We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tara Fjetland a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tara, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
My parents were always loving, caring, real, and communicative. They talked about everything and anything with us and that has helped me so much in my job. I love being relatable and sharing real life content, and I also work as a communications consultant as well as a content creator/influencer. My parents were so open and I always felt they were a safe space where I could be myself and they taught me how to be kind and that it’s okay to be myself.
Tara, 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?
I started my Instagram page after I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. I was trying all kinds of crazy diets to cure my disease and I took to posting on Instagram to keep myself accountable. After COVID hit, I quit my full time job as an administrative assistant to stay home with my kids and started posting more motherhood/lifestyle content. I found it fun and a way to connect with other moms. Eventually brands started reaching out to me to create content for them and I fell in love with influencing/content creating. Now four years later, I try to post retable real life content as an average mom to reach other moms and help them not feel so alone in this crazy motherhood life.
I love sharing products and brands with my followers that I love, and I feel that my relatable real life style of sharing helps set me apart from others. I love sharing home decor, travel, fashion, and motherhood items for the average mama on a budget and hope that I can help the average mama find things they love on my page at a price they can actually afford.
I want my potential clients/followers to know I will never steer them wrong on an item. If I don’t love it or don’t stand behind a brand, I will say so. I will never bash anyone’s company but I will be real and honest if a product isn’t what it’s all it’s cracked up to be. I want to share real life struggles of motherhood and life as a mom with ADHD who is always a hotmess and riding the struggle bus. I want to show others that motherhood is HARD, and to help others feel less alone.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I am a professional photographer and after 15 years in business, I decided that I finally was burnt out, I didn’t enjoy my craft any longer and I just wanted a more simple easy life. I have scaled back so much and have felt such relief in that. I am a creative by heart and I found work that I love that allows me to stay home with my kids and make a decent living wage. Sometimes you have to let go of your dream and find what makes you happy and works best for you and your life in the moment.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
My biggest advice to build an authentic social media is to be genuine, post frequently but passionately, and to support other like minded creators. Build a community of like minded friends and support each other. I don’t know what I would do without my Instagram friends!!!! They are the reason I post and keep going. And by friends I mean ones I actually chat with, want to meet in person, share more with them than I would on social media. They are the reason I keep going. And if you are hoping to create an authentic community too, make sure to keep it real and authentic.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hotmessmnmomma.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotmessmnmomma/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089482725902
