We were lucky to catch up with LIndsey Casmer recently and have shared our conversation below.

LIndsey, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I’ve always been a creative person. Growing up, I would write, film, and edit short movies with my friends, take countless pictures with my camera, and write music on the piano and guitar. I’ve always loved this part of me, and I was scared to let it go for future responsibilities as I grew up. So, I decided to take my passion and use it as a way to express myself beyond my own measures, and into helping others and their businesses as well.

I decided to switch my major to Digital Marketing in order to support my vision. I also decided to pursue modeling and content creation to express my creativity, which has opened up so many doors and created so many new connections. My own photography skills have increased as I’ve been able to invest in better gear to create the best content for brands and for myself. Modeling has taught me how to be confident, even in the face of others that don’t want to see you shine or succeed. I’ve realized that it is better to shine anyways, even if someone is watching.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with amazing brands, all because I just decided to start. I just started filming and posting content, even if it wasn’t that great, because progress is better than perfection. It gets easier the more you do it, and my skills have gotten better as I’ve kept committing to putting myself out there. I look back to who I was just a few years ago and realize the risk of putting myself out there with modeling and content creation has created so much good in my life that I am incredibly thankful for. I still have a lot of big goals I want to accomplish, and I now see that taking the risk is never easy, but always worth it.

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?

I started creating content in 2019, but I have taken it more seriously in the past years since starting my fitness page on Instagram. Since then, I’ve been growing my page and collaborating with other brands and creators. I’ve also created my own website and online course about how to get started working out and eating healthier for beginners, called Zero to Hero: The Complete Beginner Fitness Guide. My posts are usually centered around workouts and motivation, beginner fitness tips, fashion and photoshoots, and healthy recipes. Making sure my content is inspiring and uplifting is a priority for me, as social media can be a scary place these days where everyone just compares themselves. My goal is to make those that see my content feel motivated and inspired to make a change in their own life, big or small. I know from personal experience that your health plays a huge role in the rest of your life so I make fitness and health the center of most of my content. I’ve found motivation in all other areas of my life by going to the gym and working on my strength, so I hope by posting, others can be inspired to do the same and empower themselves as well. I also try to share behind the scenes videos and photos from my shoots, to help inspire those that follow me to go after their dreams.

In the past year I’ve been blessed enough to work with amazing local Detroit brands such as modeling for Take Off Luggage and creating content for GETTEES Detroit. I’ve also worked with companies like Lucky Brand on their Summer 2023 Campaign. Opportunities like this allow me to have some creative freedom around how to style and take pictures and videos of the pieces and edit them together. This is my favorite part of the content creation process, having a vision and slowly seeing it come to life as you put it together piece by piece. Having the opportunity to create user-generated-content in the form of videos and pictures for brands has also allowed me to express this passion. I love video editing, and I hope to create many more videos and films in the future.

I’m most proud of myself for staying focused and disciplined thus far. There have been a lot of moments where I want to give up or not try anymore, but then I realize how far I’ve come. I’m still very far from where I want to be, but I would never have had the opportunities I have if I didn’t try in the first place. In the end, I’m just happy if the content I create helps or inspires someone.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I’ve gained around 2,000 followers on Instagram since March 2022. I was able to do this through posing consistently, creating content aimed to educate, entertain, and inspire, and collaborating with photographers and other companies. Although I don’t have what some might consider “a lot” of followers, I have definitely grown my page over the past few years. There are a few helpful tips I would recommend to someone starting their own page. First, make sure you have a niche that is specific enough for people to be interested in following you and seeing/learning more. Second, post consistently, at least 3-5 times a week. Third, make sure you engage with your followers and those in the same niche as you, and support each other! I would also recommend stepping up your videos with editing and playing with angles, as this can increase watch time. There are a lot of strategies you can use when making reels, but the rules change so it’s a good idea to keep up with Instagram’s latest updates. Overall, making quality content and spreading the word about whatever you are passionate about will grow your account the fastest. Not everyone will just go viral or get 10k followers, and although it’s hard to keep creating and posting content, I definitely believe it is worth it because of the opportunities I’ve encountered through Instagram. Most brands and photographers I’ve worked with have found me through my posts, which tells me that as long as I’m putting out quality content, I’m getting somewhere.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is in seeing your visions come to life through your work or through collaborating with other creatives. The creative process itself is very rewarding for me, as it feels much less like work and more like a project I get to have fun with. There is something very gratifying about creating a video that looks better than you imagined after putting in hours of work to get the right shots. Also, knowing I can create anything I imagine is very freeing and inspiring to me. I love that I am able to go from modeling, to photographing, to filming, to writing, to coming up with a new creative concept constantly. Every day, every project, and every brand is different, so your creativity is always having fun coming up with something new. Working with other creatives and making something better than you could have created on your own is also very rewarding, especially when the project is beneficial to both sides. Helping other creatives get work or connections is a great feeling, and I hope by working with others, we can help to promote and motivate each other.      

Contact Info:

• Website: linz-elizabeth.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/linz.e
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindseycasmer/
• Linkedin: Lindsey Casmer
• TikTok: @linz.e_

Image Credits
Gregory Anderson Rick Jenkins Emily Rogala Alan Aperture Jake Vega Kristen Gravlin