Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mykaela Shoaf. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Mykaela, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
I am not going to lie, it is extremely hard to earn a full-time living from creative work. In order to be successful, you have to be extremely dedicated and diversified. You must constantly be marketing yourself through word-of-mouth, social media, and different freelance websites. While you should focus mostly on what you are most passionate about creating, you should also be open to taking gigs that may not be your exact field of expertise. This not only helps you make money but further expands your work experience. You must create new content and art consistently enough to keep people engaged and following, but also don’t bombard people with yourself. You will probably be putting in a lot more than 40 hours some weeks, then very little hours another. Take the money when it comes, and save it for when it’s slow. But most importantly, make sure to stay authentic to your true self.
Mykaela, 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?
What can I say, I kind of do it all. I like to have my hands in multiple different projects at once.
I am a content creator. I love to share my life travels and experiences with the world through aesthetically pleasing videos and photos. I also love to be a muse for others photography and art. I am a social media manager as well and help to curate brand’s pages to bring in more engagement and following. You can see my work on Instagram @Wild_Kael
I am a chef. I create delicious, easy, vegan, paleo, and autoimmune protocol diet recipes @myx.it.up
I am also a fashion and graphic designer. I worked in the industry in Los Angeles and Italy for six years but got a little burned out so decided to do it more freelance. Please feel free to inquire today if you need help creating marketing tools, logo, fashion designs, and more!
https://mekiesainspire.wixsite.com/mekiesalifestyle/portfolio
How did you build your audience on social media?
I have worked long and hard to build my social media following. It is all about consistency. I take short videos or pictures almost every hour of my life. This could sound exhausting, but I honestly don’t even have to think about it anymore. After I create the content, I divide it into story or post worthy. If it is just a mediocre photo or video I will just post it to my story. The higher quality stuff I save for reels and posts.
It is super important to also stay up on the new algorithm tactics you should be following to boost engagement. You can do this by following accounts that specialize in it.
Don’t compare your account to others. You have no idea how much time and effort it could have taken that other user to get their 100k following, so just stick with it. Never put out content just to put it out. Make sure it always is to your standards and aligns with the message you are trying to send.
But most importantly, stay authentic. People will follow you for yourself, there is no need to try and be someone you are not!
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I honestly have never really cared about making it big. I don’t need all the money and fancy things. I even turn down getting free things from Instagram deals all the time just because I done need more stuff. I obviously hope to make enough money that I can create a comfortable life for me and my family, but there is a much bigger mission driving me.
I feel so much love and gratitude for this Earth and the people on it, that it hurts sometimes. I look at things as simple as a trash bag blowing in the wind and find beauty. I have been through so much in my life already that I am just thankful to be alive. My journey has led me to create art using that unequivocal love and passion and share it with the world.
I just hope that by sharing my thoughts, feelings, and art, that I can inspire others to do the same. Help them to step out of their comfort zones and try new things, help them to realize that living frugally is more fulfilling. Help them to see even a fraction of the beauty I see in the world. Help them to find inner peace.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mekiesainspire.wixsite.com/mekiesalifestyle/portfolio
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wild_kael/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mykaela.shoaf/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mykaela-shoaf-353161b6/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC87ko6rJnx_BKZ8fje__F8Q
- Other: Recipes on Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/myx.it.up/reels/