We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Loren AAVERI Allison a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Loren AAVERI thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

authenticAAVERIagency began as a one-person operation. At the time, I — Loren AAVERI Allison — was an undergraduate student at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. During my junior year, I changed my major from Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Spanish to a Bachelor’s of Science in Integrated Marketing Communication. Throughout my time at Winthrop University, I was active in various college organizations, both as a member and in leadership positions. I later realized how much of an impact these organizations had on my career path.

Without these organizations and the opportunities they provided, I’m not sure where my career path would have taken me. Some of the most impactful organizations I’ve been a part of include:
– From 2019-2021, I served as Chapter President, Campus Correspondent, and Editor in Chief of HerCampus at Winthrop University. In this role, I co-managed and edited over 15 phenomenal women and their transparent blog articles.
– From 2020-2021, I served as President of Winthrop’s American Marketing Association, an organization dedicated to equipping students with the skills needed to thrive in the modern business world through networking with experienced professionals, planning and promoting events, and hosting workshops on innovative marketing and business concepts — where I was a member since 2017.
– From 2019-2020, I also participated in The Diversity Peer Educators. As part of this team, I was selected and trained to help educate Winthrop students on diverse topics through creating campus programs that promoted education, exploration, inclusion, awareness, and advocacy.

In addition to my college studies, internships, involvement in campus organizations, part-time work, and social life, I spent all of my free time searching for part-time freelance work with growing brands, businesses, and creatives interested in building an online community or in need of online digital assistance.

Prior to graduation at Winthrop University in May of 2021, I became a virtual student in the midst of an ongoing pandemic — when I came to the decision of moving to Charlotte, North Carolina to get a jumpstart on my career. After eight months of looking for a full-time role, working part-time and freelancing, I was hired on as a full-time Content Specialist at one of the largest community foundations in the U.S. – where they serve as a civic leader and philanthropic partner here in Charlotte, North Carolina — with nearly $4 billion in charitable assets across more than 2,700 charitable funds established by families, nonprofits and businesses.

The transition from being a full-time college student to a full-time paid employee shifted my mindset and aspirations. Having free time outside of work was a bit of a shock for me. To continue expanding my creative freelancing network and knowledge, I disciplined myself to work Tuesday-Thursday evenings after work. I also built a business plan to establish authenticAAVERIagency as an LLC and identify my authentic creative direction.

During this time, I stayed in touch with other creative women I met during my time at Winthrop. They were also working 9-5 jobs but looking for additional freelance work to fulfill their inner creativity. Now, some of them are part of The Agency’s growing team of creatives who get paid to create visual content, develop their portfolio, and collaborate with other creatives on a freelance basis.

I’ve always known people to have side hustles by starting their own business or launching their own merch. However, the only ones who have turned it into a full-time job are those who are passionate about their work and disciplined. After long nights of working back-to-back night shifts after a full-time job, I slowly learned that I am a multi-hyphenate creative, doing exactly what I am called to do – connecting growing brands and businesses to ambitious creatives for an authentic online experience.

Loren AAVERI, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hello everyone! I’m Loren AAVERI, a 23 year-old Digital Media Marketing Specialist from Spartanburg, South Carolina. I’m the Founder and Creative Content Director of authenticAAVERIagency – a Black woman-owned Creative Integrated Marketing Communication Agency curated to create and strategize authentic digital content and strategy for brands, businesses and creatives based in Charlotte, North Carolina and beyond. At The Agency, we meet you where you are in your creative journey and value the importance of being an authentic brand, business or creator — our mission is to connect authentic brands and business to ambitious creatives for an authentic online experience. We’re a safe space for authentic brands, businesses and creative professionals who want to achieve their soul-aligned business goals.

Our creative community connects authentic brands and business to ambitious content creators and creatives who are interested in creating visual content, developing their portfolio and collaborating with other creatives on a freelance basis. This creative community was designed for creative makers who identify as brand/graphic designers, photographers/videographers, marketing/communications specialists, etc. who are in between the cubicle and full-time freelancer position who are looking to get paid to create authentic digital content for brands or maybe they’re a full-time creative looking to expand their client reach through managed collaboration. The Agency is constantly seeking brands, businesses and creatives who are looking for intentional social media management, creative project management or 1:1 creative coaching. Our dream clients are purpose-driven BIPOC and women-led brands, businesses and creators who want to confidently spread their wings but are also interested in growing an online community or needing strategic digital media marketing assistance because we believe that authenticity is power for all brands, businesses and creatives!

With me being both the Founder + Creative Content Director of authenticAAVERIagency AND working full-time as a Content Specialist, our Agency is actively open Tuesday-Thursday 6:30PM-11:30PM and 6:30AM-8AM by appointment only. The Agency’s hours allow my team and I enough time throughout the week to collaborate with growing brands, businesses and creatives but also maintain a healthy work-life balance outside of our full-time jobs.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I’m creatively driven by our mission to connect authentic brands/businesses to ambitious creatives for an authentic online experience through creating authentic and transparent content that attracts and encourages creative business owners who live similarly. We pride ourselves in our ability to help our clients achieve their soul-aligned business goals through more than just sales-driven marketing collaterals. We do this by creating creative and strategic digital content that resonates with their target audience while also providing a safe space for creative professionals to live authentically through their digital art.

Our vision is to create a safe space for creatives to live authentically and achieve their soul-aligned business goals, while also helping purpose-driven BIPOC and women-led brands confidently spread their wings. We are passionate about building genuine online connections with our clients and their audiences. We believe that authenticity is the power to success in today’s digital world – we strive to help all brands, businesses and creatives harness that power.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I believe it’s imperative for non-creatives to understand that creativity is meant to be shared with others but we also need to respect all creatives’ intellectual boundaries. Creativity is not something that can be turned on and off at will. Instead, it’s a constant process of ideation, experimentation and refinement that requires a lot of time and space to flourish, authentically. In my current role as a full-time Content Specialist, I’m fortunate to work on a hybrid schedule and in a healthy work environment that respects my work-life balance. At The Agency, we meet our clients exactly where they are in their business journey because it’s never too late to start living authentically. Our creative community was curated to create mutually-beneficial partnerships with industry visionaries and hardworking creative professionals on a part-time freelance basis.

In my experience, non-creatives may also struggle to understand the importance of respecting intellectual property and boundaries. As creatives, we pour our hearts and souls into our work. It can be both challenging and disheartening to turn down individuals who want to gain free ideas and concepts without permission, payment or credit. There’s so many talented freelancers that are actively looking for paid work that may not have the “on brand resume experience” for a full-time 9-5 but have outstanding creative talents and can easily work based on a creative brief or basic detailed instructions.

What makes our Agency stand out from all the others — every time you book a creative project with us, you’re entrusting a team of ambitious creative freelancers who were curated to create authentic digital content for brands and businesses. If you’re very passionate about learning more, through our 1:1 creative coaching service, you can sit down with me for strategic guidance on your creative journey, brand audit and expand your knowledge on topics of your choice within the creative industry. I believe that everyone has the capacity for creativity, and it’s never too late to start exploring your own creative potential.

Contact Info:

• Website: authenticaaveriagency.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/authenticaaveriagency
• Facebook: facebook.com/authenticaaveri.agency
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/loren-allison-138723168

Image Credits
All images are taken & created by me, Loren AAVERI Allison — Except Roots Royal Leaf, LLC. brand photoshoot and my personal brand photoshoot — photos taken by creative collaborator, Chandra Parks of CP Creations & Photography