We were lucky to catch up with Brooke Stevenson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brooke, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? We’d love to hear the backstory the illustrates how you grew your brand.

While I wish there were a specific formula I used to scale up Aesthetically Galveston Content, I have to admit I had none. Most of my art is made in the moment or from fleeting ideas I have throughout the day!

However, I admit that I consistently keep up with social media news and regulations. In my first job out of college, I was in charge of running Facebook ads. While I was in that role, Facebook was facing legal challenges for using personal data for ad targeting. Throughout that hearing, Facebook was changing its policies and tools to comply with governmental laws. When the trial concluded, there were many features as a marketer that were taken away, and it highly impacted our ad strategy for businesses and impacted my career in a major way.

The lesson I gained from this experience is that you must always be informed of current events because you may have to pivot strategies to continue success in content creation. Plus, it can keep you out of trouble! Additionally, I often think about the longevity of Aesthetically Galveston’s brand. While I need to stay aware of current events and popular trends, I also need to be thinking about where I want to be one, five, or even ten years from now. This future planning allows me to develop strategies to elevate my content and sustain my business.

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?

Aesthetically Galveston was the first Instagram account on the island that authentically highlighted local businesses, events, and beach life. As a result, it has become a resource for locals and tourists when looking for things to do or new places to visit. This past year, Aesthetically Galveston won Best Instagram Feed for the 2022 Best of the Island Awards, which is voted on by the community. It was an honor to know that people love and use the account because running it takes time and effort.

What sets AG apart is the ability to show Galveston from a fresh new perspective. Galveston, unfortunately, can have a bad reputation for being “ugly” or “dirty,” but I’ve found that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. By going off the beaten path, meeting business owners, and learning about the island’s history, I’ve been able to have a deeper appreciation for the small town. All those components are reflected through my content to display to the world.

Additionally, I strive to mix island life with viral tactics, like trending sounds and popular social media challenges, to improve engagement and help new users find my account.

Lastly, I keep AG very personal. I want people to reach out and ask for specific recommendations that are unique to them when they visit. I’ll also be honest and share the cons of living on the island or experiences I’ve had that I want people to avoid when being here. It is essential that people know a real person is behind the profile. Plus, this is a space I’ve made lots of local friends I probably wouldn’t have met otherwise.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

When I was in high school, YouTube was at its peak. I would watch videos posted by Bethany Mota, Macbarbie07, one of the first influencers (a word that didn’t even exist yet).

She would showcase clothes hauls, do makeup tutorials, and review her favorite products. Bethany also lived on the beach in California and vlogged her adventures with her friends. Being a small town central Texas girl, I would watch that content and dream about moving to the beach and exploring the coast.

While it wasn’t necessarily a goal I intended to achieve, sometimes I wonder if I subconsciously manifested moving to an island to be a content creator. On the days I feel I am in a creative rut or discouraged about my brand, I look up and remind myself that I am living out the life I dreamed of having in high school when watching Bethany’s videos.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I’m a huge Swiftie. Taylor Swift’s speech for iHeart Radio’s 2023 Innovator of the Year Award speech really stuck with me, specifically, “I really, really want everyone to know…that the hundreds or thousands of dumb ideas that I’ve had are what led me to my good ideas…You have to give yourself permission to fail. I try as hard as I can not to fail because it’s embarrassing, but I do give myself permission to and you should too. Go easy on yourselves and just make the right choices that feel right for you. And someday someone might think that you’ve been innovative.”

I’ve had to learn that not every idea is going to be successful. To be a trailblazer you have to not only be okay with failure, but also not let it keep you from stepping outside of the box. While this is easier said than done, I remind myself of this everyday. And if Taylor Swift can have 1,000 ideas that fail then it’s okay if I do too. Because eventually one is going to stick and that might just be the one idea that sets you apart from everyone else and changes everything.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aestheticallygalveston.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aesthetically_galveston/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@aestheticallygalveston