What Social Media Has Taught me About My Designer Identity
Before I begin, if you’re a client: this is NOT an SEO post! This post is going to do nothing for my site SEO-wise. Sometimes it’s nice to just write to relate and share with others, and that’s exactly what this is. My feelings, straight to you! There’s no carefully placed keywords, exact word count, hierarchy, and certainly not a ton of images sprinkled throughout. But, this is my outlet to share my experiences as much as it is an educational blog.
Social media has been a game changer for me and Bold August, but it’s also been one of the strangest growth experiences of my life.
Pre-Pandemic, Bold August was not on social media.
Wait, WHAT? You read that right. Somehow my business existed 100% through word of mouth and my blog. I’m not even sure how I did that, but nowadays, at least 25% of my work comes from some form of social media, and the other 75% includes clients who I’m sure check my social media first even if it’s not where they first heard of me.
Then, the pandemic happened, and I rebranded, and I renamed, and I started to dip a toe in the social media waters. After all, I was home more and had a bit more free time. Work didn’t slow down, but it felt like I should expand my design scope and experience to include what everyone was doing. I also loved engaging on Instagram with my friends, so why didn’t I do it for my business, too?
After a month or so of consistent posting, I was hooked.
Instagram was FUN. That’s where all my industry friends and inspiration was coming from. I was practically gushing with design tips and started giving them without any sort of structure or focus. My following grew and grew, and I’m sitting at a cozy 4k followers at the time of writing this post. I’m proud that people have said that my brand feels fun, safe, personable, and energetic, which is exactly what I set out to do.
However, I slowly started to realize something:
Instagram had me constantly analyzing myself, my face, and how others perceived me.
We’re all a little weird. That’s true even if on the surface, someone looks like a model. When it came time to start posting and creating content, I felt much, much weirder than your average content creator.
Did I sound right?
No one really got this joke, is it not funny or did I say it wrong?
Why do I even find this funny in the first place?
Did I offend someone in some way?
The thing is, that discomfort is what learning truly is. For me, I develop and learn through doing. I have to make 5 bad things before one gets semi-successful. And that’s okay.
I make a lot of crazy posts, put myself out there, and throw spaghetti at the wall until it sticks. Unfortunately, it can sometimes feel super sucky to throw things out there that you think are great and funny, and that get zero views. No likes. No comments. Does this mean no one likes me, my personality? Does this mean I’m not as funny as I think I am?
(It doesn’t. There are so many factors that go into a post’s success! Keep shining on and being yourself. Posting randomly is learning which is growing.)
Additionally, I don’t often wear makeup. (This is partially due to the fact that I did Accutane in 2019, which made my face immune to blemishes. I’m not joking, I legitimately can no longer get zits whatsoever! I am not blessed by the good skin gods, I am blessed by modern medicine.) I also tend to throw my hair up into a bun and appear on camera as-is. I’m proud of this and my self confidence, but it’s not always easy. I notice weight gain. Frizz on bad days. Sometimes my face is ruddy because I live in Atlanta, GA in the summer. I can’t help but think to myself sometimes…wow, I don’t really look glamorous or put together or beautiful. But do I need to be beautiful to share design tips with my audience?
Seeing your face on stories, TikToks and Reels every single day for hours starts to feel the same as saying a word over and over again until it doesn’t make sense.
You start to look distorted and strange, and not even like yourself. Sometimes when I rewatch my videos, I’m astounded at how the girl talking back at me doesn’t even look or sound like me. Who have I created? But she is me, she’s someone putting herself out there and growing with each and every piece of content. I’m astounded at the amount of content I’ve created and how I’ve grown.
What I’ve Learned is That Humor and Simple Education Fuels Me
I don’t want to only be the “Canva Tips Girl,” but I do want to share and educate about design, accessibility, websites, and branding with a cheerful attitude. My favorite thing about myself and my videos is that I take a cheerful, upbeat slant with a dash of humor with everything I do. I’m proud of showing up authentically, even if it’s scary, and even if it does hurt my feelings when things fall flat.
Here are a few lessons I’ve learned along the way, and I hope they help you too:
I judge my content by ROI but also what I like to call ROE…return on education! Did I at least teach one person just one thing? Did someone benefit from my post? Of course it’s always bonus points if it leads to booking a project, since that is my livelihood, but also I feel incredible when I teach.
Roasting / mean humor is hilarious…but doesn’t feel good. I used to review designs and make fun of “crazy clients.” I still do design roasts and outrageous fake clients on my TikTok, but I make a point to NEVER make a client a punchline and I am always conscious of being kind in the end.
Comedy is in the timing. Half of what makes TikTok funny is the perfectly timed cuts and the quick pace of content. If you’re looking to explore humor, think 50% about timing and the beat and 50% about the script or punchline.
You have to post and make mistakes to get better. I posted probably 20 bad Reels and TikToks before I “figured it out.” Getting over this fear is part of the process! I believe in you!
Lastly, if I had to say one thing I wish I saw more of on Instagram versus TikTok, it’s the realness.
There’s not enough transparency or content about what it’s “really like” being a business owner or existing in 2022, so when I do post that type of content, it gets a TON of engagement…usually in the form of DMs. People are too shy to say they’re burned out, or frustrated, or tired because they’re worried it will detract clients. But it’s an equal part of the coin.
Brand design and web design is not always fun and games, and neither is any business at all. We’re all dealing with stress and the same things, and talking about it can only help to teach others!
