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

May, 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?

Throughout my life I have taken different risks in life that have made me be who I am today. But regardless of that, a little over a year ago I made the decision to move to the United States. I was born and raised in Spain, Europe, and I was living a life that I couldn’t complain about. But I always wanted more and I wanted to move all around the world. The thing is that I met in my hometown who today is my husband (he is dual citizen, Spanish and US citizen).

There was a time in our lives when we had several pretty good job offers but each one in a different point of the world. Me in Dubai with my dream job back then, and him in upstate New York with his dream job too.

We were considering the different possibilities and consequences. And somehow, we saw more long-term benefit from moving to the US. What we didn’t know was that I couldn’t lead a normal life here being Spanish and also, somehow, this location in specific disappointed us in every way.

I haven’t been able to work for more than a year, hoping to get my Green Card soon. We’re in a city where bad weather and cold predominate and where there is a lot of crime. We practically can’t do almost anything that we used to like doing in our home country and people here don’t have a “hang out mentality” similar to ours either. We had both lived in different countries previously in Europe and we have always adapted very well, but here we do not quite fit in. And I still think that it is more of a problem of the city itself than of the country.

Even so, we have always had the support of our families, friends and my husband’s co-workers who have always taken great care of us here and are like family to us. It’s just a matter of waiting to get my Green Card to be able to work and contribute at home and, if possible, move to a place more similar to what we are looking for. Meanwhile, I have to keep fighting not to go crazy at home. I spend many hours alone since my husband works 48h shifts and sometimes 72h or more, including a second job (because in the US it takes two salaries if you want to have a decent life, and he’s doing everything to make us be as much comfortable as possible) which means that some weeks I only see him 1 day.

We have two kittens that keep me a lot of company and are like our babies. But apart from them, I don’t have any friends here and the most interesting thing I might do is go to have dinner at the fire station where my husband and his colleagues are (which I really appreciate). Nor do I have financial freedom, nor a leisure that I really enjoy. At the end of the day, many times I feel useless and powerless for not being able to do anything that I could do before, and many times I suffer from depression and anxiety, but then I remember that with each passing day, there is less to be able to be myself again, and that keeps me on my feet, apart from the support of those closest to us and the main objective that we have as a long term benefit.

May, 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’m a Spanish girl living in the US. I currently speak 6 languages and I love traveling around the world. I also love sunsets and I’m mad about spending my days close to the beach. As I told you, I don’t have the right to do many things right now such as working or visiting my family outside the US, and I spend a lot of time alone, so one year ago I started doing Tik Toks in order to be entertained.

The thing is that some of my ideas were successful in this platform and even went viral, I started getting much more confidence and I started taking it seriously. Followers were increasing on TikTok and Instagram and brands started to reach me out in order to give me their products for free in exchange of creating content for them. I started doing some collaborations which made me have more brands reaching me out and right now it’s my day to day.

Knowing that brands like what I do is something that motivates me and makes me feel useful. I also really enjoy it since this is not the first time I create content. Seven years ago I started my Youtube Channel in Spain and it was going really well, but I had to end my career there one year after because my laptop stopped working and I didn’t have a good PC to edit the videos. I was living my Erasmus Scholarship in Prague then and all the money I could get was for that experience and not for a new PC.

However, life has put me back on that path and here I am today. With all the time in the world to dedicate to my social networks, with better devices to create content and with lots of ideas and desire to entertain my followers.

My networks are fashion and beauty content related but I’m starting to do travel content too. Apart from this, I always include humor videos or stories, because it’s part of my personality and I think people also like it.

I could have never imagined in 2016 that today I would be living in the US creating content again and collaborating with my favorite brands. I was even invited to live one week for free as a SelfiePop influencer in their Mansion in Hollywood Hills, which is the best experience I have had here. I networked with many talented people, made many friends and created a lot of professional content with the best. I hope this continues well and I can make the best of this experience. Of course, this is also thanks to the support of my followers, my family and my husband.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Not really. Today there are many people who want to dedicate themselves to this, and I understand that it is something very attractive that at first seems very easy, although like, everything in this world, there is time and effort dedicated behind what you see. There is also more and more “competition” in this world as many say, although I do not think it is competition, since I believe that the creation of content has no limit, just like songs in the world of music, but it is true that it can be difficult to succeed in this sector.

I never had a goal for this since I do it for pure pleasure. Before there was any app, nor social networks, I was already recording videos and editing them when I was 10 years old. On my mother’s or my sisters birthdays I always put up emotional or funny videos of them. Even those who know me since I was little, could tell you that I was always taking photos and videos of everything and then creating something from them. I can even show you video clips doing lips sync with super-edited choreography from 2008. I think that’s when I started to show my artistic vein and it’s something that shows me that today I do this out of passion and not because it’s a trend as many others do, but I still support.

Anyway, I would like to think or know that in a monotonous or hard day, I entertain someone even if its for 5 minutes and make them forget what concerns them during the time they watch my videos. Moreover, it would be awesome to inspire them to do something they want to do but they don’t dare to, as many people are amzaed of how many things I’ve done in my short lifetime that they could have never seen themselves doing. I also like being able to recommend products or trips through my experience and knowing what others’ experience is like and if this would generate an income for me in the future, I would love to also be able to help whoever I can financially.

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

To be honest, although it sounds like a cliché, being myself is what has made people be interested in me or my life. I have seen a lot of people trying to impersonate someone they are not and it has gotten them nowhere.

Just be yourself and tell your story. People love to know the lives of others and there will always be someone who gets along with you or feels identified with you regardless of whether your story is a normal one or not. Sometimes you are focused on attracting a specific audience of a niche you want to explore but it never quite fits because they realize you’re just interpreting being from a sector you’re not, and most of them end up not sharing your way of being or your humor.

Many times it is more worth attracting a public that gets along with you and always supports you because they like you just the way you are than a public that is “forced” by a role you’re playing which will not last a long time supporting you since you are not 100% of the niche that you say you are when that is what they are looking for.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayloboxx/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariajesuslobo/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/maywolf96
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MayWolf96/featured
• Other: Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maylobo96 BIGO Live: https://slink.bigovideo.tv/oyIXhm

Image Credits
Demian Tejada-Benitez Ari Friedman