We recently connected with Kody Desmond and have shared our conversation below.

Kody, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

If I could go back in time, I wish I would have started my creative later. I started my social media journey when I was 16 years old by posting random dances and lip syncing videos on Tik Tok. At this time, I was growing my viewship and fanbase very quickly but quickly came to terms that I didn’t have a specific niche. Starting at the age of 18, I started to discover what I wanted my viewers to take away from my social media accounts. I am a huge advocate for mental health, especially within the LGBTQ+ community, and providing a safe space for people to fully express who they are. I want my fans to feel accepted and heard, especially by me. I do my best to respond to fans, primarily through DMs, when they are going through rough patches in their life. A lot of the experiences that my fans have I have gone through as well. Specifically, not having a supportive family. I wish I was able to better plan out my social media journey from the start, i.e. having my niche from the beginning. However, it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the success I have gained from being an influencer. I love having a positive impact on people and I would not change the decisions I have made so far.

Kody, 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 started Tik Tok at the start of COVID-19 for fun making silly videos with my friends. Quickly, this turned into me having a loyal fan base that loved watching my content. From that, I transitioned my platforms into awareness for the LGBTQ+ community, providing resources for people in need, expressing my true self, and much more. I work with brands that align with my message of acceptance for all and push that message to all of my fans. From the start up until now, I am still working on molding my niche and the messages I want to portray from my content. It is always a work in progress but I do my best to hold true to my image and how I want to be perceived by others.

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

Before I started monetizing my accounts on social media, I worked 3 part time jobs. In terms of pivoting, I changed my career path from working in food and retail jobs to working as a social media creator — totally different industries. This transition was exciting yet scary because , until this day, social media is still a very unknown career and is very new. I also didn’t have the support of my family because they didn’t see social media as a “real job” so it was hard on me to pursue what I really wanted to do without their support, especially starting so young.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Society needs to be less judgmental of creators online and send less hate their way, especially creators that are not deserving of hate. I feel that there is a lot of criticism of influencers, most of which who made a big pivot from their previous careers to being an influencer. Everyone makes mistakes. People can learn and grow.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kodydesmondd?igsh=MWQ1ZGUxMzBkMA==
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@kodydesmondd?_t=8pHhHqkXHaM&_r=1