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Hello Loves,
It has been a minute, yes we know! Not to worry, this month we have a special treat. Usually, we share our favorite fashion and travel influencers., but we are changing it up today! Today we are going to introduce you to someone who we have been following for quite some time. She is funny, witty, fashionable and a huge inspiration to so many!
There are times when you come across certain people, and they just make a memorable impact on your life. Whether it be advice, inspiration or they just make you laugh. We would have to say Christina Kim aka, Vivalastina is all of the above and so much more!
Christina recently took time out of her extremely busy schedule, working at Forever 21 Corporate, to media production, content creation and just plain killing it. We were able to sit down and pick her brain about some pretty complex and intense questions. We hope you all enjoy!
So....How did you fall into the field of content creation? Was there a moment or event that made you think, "This is something I think I am good at"?
Well first things first, I don't think this is something I'm necessarily good it (I have that "kaizen" sense of continuously wanting to be better at everything, which consequently makes me feel like I'm not amazing at anything), but it is something I enjoy! It's funny, actually, because content creation is something so natural to all of us; if you use social media to post a pic of your dog, you're creating content. As the years have gone by though, people have capitalized on creating "good" content, and it's become a career for some, which is crazy to me! Here I am taking pics of myself eating pizza because in that moment, I'm literally just eating pizza with a friend, but in our digital world, I can be deemed a foodie blogger and get sponsored by a restaurant for posting that pic. Did I digress? I think so. To answer your question, I fell into the field of content creation simply by creating content as it was just... natural! I love being extra and posing for photos, or writing about my life and letting people converse about it, or creating videos on things I know, so it never felt like a skill I was developing or forced.
What types of industries are you most attracted to working with? What are you most passionate writing about? Food, fashion, lifestyle, partying?
I think I want to work with industries I'm actually interested in, if that makes sense. The culture currently is saturated with teeth whiteners or teas that give you a flat stomach, and I don't bunk any influencers out there who collaborate in that way — gotta make that paper okaaaaay? However, it'd be really unfitting for me to post a photo of me holding a teatox thing; across all of my platforms, I create content based on real experiences, from really going through heartbreak on my blog to really failing at being a makeup vlogger to really going to blogger events just to take photos and inhale hors d'oeuvres.
I love writing specifically on emotional experiences, mainly because I'm not comfortable talking verbally about my feelings, and I'd rather communicate them through writing. It's my place to be vulnerable without having to interact with someone face to face; when it comes to confrontation, I'm absolutely timid af, which is rare in juxtaposition to my seemingly loud and outgoing demeanor. Writing emotionally creates an outlet for me to show dimension in my personality, and I'm grateful that I've always loved writing!
How would you define your tone or style? Does it differ from print to media? Has your style changed, or has it been consistent?
As a writer, I think my tone and style differs based on the topic; I won't be throwing in pick-up lines when writing about something serious (or will I, who knows, I'm unpredictable). It's funny though, because I've read over a few pieces that I wrote a few years ago, and I can see my style being more emotionally driven and descriptive during my college years, when I first started blogging. I was going through a lot relationship-wise, and I was finally feeling more comfortable talking about my feelings from my upbringing. To add to these emotional pieces, I was also an English major and Film TV minor, so my classes consisted of reading Shakespeare or Austen and dissecting older films; with the depth that my education provided for me daily, it was impossible not to feel some type of way and release those feelings in my writing. Looking back at my writing during that time, I think my style was absolutely gorgeous; it was rich and full of passion and pain and pessimism-turned-realism, and sometimes I wish I could go back to it, to be frank. I would often say that it's difficult to create art when the artist isn't feeling anything, and I've been quite content, happy, and almost apathetic over the past few years, so it's been a mission to draw inspiration from pain. However, it's challenged me to look into other aspects of life (like happiness!) to create things that make me happy and entertaining, and I couldn't be resentful of my growth in writing and creating over the years. Who knows where my writing will go next?
As creative content creation has evolved over the years, do you ever run into creative road blocks? Do you have any tips for aspiring content creators?
I think everyone runs into creative roadblocks in this gen; the blogger/influencer/content creation realm is saturated with people, and these people might be naturals or they might just want it more than you, or they might just be really pretty and there's not much you can do to compete with that, AM I RIGHT?! The moment where you get frustrated with yourself and can't come up with anything creative is the moment where you need to step back and remember that creativity is something you can't "come up with" on the spot. The moment you try to force it is the moment where you should realize you can't. I'm a huge believer of self-reflection, so anytime I get a little frustrated with myself and my direction, I remind myself that I shouldn't force anything; just because someone is posting 4 pics a day doesn't mean I need to do that. I need to stay true to myself, my vibes, and my audience, because ultimately, who am I creating content for? My audience, or for myself? I know most people will say it's for their audiences, but for me and my vulnerabilities in writing, it's usually for me. If it's a video of me twerking though, yeah, that's for my audience. You're all welcome for that.
How would you decide if a project was successfully engaging?
I think a project is successfully engaging when a discussion is created. Whether it's a video of me on a rotating bed in slo-mo or it's a piece on helping others and helping yourselves, I really enjoy people talking about it and creating dialogues from it. The likes/views/shares are an added bonus, I suppose!
As we are huge fans of your channel and articles, we all want to know what your ultimate goal is. Where do you hope to see yourself in the next 5 years?
It's super cliche for every millennial gal to want to be the next Carrie Bradshaw, but there's something about her character and her life that I found myself identifying with so much - but a 2k millennial version, of course. I feel like Carrie would be working in social media, blogging and vlogging, and just living life while learning lessons along the way. In 5 years, I see myself being reached out to guest write on various platforms, and have a book written and published. My main goal is just to be an influencer, but in the purest form of the word; I don't want to influence you to buy a pair of jeans, but I want to influence you to think and talk and live with no limits, to be both vulnerable and outgoing whenever you'd like, to create change in yourself and in others.
... or I hope that I'm either using my Masters + teaching credentials to help develop and educate the next generation while integrating social media in lessons. I just want to be a cool teacher meme.
And Finally! Do you look up to any other creatives? Who inspires you the most? Do you have any recommendations to our fans of who to follow or check out?
This is going to be a terrible answer, but I've never really been into looking up to celebs or famous people, even as a child. I always had this weird perspective of wondering why I should be following someone's life so closely, knowing who they are getting a divorce with or what they were wearing on the red carpet, when they will never know anything about me. I've always invested in getting to know people I can actually know in real life, and understanding the people around me in order to understand myself. With that, I draw my inspiration from the awesome friends I've made throughout the years. It's amazing to watch people around you grow and blossom and turn ideas into concepts into something tangible, isn't it?!
When you see someone you know post about an accomplishment, there are two ways to react: you can be jealous and discredit them, or you can be inspired by their achievements and motivate yourself to be just as great as them. I think we all choose the former at some point, but it's so much better choosing the latter. I've discovered that using other people's good energies can only promote a positive outlook for yourself, so encourage others and it'll ultimately help you encourage yourself.
Ok so long answer short, I am inspired by my friends. And like, Elizabeth Warren. She's bad ass.
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