I love social media, that's no secret. I mean, it's one of the main components of my business, and it has served me very well. Despite my affinity for online platforms like Instagram, I also understand that there's a dark side to it. There's only so much you can convey in a photo or short video, right? So often it's easy to scroll through your newsfeed and feel like everyone out there has got it all figured out and they're living these perfect lives. I can't speak for anyone else, but I most certainly do not have it all figured out and I most definitely am not living a perfect life. So in the interest of being transparent, I wanted to start up a little series about the stories behind the photos you see - some real talk, if you will.
First up, this photo you see above.
Shoot location: Los Angeles, at an AirBnB home the production company rented.
What it looks like: Lights, Camera, Action! How glamorous.
What's really happening here: It was day one of a three day shoot for Revlon - my biggest collaboration to date. At the moment this picture was taken, I was feeling so down. I was terrified. I had major imposter syndrome, and felt like I had no business being there. This photo was shot in between takes for an intro. I didn't have cue cards, and I had about 7 different talking points to hit. I had to say everything in this very conversational way and be upbeat each time. The producer asked me to say the intro dozens of times and because she kept asking me to do the same thing over and over again, I thought I was doing an awful job. To top it off, I was super bloated, it was day one of my period (#themisery), and I just felt so insecure and off my game. However! The three day project ended up being such an eye-opening experience and I ended up learning so much about the business of filming and content creation. And the producer also told me at the end of the day that the reason she likes getting dozens of takes is so the editors have a variety of options to choose from when they put it all together.