We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kirsten Krupps. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kirsten below.

Kirsten, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I am actually a creative on the side in addition to my marketing day job. My blog and social platforms allow me to express myself while staying fresh on all the current content marketing trends. It’s win-win. I will admit that sometimes if life is busy or if I’m swamped at work during the day it can get hard to find the motivation to do my own stuff. I’ve definitely been experiencing that the last few months and am hoping to get back to my usual routine soon. In addition to content creation, I am a photographer and it is my passion side hustle. I admire those who have been able to do their creative services full-time and maybe one day I’ll get there, too, but I love my day job and the stability it provides.

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?

My name is Kirsten (Pronounced Ker-stin) Krupps and I’m a 30-something creative who was born and raised in the Midwest (Central Illinois to be exact). I moved to Austin, Texas in January 2020 – I know great timing, right? I went to Bradley University for Communications, with a concentration in Advertising and a minor in Interactive Media. I’m currently pursuing my MBA online at Lamar University. In addition to my medical device marketing day job and fashion/lifestyle blogging side-hustle, I’ve run my own photography business since 2013. I mainly photograph people, concerts, and pets. I’ve always been a visual and creative person, so marketing just seemed like a natural fit for me career-wise. When I took a photography class in high school, I fell in love and have been doing that in some capacity ever since. My blog and own social media started off as a way to practice content creation but soon grew into a genuine outlet for me. I think what sets me apart from others is that I am an extremely well-rounded marketer and creator. I joke that I could be a one-person marketing department because technically I can do it all, but that’s a guaranteed way to get burnt out fast! I have experience with digital marketing, traditional marketing, web design, content management, graphic design, plus photography and video skills. Again, I do not want to do literally everything but I think having that experience makes me a great resource and asset.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I think the best example that illustrates my resilience was getting laid off due to the pandemic just about ten weeks after moving to Austin all by myself. I like to keep busy, so being unemployed for about five months was pretty excruciating, to say the least. I didn’t want to take the very first job that offered me a position and keep job hunting, because job hunting is practically a full-time job so I was pretty picky and strategic with my hunt. At first, I thought I could put some extra focus on my freelance photography and marketing services, but people weren’t really looking to spend money on those types of things at that point in the pandemic. Instead, I used my blog and social media as a creative outlet and focused on that in the meantime. I have been fortunate enough that I did get that to pick up a bit and had the opportunity to work with some great brands along the way. It’s been exciting to have that continue to grow, even after I did find another full-time marketing day job.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Online, most of my followers know me as a rock music-loving fashion, beauty, and lifestyle content creator. In college, I interned for one of the radio station groups in my hometown of Peoria, Illinois and have worked with them in some capacity ever since – even doing some freelance work to this day. I love rock music, so I was immediately drawn to the opportunity to work for my favorite local station. I already went to a ton of concerts but went to even more on the job. That’s how I first got into concert photography, as well. I love to dress up for concerts and would frequently get compliments or inquiries about where I got certain things or how I’d style something, so that was the initial inspiration for my blog and social media. My biggest piece of advice to build your own social media presence is to be yourself (I know, it sounds cliche, but it’s true) and find your niche. Interact with other creators that have similar vibes or interests. Genuinely connect with others and you’ll find that the interest is very often returned and you’ll grow. I’d also recommend focusing on quality, not quantity. It’s far more impressive and valuable if you have a high engagement rate vs your followers count. And don’t be afraid to try the new platform that just started gaining traction, sometimes those are the best ways to grow your following since you’d be an early adopter.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://blog.kirstenkrupps.com/
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/kirstenkrupps
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/blogkirstenkrupps
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kirstenkrupps
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/kirstenkrupps
• Youtube: http://youtube.com/KirstenKrupps
• Other: https://www.shopltk.com/explore/kirstenkrupps https://www.pinterest.com/kirstenkrupps/