This week was a turning point. Taking a step back from blogging and Instagram allowed me time to reflect on my privilege as a white creator and also listen and support black voices in the space that don’t have the same advantages. Being a blogger I spend a lot of time on Instagram. Because my content is heavily photo based it makes sense for me to scroll through Instagram for the latest fashion inspo or even photo concepts. But what if my feed was filled with the same girls that look exactly like me wearing the same things, doing the same poses… wouldn’t be very exciting, would it?
Even with all the things about the Instagram algorithms, there are to complain about (why is it so hard to bring back chronological scroll?) One thing I can say about Instagram is it’s figured out the content creators I want to see. With everything going on in the world and the support around Black Lives Matter I took a lot of last week to find even more black creators and businesses to follow and be inspired by as well as try to show even more support for the ladies in Chicago that already inspire me. From Taylar Barrington, CEO of Cliquish, a blogger community that has shown me the growth in myself as a creator I only dreamed of. Taylor is a true powerhouse and is so knowledgeable on everything a content creator needs to know as well as being such a positive force that so easily brings like-minded people together. To Ashantis, a fellow Chicago blogger who I can’t thank enough for all the DM conversations, work to try to set up blogger events (one day we will get there girl) as well as just sharing uplifting messages for our mutual desire to create unique and interesting content. She inspires me every day to push my content outside of my comfort zone and to be better. I know my privilege as a white creator but what I love about being creative is it transcends color. I think it’s so important to diversify the content you consume, it’s so important to understand different points of views and cultures to be a more well rounded you.
These two women as well as so many others truly shape who I am as a content creator and a woman. What I love most about being a blogger is that it’s not about the color of your skin but the passion you have for your community, and your message. So I challenge you to diversify the content you consume and follow all of these amazingly ambitious women because who wants to just see the same content over and over in their feed?
