We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Angel Bandong a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Angel, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Everything began in college. At the time, I was in an Arts & Communications program with a focus on drawing, but I was also required to take extracurricular courses within the program. So I took courses like film, and graphic design. Once I figured out I wanted to be an illustrator, my new classes specialized in Adobe programs, and photography.

As I focused on being an illustrator, my instagram became my portfolio. I’ve always been drawn to social media, but not being in front of a camera. At this time in my life, I was finally coming to terms with my identity and self expression. I cut my hair, and dressed more aligned to my personality. It helped me hate less of myself at the time, as I was strongly camera shy as a teenager. I felt comfortable enough to take photos, and slowly accept my voice on video. So I showed more of myself through instagram stories, and posts of myself creating art.

As I became more personal on camera, I wanted to express more of myself. Not just art, but my thoughts and personality. I got on TikTok, and it wasn’t very long until a video went viral. It encouraged me to do more thoughtful videos. But me being the creative individual I am, this slowly turned into cinematic storytelling. I’ve never taken classes to write. I don’t read that much at all. But I remembered the film classes, the Adobe tutorials, and using a camera in my photography class. It almost seems meant to be.

If I would’ve known I’d go down this route, I would watch so many more films. I still reminisce on my film classes. They inspired me so much as a person, and I definitely would not be who I am today if it weren’t for my film teacher, and the films we were shown. Not only would I be inspired by the storytelling, and cinematography, but the writing and script. I think I’d benefit more from that than reading poetry, or taking writing classes. The point of my content is that it reaches as many people as possible to make an impact on someone’s life. I think too complex of a vocabulary could take away the value of my videos, which are to the point. I would’ve also spent more time learning video editing programs, like Premiere Pro in Adobe, which we didn’t do as much in college.

Being in front of a camera, photography, and video editing, are probably the most essential skills to learn to do what I do. Being in front of a camera takes time to adjust to. You don’t necessarily need a fancy camera, but learning the fundamentals of photography, such as how to frame your shot properly, are essential to telling a good and visual story.

I think the main obstacle that stood in the way of me learning more was the time I had. I only had so much time to learn photography, or film, in a single course that lasts only a few months, which you only take that class once or twice a week. So it’s really not that much time. Of course though, if I wish to learn more today, it’s up to me to put time into that now. It’s all about where you put your focus. With priorities competing for your time, it can be an obstacle in itself to take the time to sit and learn more about your craft.

Angel, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I go by Angel, and I’m a young non-binary content creator from Montreal, Quebec. I almost wanna say ‘creator’ instead because I’m so specialized in the arts. Not necessarily professionally, but I do more than just create videos. I’ve always had a skill for drawing, and an eye for art. Whether that’s through painting, sculpting, designing, or photographing, it’s very natural to me. I love art. I love music. I spend whatever time I can going out to see the world. Whether that’s my local park or across the country, I’m out seeing new places. I’m passionate about spirituality, and self improvement. I believe in learning from every experience, whether good or bad. It constantly shapes my identity. I don’t aspire to be perfect, but content with what I stand for. I ponder a lot. I like to take my time, and live quietly when possible.

I got into content creation, randomly? It kinda just came to be one day while using TikTok as a way to express myself. I had an art account throughout college and after graduation, where I was an illustrator and designer. But I wanted a platform to just be myself. A few weeks after going viral, I felt safe and motivated to go into this new direction. I did not have expectations for it, but I saw the impact it made on people. After recently experiencing the loss of a great artist, idol, and friend of mine from depression, this felt like a great opportunity to make people feel less alone.

Today, I use Instagram under the handle @angeltalkz, and just recently started posting regularly on YouTube. I have more ideas in the future, like a podcast and books when it’s time. At the moment, I’m extremely passionate about video creation, and journaling. I miss the creative expression I had as an illustrator.

I think what sets me apart from others is that I’m a ‘quiet’ content creator. I promote the idea of being quiet, living quietly, and being connected to yourself. Most videos are loud, in your face, trying to get your attention. I don’t expect my videos to catch many peoples attention, which isn’t my goal. But I do expect that one individual who feels a bit different from the rest of the world to relate to my words. As someone who strongly feels like the odd one out, I want nothing more from my life but to freely express myself. As an artist, I can’t help but put it out to the world. It sort of validates my experience, and if it makes one person out there feel less alone in their indifference, that also means the world to me. I’m not giving anyone advice, or telling people what they should do. I don’t want to sell you anything. My content is simply a space to relate as I find words to express my love and sometimes confusion of life.

I don’t think there’s anything I’m ‘materially’ proud of. I love each and every one of my videos like art pieces, so it’s hard to pick a favourite. I’m honestly just proud of myself. It’s kind of overwhelming that hundreds of thousands of people have listened to me express vulnerable feelings alone in a room. It’s not something I picture when I record myself. Yet I’m still here doing it today. There was a time where I could have never imagined myself doing this. It requires being seen. Physically, emotionally. I still struggle with forms of social anxiety, but I’ve come a long way for sure.

(The main things to know about my work):

My content is poetic, inspiring, and visually appealing. It’s for art lovers, but also introverts. It’s for people that get called too ‘sensitive’ because they’re tapped into their feelings. For people that feel deeply, and are misunderstood for it. It’s a space to be yourself, and connect with others that are surprisingly just like you. It’s proof that you’re not alone.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Recognition. This has been a huge and constant struggle of mine as a creative. As artists, all we really want to do is be able to make the art we want. But it’s not always well received in the way we expect. I’ve seen a few creators, including myself, admit their motivation to create and what to create has been affected by the recognition they receive. Whether it’s low sales, or low views, these numbers have greatly affected the mental health of many creatives. I’d be surprised if it hasn’t affected a creator at least once on their journey. Every creator wants to be successful, but it’s the crushing feeling of rejection when pouring your heart out into a project that ‘no one’ is interested in. I say ‘no one’ because failure does feel dramatic for some (including myself). It feels like this waste of time, and you spiral into shame and hatred for yourself. It’s feeling not good enough. It’s feeling inadequate. I believe art is one of the most important things in the world. I say that because art provides meaning. It gives something for someone to connect to, like a song, movie, or poem. I think if art didn’t exist, the world would be a miserable place for myself and many, and we would be in a severe mental health crisis. Sadly, there are creators that give up art because of recognition. I seriously contemplated myself this past year, and even stopped TikTok because of it. It leads to problems like burn out, because we want to replicate our most successful work. But we can’t do that forever. I think creatives get stuck in that loop for a while. It’s tough to let go of any expectation and create what you truly want. At the end of the day, I think a balance between both is just fine. Especially if it’s important your work is successful because it may be your full time job. We need to think about what our audience can benefit from, but also ask ourselves if that’s work we wish to create. Is it fulfilling to our soul? I think if it is, then it’s a direction to try. Recognition will always be a constant battle for a creative, whether you’re aware of it or not. Creatives need to keep in mind ups and downs are completely normal. Don’t sell yourself short!

How did you build your audience on social media?

Just like any content creator out there or anyone starting out on social media, it starts out very slow. I started out on TikTok first, where I grew into the thousands months in. It was only months later did I open an Instagram, but I found that to be more difficult than TikTok. I stayed at around 200 followers for a few months, until I shared my viral TikTok videos onto Instagram, which caught on as well. I reached my first 10k in a month on Instagram because of it.

What worked for me when I started out was being vulnerable. It’s the base foundation to my content in general, but I think anyone on social media can benefit from being vulnerable to an extent. Being vulnerable doesn’t mean spilling out all the details of your life, because mine is rather quite private actually. It’s about sharing your feelings and experiences in a way where someone else can relate to you. You have better chances of growing when the viewer is able to make a connection to you.

As exciting as it is going viral, I wouldn’t recommend it being anyone’s goal once it comes to growing a presence. It’s not very realistic. It’s also quite overwhelming, and now you have to figure out how to nurture that audience. I actually made that mistake along my journey, and experienced over a year of stagnation. You get so caught up in the growing numbers, that you want it to keep going (just as quickly). If you’re not aware of it, your mistake is focusing on growing too much, rather than nurturing your new audience. That’s how people stay, and I believe now that a loyal audience is just as important, if not more important, when building a presence.

Today, I’m much more focused on having fun with my page and nurturing my audience. I’ve found that being too caught up in numbers can really hinder your creativity. Yes, you want to keep in mind what other people may like, but you also need to enjoy creating content. At the end of the day, it’s your self expression. Your page is an aspect of you and a glance into your life. Your audience can also sense your passion through your work. So if you love what you’re doing, your audience is gonna feel that enthusiasm as well.

My advice would be to stay consistent, but don’t burn yourself out. It’s very easy to, especially when you’re primarily focused on gaining. You want to have an equal balance of growing and nurturing a loyal audience. Build anticipation before you post, so don’t post every day like every creator tells you to do. I believe that’s a myth, and personally for me, I get so excited when a creator puts out new content after a few days of being silent. That way you’re not burning yourself out. And don’t post just one form of content. Post stories, images, and videos. Create an Instagram channel or go live to connect more with your audience. The more variety on your page, the more interesting your page is for new followers and current ones.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/angeltalkz/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@angeltalkz