We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nhon (nhonsworld). We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nhon below.
Alright, Nhon thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
I think about this all the time! I wouldn’t say that I’m necessarily happier as an artist/content creator. I had a regular corporate job before that I loved, but I was impacted by mass layoffs. Already being a content creator on the side, I took this as an opportunity to see how far I can go on my own talents and am working on starting a small art business as well.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DA9qGfyNDqr/
There’s definitely pros and cons to each side. While having a corporate job can be less flexible, the stability of benefits, income and direction is great. Investing in myself as a creator does allow me more flexibility in my day to day life, but there’s decision fatigue and unstable income.
One thing that’s overlooked is that when you turn yourself into a business, you can’t be selfish with your work. There’s a lot of compromise you have to do to give people what they want. For example, one way I make money as a creator is by collaborating with brands on sponsored content. Almost always, I have to compromise on my creativity and authenticity to give these brands what they want (which I honestly think hurts their goals too). Some brands can be difficult to work with, but in the end, I will do what they pay me to do. It definitely makes me wonder if this is making me happier than the corporate life, but then I remember that work is work.
As someone who doesn’t dream of working, I view my corporate career and creative career as a “pick your poison” situation. I think the only way I would be happier as an artist is if I got to be a selfish artist!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Nhon; I also go by ChupaChup as a silly nickname. I am a content creator (I primarily make content around my home life and pets), but I am also actively working on launching a small art business with my sister called A for Aesthetic.
Our first product will be adult coloring books with a plan to expand to more lifestyle products using our original artwork.
https://aforaesthetic.com/
Growing up, I always wanted to be a YouTuber, but I was a painfully awkward kid so I didn’t bother trying. Later on, I did teach myself basic video editing and bought a GoPro for my study abroad adventures in college, but being your classic overachieving student, I never had the time to give it an actual try.
Fast-forward, at my first job out of college, TikTok was blowing up so I led the push for marketing through influencers. Working with these influencers, I realized that some of them were younger than me, barely put any effort into their content, and didn’t know the first thing about being professional. It made me think, well if they can be successful on social media, I can too! My first TikTok account actually failed simply because I didn’t give it an honest try and then, my second TikTok account blew up. I figured out my secret sauce: giving people consistency and a reason to follow me by posting weekly on the progress of renovating my first home.
https://www.tiktok.com/@nhonsworld/playlist/%F0%9F%A4%A2Hot%20Mess%F0%9F%A4%A2%20to%20%E2%9C%A8Home%E2%9C%A8-7226400622269696814
It just went up from there and eventually, I started making money from brand deals and views. I never wanted social media to be a career for me and intended for it to be a side hustle. I had a corporate career, but that changed when I was impacted by mass layoffs.
With A for Aesthetic in the works, I realized that I didn’t have the time and energy to continue juggling everything and maybe the universe simply made a decision for me. Now I put that energy into A for Aesthetic.
A for Aesthetic was inspired by a TikTok I made about how I struggle with buying products that match my “aesthetic” and how my sister made a collage for me linking different products that matched my vision to help me. That resonated with people, and it made me realize that I’m not the only one who struggles with bringing an aesthetic to life at home. The long term goal for A for Aesthetic is to be a one-stop lifestyle shop for different aesthetics using our original artwork. Customers would be able to shop by aesthetic (vs. just product type), reducing research time and decision fatigue. Since we’re in the early stages and creating fully illustrated artwork takes a long time, we decided on an MVP of an adult coloring book. It’s quicker because it doesn’t require color, cute & simple adult coloring books are trending on social media as a relaxing hobby, and allows us to test our art before fully committing.
My mission is to help people relax, add something that makes them happy to their home, and cut down on their decision fatigue. I don’t think having an art-based small business is that unique, even one that isn’t solely focused on one aesthetic, but I think what sets us apart is how I show up on social media. It’s all connected. I’ve been transparently sharing my journey with starting a small business from how having ADHD impacts me to how I’m motivated by my student loan debt. In a world where AI is negatively impacting art, it’s refreshing to see the human behind the art and the work. Regardless of whether or not A for Aesthetic becomes successful, I’m proud that sharing my journey is inspiring others and destigmatizing ADHD and debt.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I built my audience on social media from documenting the renovation of my first home through weekly posts that showed what I worked on that week. I think people like witnessing progress, especially in an authentic way; I tried not to shy away from the “ugly” or moments I messed up.
@nhonsworld How am I supposed to get the mail out of the mailbox if it’s taller than me 🤦🏻♀️ #firsttimehomebuyer #newhomeowner #renovations #remodel #minivlog
My biggest piece of advice for those starting out is to build your content strategy around your life, not shaping your life to the kind of content you want to post. People have expectations and prefer consistency so you better make sure that the content your posting is something you love and is natural to your lifestyle.
My second biggest piece of advice would be to internalize that social media isn’t something where you get lucky, blow up, and it turns into money, it’s a skillset. Learn how to edit videos properly, the basics of visual communication, how to speak in an engaging way, etc. You can be the most interesting person in the world, but something as simple as talking too slow can turn people away.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
To be honest, what drives my creative journey is my curiosity. Being creative all the time isn’t easy and I’ve never aspired to be famous, but I am curious to see how far my creativity can take me. The what if’s of life can haunt you later in life so this is me making sure that I have no regrets!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDGXhRjN2hG/
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aforaesthetic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhonsworld/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nhonsworld
- Yelp: [email protected]
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@nhonsworld?lang=en
