When I began my blogging and influencer journey a couple decades ago – no imaginations of mine could compare to how the industry has evolved. It was the mid-90’s, and just dialing up and getting onto the internet was a big deal. I hadn’t begun to think that I could carve out a living and earn money through influencer marketing from it all someday. The terms, blogging nor influencer marketing were even around.
In that world of monstrous computers grounded at our desk – the typed word was everything. There were, of course, the occasional scanned and uploaded photo that would make it into the websites and online journals of the era. And make no mistake, they were the shining star of the content when they appeared. But, the varied types of content and the ease with which we can now create and share our creativity – were only dreams. Hopeful dreams.
As I sit here and remember back to the more stressful times of taking, creating, or obtaining great visual content – I am in awe of all that we have at our fingertips and can now develop for ourselves within this field. As I mentioned above, the early days were filled with online journals – which is essentially where I began. And in amazing fashion – everything evolved into blogs and then social networks where everyone can share, in a matter of seconds, anything – ANYTHING – that they want.
In fact, I’m headed into sharing a new type of content and a new way of creating that content. I just added a teleprompter to my online shopping cart as the next step in my online journey. That’s what has all of these memories and old work processes coming to mind.
Did you know that I attended broadcasting school and that was actually my area of study in college? After my years of study and interning, I decided to then hide behind a computer screen for years. So much so that when, suddenly, everyone was able to quickly share video content – I bulked. I had hidden behind a screen so long that it seemed unnatural for me to get back in front of a video camera.
If you’ve met me in real life, those beginnings may surprise you – a bit. I love hearing how other influencers began their journey and where they are now. I’d love for you to reach out and share with me how yours began!
Over the last couple of years, I have pushed aside my developed fear of the camera – and have actually begun to enjoy it again! Will I podcast, will I create off-the-cuff commentary on my favorite topics, will I introduce you to my favorite products, recipes, etc…? I’m really not sure. I have all the ideas. My mind is flooded with them. I laughed as I tapped out those sentences – because I’m honestly not sure where it will go. I sort of want it to go in every direction. But, I’m just going to enjoy having fun and creating in front of the camera once again. And, hopefully, it will end up on a platform somewhere – eventually.
I know I’ll be harsh on myself – but there’s so much more that I want to share with you, introduce you to, have a conversation with you over — and though I may have all the ideas, we don’t have all the years. So, the time is now. And perfect or not, here it comes!
Photo by J. Kelly Brito on Unsplash
