A Digital Trip

Episode Eight •
Explore

After balancing social media management for clients and various gigs as a freelancer, I started to think more in-depth about content. What was so fascinating to me was the capability of the platforms themselves.

Each one, #Instagram especially, is a whole world of itself. The options, the choices, and the possibilities could be done by a single-person, small business owner, creative- or an entire team.

I wanted to explore, I had so many questions without answers, and online was always polluted with over-information. I had so many personal doubts and fears about it too, some were small and some were large.

Things like camera shyness, messaging systems, automated ability, scheduling posts, hosting lives, how to show up, and loads of worry about everything looking perfect, operating smoothly and how do you get people to follow you.

One of the first things that I did, was draw a small picture of an animated character. Then, I started to draw inspiration from it, what I could potentially do with it, what it could become, and how I can use that to leverage my time on social.

For equipment, I had a lousy smartphone, and a laptop with desk supplies. Gradually, as I earned more I’d reinvest into more equipment and gear, but to start making more through social, I needed something cheap, easy and effective. The animated character that I drew came to mind.

As I shared in recent content on my IG, I entered the #GaryVeeChallenge and felt the effects and whiplash of true social media star-power by using content with a hashtag. I introduced the earliest-inception of my ‘animated logo’ in the form of social content, using a crappy software program to tell my followers about different types of energy.

I planted seeds for which would later be my personal brand, and connect with ideas for business channels to rethink how I wanted to start working for myself.

None of it was amazing, didn’t reinvent the wheel, and I’m open to talking about how bad it was. It inspires me more now looking back at some of my original content.

I started to understand the potential of building brand on social.

Song paired with music but not included:
Solstis • Explorers

I do not own the rights to this music.