chronicles of a content creator - kelly madu

Fashion and beauty blogger, Kelly Madu discusses her journey within the influencer space over the years and what she's learned overtime.

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Hi guys! Today, I had the opportunity to sit down with one of my really good creator friends, Kelly Madu, who is a fashion blogger and micro-influencer. I met Kelly back in 2019 when I became a VS PINK Campus Representative, and we developed a strong friendship since then via social media. Kelly is the queen of blogging in my opinion, and it was only right to have her discuss her journey as a creator on blogger for my own blog! I hope that this interview gives you all some insight on a different way of creating via social media and how influential blogging is in addition to the usual apps we hear about daily.

Image Courtesy: Kelly Madu

Introduce yourself, who you are, what you do, and how you entered this space?

I'm Kelly, I'm a twenty-two year old New York based content creator with a focus on fashion and lifestyle. For as long as I can remember I always found an escape through fashion books and movies, and I also love cultivating unique looks and boards on Polyvore, when Polyvore did exist, and illustrating designs on my own on top of that. So back in high school, I decided to go a step further when starting my own blog as a way to also step out of my shell, and also further immerse myself in the industry. And then from there, my blog also just quickly became an outlet to freely experiment with personal style, and also express my take on all things in fashion, all also equally focused on serving as a source of positivity and inspiration. And then, soon after that I also chose to showcase my style and other platforms, such as Instagram and Pinterest, just in an effort to put myself out there and build a personal network with other content creators in this space as well.

What's your primary platform of use and why?

It's currently Instagram. I just love creating content on the platform. And then also over the years, it's welcome so many opportunities from like the formation of lasting friendships with amazing creators like you, for instance, even partnering with like some of my absolute favorite friends as well, like everything, is just unreal, like how much has transpired over the years.

What advice do you have for aspiring creators who don’t know how to navigate this space yet, or think that they can just hop on a trend and be successful in that space?

I feel like my biggest one would be to join communities like CollegeFashionista, 28 Row, InfluencerHERCollective, I believe, you'll learn a lot from so many other content creators that are also in those networks that are also themselves trying to navigate different aspects of the space. Personally, I learned a lot through conversations with the creators I met through these networks, so it's definitely a great resource to look into.

Do you ever experience burnout or writer’s block, if so how do you get out of that mood and what steps do you take to pace yourself in this industry?

Yeah, I do feel it from time to time, and honestly, I normally just use it as an opportunity to just step back for a bit. So I just give myself a little digital detox because, I feel like I'm just constantly like, I guess, in that state of I don't know. I feel like if I'm just putting myself deeper into a project when I'm not mentally there, I'm not going to get any work done. Yeah, I also just feel like by taking a step back from it later on, I could also just tackle that project with a clear state of mind, and then I also enjoy browsing through like Pinterest, as a source of inspiration just to get like some ideas flowing.

How has content creation affected how you use social media now, is it still enjoyable or strictly a place for work?

For me, It's always started from a place of passion, so it never felt like work. Social media has been more enjoyable in that sense, because I knew what I wanted to focus on at the start of my content creation journey. So I feel like over time I don't know, not much has shifted since, in like the way I felt about it. Yeah, I don't know if much has shifted in my mindset since then.

What’s one bit of analytical or technical advice you could give to an aspiring creator whether in regard to equipment, or what strategies to use on a specific social platform?

So my tip would be to stay organized through a constant calendar. I use Notion for that. It's been like a really good app to have on my laptop. It's just right then, in there to just plan out anything I need to, and then also investing in a quality tripod, because you may not always have someone to capture content with. And I think, especially in this space, with how many things are changing it's just crucial that in those moments you're able to adapt and also get creative with the content you can create on your own. Also, taking advantage of like free courses on Skillshare or just videos on Youtube to learn about technical things like lighting, posing, and other areas of content creation can also be a great resource to help you develop your skills and content creation a lot further.

Are you following industry best practices or doing your own research when it comes to social media content creation and posting, or do you just post whenever you want ?

So in the beginning I felt like I was so strict with following like industry best practices. But the way the platform has just been constantly changing the algorithm and everything is just all over the place, I've just started posting more freely. I'm just going with the flow now when it comes to content, but at the same time I do like to keep up with what's going on in the creator economy. And some of the platforms I do like to use to keep up with different industry trends include like Later, Creator Iq, and then Forbes sometimes because they do tend to write like feature articles like trends and pop culture and the creator economy on top of that as well. So just to, I guess, also say on top of what's going on, I like to use those platforms, but for the most part I've just been going with the flow with content creation lately.

Do you find that you limit yourself to a specific niche, or are you free to post whatever you want?

I felt like that in the very beginning when I started. I feel like when you scroll further down, you may notice like on my feed, not even just a niche, but aesthetic as well. I was so strict with it. It will also limit, I guess, like where I would shoot content. At the same time, too, it was just so like frustrating. It got to point where it got frustrating because there would be stuff that I wanted to share, but I just felt like it didn't fit. Maybe I didn't like the look of my feed when I was posting at the time, but I would just take a backseat on posting whatever I wanted to, and uh, back then, like the limiting aspect was, I would always just stick to neutrals like strictly neutral backdrop, and everything, even outfits. No, I hardly ever introduce color, and then, I guess during the spring summer time, when, like, in a sense, you'd want to introduce different aspects, especially like as a fashion creator, you'd want to introduce different aspects of like seasonal style and colors. A big thing during that time. Yeah, it was just very frustrating. So now I just post whatever I want It's just so much easier. Yeah.

What is something you would change or do differently now that you’re in the stage you’re currently in?

I feel like I touched on it before, but just posted it more consistently because it's definitely something i'm working. I feel like i'd be a lot further, I'd have been more consistent.

I had the best time catching up with Kelly and learning a lot from her, as she takes on her blog and new strategy in digital creation. What did you guys take away from this interview, make sure to let me know below. As always, remember to follow me on my socials and make sure to show Kelly some love on her platforms as well! Talk to you all later!