their Instagram full-time are such an inspiration. I believe that you don’t always have to do the same thing for the rest of your life. Sometimes people’s passions change, and life is too short to be stuck doing something you may not love as much as you used to. These people took that leap to do something that isn’t so traditional.
Some of my favorites are Emma (@emmasedition, she was an engineer originally and now full-time creator), and Emily (@leisurely.layne, a full-time creator who graduated with the same degree I’m pursuing). I still want to work as a Speech-Language Pathologist and work with children in an elementary school setting, but I also hope to take my content creation further one day. Knowing that it is possible to do big things with social media, even if it’s not what I’m in school for, is good motivation.
What is your favorite brand collab or creative project you’ve worked on?
As of right now, it has to be my Chipotle collab. Not only is it one of my favorite places to eat, but before I even started content creation, I used to post “Chipotle sponsor me” on my stories all the time, and it finally happened! When I got the email to do the collab, I was just so excited. And the fact that their marketing team said that my content was of their favorites meant a lot to me.
What do you hope to achieve? How do you hope to inspire others?
I hope to grow my platform and spread positivity wherever I can. I’ve always thought about starting a charity or non-profit of some sort to benefit children in countries with limited access to speech and hearing services. With a larger social media following, it could not only help achieve this, but also to show others how you can use social media to make a positive impact.
Ana Oelen | @ana.oelen