We were lucky to catch up with Jess Lanphear recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jess , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
In March 2020 we headed to the hospital to welcome our first baby into the world. When we arrived, we were confused and disappointed to hear that no other visitors were allowed due to a virus that was rapidly spreading in the US from overseas. We already anticipated 2020 would be a life-altering year as we officially became parents, however, we didn’t expect it to be a year that turned the world upside-down so suddenly.
Before we knew it, our parental leave for our baby quickly turned into us needing to find new jobs due to the pandemic. My husband and I had many discussions about the best options for keeping our daughter safe from this new virus which seemed unpredictable and scary at the time. Ultimately, I decided that leaving my career behind to stay home with our daughter was the best option (a far-fetched dream I had always held close to my heart). However, this brought more financial pressure on my husband and our family, so I was determined to create a way to continue providing for our family and raising my baby at home – in a way that I enjoyed and felt like I was thriving in.
So, I went to my Instagram account – that I had infrequently posted on for years – and decided to revamp it as a little spot on the internet for new moms to find uplifting, funny, and relatable content amid a very unsettling season for moms all over the world. I grew up loving to write and take photographs, so it felt like the perfect opportunity to let my creative passions soar. I committed myself to taking courses on content creation and social media, connected with fellow motherhood and lifestyle content creators across the US and UK, and fostered my desire to impact others through creating content. If it weren’t for the life-altering pandemic, who knows how long it would have taken me to pursue my creative passion!
Jess , 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?
My name is Jess Lanphear and I am a stay-at-home mom and content creator. Getting the privilege of staying at home to raise my babies was always a dream of mine. Before having kids, I always worked a full-time job, so it wasn’t until the pandemic that I started to picture a reality that involved a career inside the home. I started posting on Instagram in 2020, mainly motherhood-focused content that could bring some joy and camaraderie despite the tough circumstances of the pandemic. Before I knew it, my audience was growing, and brands were reaching out to partner with me. Over time my content has shifted to include lifestyle content, but ultimately my goal is to continue impacting moms in a way that is relatable, encouraging or entertaining.
One facet of being a content creator that I pride myself in is creating high-quality UGC for brands (in addition to the partnerships I share on Instagram), I love getting to bring to life a creative vision and pour myself into a project so I can present work that is thoughtful and engaging for brands to utilize.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
After a couple of years of establishing my social media presence and building a community of moms on Instagram, I had to abruptly stop my creative journey on the platform. My husband accepted a temporary job out-of-state and the circumstances surrounding it required me to have my social media private for the duration. In that moment, it felt like all my creativity, passion, and hard work was sadly ending prematurely. I truly thought my time as a content creator was done and that I wouldn’t have the motivation to restart, or bring my account back to life after that. Despite not being able to reach a new audience, I knew my passion to create and connect on Instagram wasn’t going to be extinguished that easily. After almost two years, I was able to make my account public again and started brick-by-brick rebuilding my platform and reach. The journey to rebuilding my account has been full of doubts, discouragement, and setbacks. Yet, at the same time, there has been success, joy, and connection. I have found a confidence and self-love that I may not have experienced if it wasn’t for having to bolster my mindset to restart a passion of mine.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
As a content creator, I would have loved to know about UGC in the beginning. The fact that there’s a way for creators to generate income without having a huge following, or needing to align perfectly with a brand’s messaging, is incredible. For those that aren’t familiar – since I wasn’t in the beginning – UGC stands for user-generated content. This is the content that brands use on their own social media, or to boost through paid ads. This type of content isn’t shared on your platform, hence why there’s far less importance placed on follower count, engagement rate, etc. It is simply geared towards creatives who are skilled at capturing aesthetic or engaging photography and videography for a brand’s products or services. There are several platforms to apply for UGC deals, in addition to brands reaching out directly to collaborate. To me, this information is so valuable for creating multiple streams of income as a creative.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/jess.lanphear
