We were lucky to catch up with Tara Gazdik recently and have shared our conversation below.

Tara, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

I like to joke that throughout my marketing career I’ve pretty much marketed every industry (and every vice), but I would have to say that my most important lesson came from being a social media marketer for a restaurant chain. Very rarely do people take the time to thank or share positive reviews, but you better believe that the moment they feel slighted or inconvenienced in any way they are sharing it all over social media. This realization taught me the importance of spreading positivity online and ensuring that my own digital footprint was one I felt proud of.

Because of this experience I have made a conscious effort to be a vocal supporter of not only people in my life, but also of strangers online. This mentality has shaped so much about what I do. It’s contributed to the content I create, how I hype up others, and even how I respond to my own critics.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My content creator journey started as a personal creative outlet that has grown beyond my wildest imagination.

As women we are groomed to believe at a very young age that our looks and how closely we fit into the current societal “standard of beauty” is the most important thing about us and growing up in a body that is considered “plus sized” has never been easy. A few years ago I was inspired by a message I saw online from an amazing woman I follow, Shandra Redwine, that told me that life was too short to not just “wear the damn shorts.” and that message healed me and inspired me to stop hiding myself. Life IS too short. How silly to not wear whatever I want to!

From then on I embraced this motto in my own life resulting in plus sized friends asking me where I was finding my clothes and culminating in me creating an Instagram account to share those outfits/brands/influencers with others who are on their own body acceptance/positivity/neutrality journeys.

One thing I am most proud of is that I have stayed true to my own personal style and mission and that the brands I choose to collaborate with are ones where I feel represented or “seen.” At the end of the day that’s what I want my content to be, a mirror for myself and for others showing that we are so much more than just a number on a scale.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Community building is a big part of social media. I’ve found that the best way for me to grow has truly been taking the time to thank others for showing up for me and to make sure that I am consistently showing up for them; liking their posts, leaving authentic comments, and sharing their content when appropriate. Through this approach I’ve made some pretty great social media friends that I can bounce ideas off of or ask questions which is a definite bonus!

It’s important to remember that the algorithm is always changing, but quality engagement is the most important way to keep the people you want around.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Because I never expected to be asked, it was really hard for me to say no to brands who wanted to work together. After a while I was realizing that I had so many deliverables and sponsored content to post that I felt like I had lost “me” in my own feed. Learning to say no was an important lesson for me. It not only freed up my time, it also refueled my creative energy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tarajanestyle.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/tarajanestyle
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tarajanestyle
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@tarajanestyle
  https://www.pinterest.com/tarajanestyle/