We were lucky to catch up with Natalia Taylor recently and have shared our conversation below.

Natalia , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

Many people dream of becoming an influencer. But quickly, your biggest dream can become your worst nightmare. What happens when the glitz of social media fame fades? (And Yes, it always does) Well, that part is up to you.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Natalia Taylor. I am a small town girl from Ohio. Well, I used to be. Now I live in Sunny Southern California. I got here by being the most insecure version of myself. (No joke.) Back then when I was 18, I had come to the conclusion about my deepest desire in life. To be accepted by my peers. However, I had miserably failed at proving my worth in high school. My hometown reputation as the “slutty weird girl” had left me with only one option. INTERNET FAME. The goal: Self Reinvention. This time, I was going to be the popular, glamorous, important version of myself that I always wanted. The craziest part? It worked. My Instagram exploded to 250k followers. And my YouTube channel, 2.3 MILLION.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

The dream was real now. I moved to California. My online content consisted of hyper-posed pictures of me (tastefully photoshopped of course) and dramatic story-time videos about my life. It was perfect. I had successfully convinced millions of people I was worth following. But deep down, there was a small crack in my career. I couldn’t help but secretly wonder, How long will it all last? Could I really keep this up forever? I had to. I couldn’t let my former high school peers see me slip back into the land of irrelevance.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Intro: My Dreamhouse. The materialized visual of my monetary success. It was everything I ever wanted. Over 2000 ft.² with enough bedrooms and bathrooms to host all my Internet friends. I clung to this place like a Barbie to her plastic doll home. On the days where the sun was shining and a pool party was in full swing, I can really say I felt true bliss. But blissful moments are fleeting, and that small crack deep inside me was growing. I knew this perfect life was delicate. I knew it wouldn’t last forever. But I never expected that crack to split like the San Andreas Fault, swallowing me and my California Dreamhouse too. That crack was a social media lawsuit.

I couldn’t believe it. The financial burden was massive. (No wonder they say lawsuits ruin lives) I tried to save all my material things; the fruit of my self reinvention. But as they started to disappear one by one, the more exposed I felt. My walls were becoming transparent. I was frantic! What would people see if they looked inside? Would they still see the popular, glamorous version of me? Or the “slutty weird girl”? You know what? I didn’t care anymore. After all, where did my efforts really get me? I’d had enough. No more faking it. Time to sell the Dreamhouse. Time to stop presenting perfection. Time to heal my high school wounds.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/natalia__taylor
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@NataliaTaylor