We were lucky to catch up with Mariah Morrison recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Mariah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I know that I started my content creation journey at the perfect time in my life. I began diving into skincare and self care as a way to improve my mental health as I was facing challenges managing my anxiety and depression. At the time, I was working in a job that required me to work very long hours each day, I felt stifled and like I no longer had time for myself, and the need to constantly be ‘on’ gave little time for me to process my emotions. The way that I cared for myself and the way that I viewed myself as a person deeply plumented. Skincare is what forced me out to bed and allowed me to spend time going beyond the basic daily hygiene necessities and turning that time into a ritual and an opportunity to pour into myself. Sharing my thoughts and becoming a creator gave me an outlet and a way to build community. Through my posts, I was able to raise awareness and destigmatize mental health challenges, connect with people who were also seeking an outlet, and find the joy in being creative again. Things come in waves where I feel unmotivated and take breaks, but everytime I return, my community is there to welcome me and I remember how much fun content creation can truly be.

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?

Ever since I was younger, I’ve always been someone who enjoyed expressing my creativity. In school, I always took art classes, loved putting together presentations and posters (you know that back then we always made things by hand), and of course, reading as many books as possible.

As I got older, I began learning digital tools like Adobe Photoshop and even basic coding to customize my Myspace profile and create designs and icons for my jailbroken iPhone. Jailbreaking your phone was definitely controversial, but for me it gave me an opportunity to continue to grow my graphic design skills and even then I was using social media and content creation to share my phone designs, answer jailbreak questions, help people problem solve, and engage with the community there.

Now I’m doing something similar but with a focus on skincare, mental health, and other creative content. I’m proud that I have been able to evolve while still staying true to what brings me joy—and that’s creating no matter what medium it is. Recently, I’ve began doing analog hobbies like crafting, writing, and journaling and that has felt so healing. I want people to know that as long as I’m doing something creative that I can share with people while building community, I’m happy.

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

Authenticity and patience. In a time where so many people are trying to “make it big” on social media or use it to earn as much money as possible, people are craving authenticity. When people find a way to connect with you, feel inspired by you, or enjoy viewing your content as a way to bring joy, they’ll continue to show up and support you. Building a strong community is key to building an audience and also follower retention. There are so many people that have supported me since I began making content that still follow me today and it’s because of that connection.

People can always tell when someone is faking it and if they don’t notice at first, they will eventually. So focus on representing yourself authentically and allowing your personality and the things that make you unique to shine. It can be scary to put yourself out there, but remember that there’s a way to strike a healthy balance.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

If you ask any creative person—whether it’s a social media content creator, graphic designer, artist, etc.—they’ll most likely tell you that people often downplay the amount of time and skill it takes to produce art. So many people assume that things come easily, and while we are naturally talented in our focus area, there has been so much work we’ve had to invest along the way to become skilled in our crafts. They see where people are in there creative journey now but haven’t seen the failures along the way. Even some of the most naturally talented vocalists still take singing lessons, artists constantly learn new techniques, dancers put in hours of practice, etc.

As a content creator, people assume that you just turn the camera on, record, and post, but it’s so much more than that. It takes hours to set up for filming, hours to edit, and even so much time trying to conceptualize what you plan to film. You have to constantly improve on your technical skills to keep up with the quality demands and even use strategic thinking to plan out your posts and how to maximize impact. Everything takes time and a dedication to make improvements.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myskinfrastructure/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@myskinfrastructure