Award-wining Beauty Influencer, Makeup Artist and Business Owner to AF Couture — Aliya Fatima (@makeuppbyalyy) answers a few questions on how she was able to find the *right* balance between making an internet based career, and balancing her everything that comes with it.
Social Media platforms are designed to snare your attention, keep you online, and have you repeatedly checking your screen for updates – which was originally designed with a good intention. But is that how we use it?
Read below to know how this Influencer switches off:
Q: Would you say you have found balance between real and reel?
A: Somewhat yes. Since the beginning, I have always been careful of how social media can impact our lives as Influencers & people’s lives as audiences. I have found a healthy balance knowing and accepting that real life is very different from what we see on Instagram. However, I do try my best to show my followers the natural aspects that happen in my life while keeping my personal life extremely personal.
Q: What are common after-effects of being on social media you’ve faced?
A: The constant pressure of trying to be perfect. I’d be lying if I say I haven’t been through a phase where you compare yourselves or your life to others on the ‘gram. But thankfully, I realised soon enough that we really don’t have to try so hard to fit in the world of *perfection*.
What I am, what we are is more than enough. To be better and better is the goal, but the better version of our own self.
Q: Tell us your ways of switching off:
A: When I switch off, I completely switch off.
If I feel low, drained out or just stressed I take my time off. I either journal, meditate or just reflect on myself. That time is my ‘me’ time & it includes everything from getting a nice cup of coffee to going for a drive or a nice dinner or just spending time with my family. This sort of refreshes me & I’m all about finding happiness in the smallest things.
Q: Do you think Influencers have it the harder way since your job profile requires you to be online 24×7?
A: I think yes. Life of an Influencer can be really difficult. Balancing out personal & professional life where you’re on a public platform all the time can be really stressful. I know so many of my Influencer-friends who are doing such a great job balancing out their lives but at the end of the day, it can be really hard.
Q: Approx. how many hours in a day do you spend online?
A: Well, that’s a hard one. It really depends but I don’t unnecessarily spend time on Instagram. It’s either to connect with my audience, reply back to them or create content & engage with other people’s content. I’d say about 6-7 hours of my day for sure to go into spending time online. However, on some days I might spend less or more.
Q: What is one piece of advice you’d like to give to the younger bloggers out there?
A: Take it slow, be easy on yourself.
Everything that you see other Influencers having or doing could be so much different from what you have at this stage. It takes time, effort & consistency. Don’t give up on yourself. And another thing, always appreciate yourself for how far you have come. Even if it’s just a little bit, it’s a process which will take time but if you really want to do it, it’ll all be worth it. Be real, be yourself & always learn from your mistakes.
Don’t sit back if something doesn’t go the way you want it to, always learn and come out stronger.
Q: What qualities does it require to be big in this field?
A: There’s quite a lot of qualities I believe in. Skill is of course very important. But so is Kindness & being down to Earth. I feel like if you’re genuinely nice, you get to places. And kindness should be towards everyone. Be it your audience, your friends, fellow Influencers or brands. That’s one thing I deeply believe in. On the occasion of Mental Health Awareness Day which falls on the 10th of October, being a mindful digital citizen should be the aim for both – content creators and viewers respectively.
Q: What is your personal method of gaining thick skin – with negative comments or feeling like you’re not doing well enough?
A: With negative comments, I simply ignore them. I have done this since the very beginning. If I am open to accepting the good parts, the bad parts are also there (Although I do believe in “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say nothing at all”) But still, one gets hate comments sometimes. I don’t let things get to my heart unless it’s something I actually do think is rightly said. If I feel like I’m not doing well enough, rather than sitting back & demotivating myself I try to overcome it as much as I can.
Q: Tell us one thing you pride yourself on.
A: I’m proud of how far I have come. Professionally & as a person too. I love the content I put out & so do people. I’m proud of being a Hijabi Influencer, to start and own a business, to have grown as a person a lot being on social media. While there are so many negative impacts social media can have, it has somehow transformed me into a better person. And I’m so proud of that.
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