We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mackenzie Dudzik a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Mackenzie, appreciate you joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
Yes…and it’s about damn time! Working to create a full-time career as a creative is a job in itself. And let me tell you…it doesn’t happen overnight! I think a lot of people except it to, and are often disappointed when things don’t happen fast enough. But the trick is to go into it for the long-haul. That’s when you win. I started as a part-time content creator, and it wasn’t until about 3-4 years in that I could consider this a full-time career. It’s taken a lot of free work and learning the business, and getting really confident in your craft to get to the point of being able to charge others for your creativity. In terms of a timeline, I think that’s different for everyone. Some people might just get lucky and things might happen a bit faster. Others may hit a few roadblocks that set them back a few months. You don’t really know until you’re in the thick of it!
Mackenzie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Sure! I’m Mackenzie — or “Mack” as my social community calls me. I’m a content creator, focused on sharing my colorful daily life in Los Angeles and beyond. I started my career as an actress in New York, which is where I call home, and moved to LA about 5 years ago. I absolutely love it here! Moving to LA introduced me to the world of an “influencer” and I was intrigued immediately. Much of what I do, I come at it from an entrepreneurial mindset, so I wanted to know how someone could make money by creating content on Instagram. So….I tried it out for myself! 5 years later and I’m a full-time creator, lifestyle personality and on-air host. Through the pandemic, I started my own social media management company, Social by Mack. Our purpose is to support businesses and creators looking to grow on social media. I’m also very excited to share that I’ve been working on a course designed for existing content creators who are currently working with brands, but are looking to create a full-time five figure career out of it! More to come on that soon, so stay tuned!
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
Yes! Fiverr! I tell this to everyone I know. I think all creative entrepreneurs should utilize that site. It’s a marketplace for creatives to help other creatives. If you need something done, whether that’s a logo, graphic design, social media management, web design, Pinterest help, you name it — I promise you’ll find someone on Fiverr who can help you do it.
And for those people who are curious, signing up with this link will get you 10% off your first task! This was something I came across as wish I knew, so if it can help someone else, then great! http://www.fiverr.com/s2/
How did you build your audience on social media?
It sounds cliche, but being authentic is the only way you’re going to grow on social media. Now I say that and I don’t mean it’s the secret sauce to getting a million followers overnight. The hard truth of it is, you have to be willing to put in the time to be on social media. And I don’t mean spending 3 hours a day on TikTok watching videos. If you want to grow, you need to create a community. In order to create a community, you need to meet and connect with people! Not only do YOU need to be creating authentic, engaging content, but you need to be seeking out others who are doing the same! When you get into it, Instagram is a surprisingly small world.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mackenziedudzik.com
- Instagram: @MackenzieDudzik
Image Credits
Ashley Balderama @momentsbyash, Olivia Dixon @livvieclicks, @seekaxiom