Meet Lena 🌸
Good Morning! I know I haven't been as active as I want to be, but I thought I would finish out the week strong by doing another Content Creator Connection. With all of these blogs, I hope some of you reading get answers to some of the questions you have been asking yourself, or wondering about social media.
This cutie pie I actually met through other content creators. She was featured in one of my friends #followfriday, and I was blown away the amount of color used in every post. Lena (@lena.daniels) currently just graduated University of Central Florida, and was voted College InfluenceHer of the Year! Back in the beginning of the year, Lena created a hashtag #colorfulena - which now has almost 15K posts. It allows content creators to push towards using colors in their photos, and for Lena, she decided to make a rainbow out of her feed. Another thing that draws me to her page, is her use of graphic design. She creates these aesthetic lettering to showcase her favorite quotes, or even creates little gifs of her designs.
It has amazed me that since December of last year, she has gone strong in bringing a rainbow to life. The use of textures, shapes, and everyday objects, shows her followers that you don't have to spend a lot of money to be creative. I reached out to Lena to see if she could provide me insight to the details of how she plans her feed, where her ideas come form for the colors, and all around general questions that her followers ask her.
What state do you live in?
Florida
When did you start social media?
Junior year of HS is when i started to put a more creative take on it and really focus on curating a feed! So like, 2014?
What camera equipment do you use?
Surprisingly, 90% of my photos are iPhone photos! I have a Canon EOS t5i, however I prefer the simplicity and portability of my iPhone and it’s kinda fun to prove that you can still make great content with something in your pocket!
Where do you come up with your content ideas?
Before quarantine, I would take advantage of the places I was in and find cute scenery and backdrops to pose with. Yet now that we are stuck at home, I’ve been drawing inspiration from all the other creators I follow and love recreating new versions of photos they’ve posted! My “saved” folder on IG grows everyday.
Recommendations for content creators just starting out?
Be patient! I know nowadays everyone starting out wants to imediatly hop into paid sponsorships and that day will come! It takes time to find your unique style and voice, but once you find it, thats where the magic happens!
What's your favorite place to adventure to?
Recently I was able to travel to San Diego and I fell in love! It’s my new favorite city and I can’t wait to go back and see more of California!
What's your favorite part about your day?
This is a really silly one, but I LOVE opening all the curtains and blinds in the morning. Theres such an amazing feeling when you let all the light into a dark room, and it always helps me get excited for the day!
If you could be any animal what would you be? Why?
A whale. In high school some kid called me “whalena” and it just stuck!
How do you suggest to go about collaborations with brands?
Right now I’m at an exciting point in my creator career where I have finally begun pitched to brands! When I first started doing partnerships, I joined influencer networks such as the InfluenceHer Collective and Statusphere, and all of my brand deals came from them. It was an amazing way to dip my toes in the water and gain experience, and now I have a great portfolio to share with brands I want to work with!
What advice would you give to someone who is not always confident it the content they put out there?
It’s YOUR instagram. At the end of the day if you are only posting what others want to see, you’re not going to have the best genuine instagram. I know there’s a lot of pressure to curate the “perfect feed” but people want to see YOU and if you’re posting something that genuinely makes you happy, they’ll see it and see the real you!
Universal or Disney?
Universal!
Where is some place you wish to visit in the future?
Anywhere out of the country! But specifically the mediteranian sea is first on my bucket list.
What is the main thing you wish to put into the world?
Be unapologetically bold!
I always find it important to always make sure the creators out here putting hard work into an idea are credited. Lena has definitely been an inspiration to me to out color back in my feed. I am always excited to see what this chickadee comes up with next, and she is one to share other creators that inspire her too. If you wish to continue to follow her colofulena adventures, head over to her Instagram @lena.daniels. Also! Looking to learn how to style different colors, or even want to see cute videos of style options? Lena has created reels to show her followers how to bring color into their clothing...my personal favorite is Red.
See you back here tomorrow, when I catch up with another Content Creator!
XOXO,
Aliya Burshan