Welcome back to The Influencer Blog! It's been a busy few weeks for us both and we are so grateful for the love and support we've had and continue to have!
So, without further a do, let us introduce Jamie Dear...
Jamie Dear (@jamiedearx on Instagram) is a 21 year old English Literature student at the University of East Anglia, and has just finished an internship with the Walt Disney Company... WOW! That sounds like what dreams are made of. (Lizzie McGuire pun intended).
Jamie began blogging on Instagram in July 2019, but has come a long way since then.
" I love to inspire people and dream, and I want my platform to show people that being you, and staying true to you, is beautiful." said Jamie.
We absolutely love the message of positivity and embracing your uniqueness that Jamie is spreading through his online platform and YouTube channel, as well as a sprinkling of fashion and laughter - can you go wrong?! He is unapologetically himself, we stan!
Jamie said: " I started creating content on YouTube in 2018 because I realised that I wanted to inspire people; make them smile, wonder, imagine, and be happy. I wanted to make the world a better place and one way I could do that was through showcasing my very real journey on social media. I wanted to record moments with my friends which I am lucky to look back on now. I put time into growing my self-confidence because I tended to overthink and tried to make everything I did perfect. This took a lot of time, and many ups and downs. Though I do come off as very confident online, I do have anxiety and found that a great coping mechanism was just having fun on YouTube."
As we mentioned before, Jamie didn't start his Instagram blog until the year after his YouTube channel.
"I didn't begin blogging on Instagram until July 2019. I'm quite new to Instagram, but the love and support since has just been tremendous. Moving to London to work at the Walt Disney Company as an Intern gave me another boost of confidence to start creating more content. This time, fashion related. I found that my fashion related YouTube videos were some of my most viewed videos, so I realised that there was a niche for men's fashion!
Jamie continued: My best friend, Laura Knowles, helped me on a daily basis to get Instagram photos and I fell in love with the whole process, from editing to engaging. Being in London gave me a sense of confidence that changed my life. I started to care less about what people thought about me, whether I was vlogging in public or taking an image in busy Covent Garden. When I do get anxious, I tell myself two things: "I will never see these people again." and "Beyonce never got where she is by playing it safe and hiding in the crowds.""
I think we can all relate to this thought process... "what would Beyonce do?"
On his social media journey, Jamie has found some differences between YouTube and Instagram, and which platform he prefers.
"I find that Instagram is a little more personal because you can directly message content creators to build a community and meet friends. However, it is also very competitive because everyone is after the engagement, the likes, the comments. Whereas, YouTube is a little more relaxed. YouTube is what I like to call a pot-luck platform because you never know what videos are going to do well or what videos are going to be pushed out in the algorithm. For example: I did a What's on my iPhone in October and it hit 15,000 views. A few months later, I uploaded an updated version but it only got 500 views. You just never know! It is much harder to grow on YouTube which sometimes makes it a little more difficult to vibe with because you are always just waiting for that one video to explode and reach millions of people. That may take years. On Instagram though, you're almost in control of your own growth as it depends on how much time you put into finding other creators, engaging and so on." said Jamie.
Of course social media doesn't come without a dark side.
Jamie said: "Fortunately, I don't receive too many hate comments but I've had my fair share of homophobic comments on both my Instagram and YouTube. I just laugh them off, report them and delete them. I don't have time nor energy to waste on hateful people. I love inspiring people and I have over 1,000 beautiful people on YouTube and over 4,000 friends on Instagram who love what I do. Those people matter and I want to create for them. There will always be people who try to bring you down and hate on you but people like that are never worth it so don't give them the time and energy they want."
Although the road is not always smooth when building an online following, Jamie has found that 'consistency is key' - by posting frequently, engaging with other content creators and expressing your personality online, the followers soon shoot up. Jamie gives a great tip about shooting images outdoors - if a background doesn't look the most appealing, you can MAKE it! Choose a bomb outfit, candid pose and don't be scared of angles.
Jamie's social media journey has only just started, and we can't wait to see what else he has up his sleeve - we absolutely love his content!
"My dream goal is to become a full-time social media creator and influencer. I hope that in five years, as I continue to post 6 times a week on Instagram and twice on YouTube, that I will grow and have the ability to work creatively, permanently. I'd also love to write my own book and perform in a West End musical! That's the wonderful thing about becoming an online creator, you never know what can happen! I've just finished an Instagram collaboration with Lacoste, and I've only been blogging a year! Who knows what could happen in five more years!" said Jamie.
We want to say a massive thank you to Jamie for talking to us here at The Influencer Blog. If you would like to follow Jamie on his platforms, here are some links:
Jamie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamiedearx/
Love always,
Lizzie and Beth X
Our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelnfluencer/
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