CI Magazine - May 2020

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BOSS GRACE BEVERLEY

H O W S H E B U I LT SELF-CONFIDENCE WHILST BUILDING A BUSINESS EMPIRE PRO SECT ION

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FOREWORD

ED ITO R’ S NOT E Confidence...

Can you believe it’s May already? It feels like yesterday we said goodbye to our old name (you may remember us as the Health Bloggers Community) and we welcomed Creative Impact.

In the last 5 months, the whole world was shaken in a way that we could not expect.

On a professional note, I pushed myself and Creative Impact into new, uncharted territory. We completely changed and adapted our online platform, ran a full new season of our podcast (Make an Impact show, check it on your favourite podcast app), we launched a new IGTV series make sure you check the Good Feed on @creativeimpactco.

I have a confession to make. I often thought I was not “ENOUGH”. British enough. That I had the right equipment. Skills. Confidence.

Or certifications (lol that was a biggie).

English is not my first language, and I have no polished British Oxfordian accent going.

I learned marketing through experience, rather than MBAs.

When I saw the first episode of our IGTV series, I actually cried a little. It’s not perfect, but it’s me. It’s raw, a bit goofy, hopefully, funny and a true representation of myself as the founder of my own business.

This is a win and also a bloody big AHA (and smack on my own head). I hope it can give YOU the confidence to get out of your comfort zone just a tiny little bit more.

This is truly what this whole magazine issue is about. Confidence. The confidence that stems from believing in yourself, but also loving your body, nurturing your soul and just turning that crazy business idea into reality.

Take the time to ask yourself questions that can prompt you to try something new.

If could do something, anything, to really push yourself out of your comfort zone, what would you do? What can you take on this month and challenge yourself?

Cover girl Grace Beverley and her business journey are a great example of overcoming challenges and building the confidence to go after your dreams.

Get out there and chase that dream, regardless of how cringe and cheesy it may sound. If you do not dare to try anything new, you’ll never know.

Editorial

Contribution Editor Amy Lanza

Fab Giovanetti Editor in Chief

Lead Designer Michael Cavalli Stock photography Unsplash Affiliate links Amazon Associates

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Contents ISSUE NO. 04

CONTENTS

14

MAY 2020

06

In the news

10

Monthly calendar

12

What’s your mission?

14

Cover feature: Boss lady Grace Beverley

22

The diet culture revolution

27

Brand confidence with Rob Eades

30

Column: Contemplating with Charlotte

32

Easy steps to finding your calm

34

Fighting eczema means Vegan Skincare

61

Podcast Archive: Finding creativity in food

39

Pro Section Instagram

62

Founder Series: Sara Da Silva

40

Common mistakes to avoid on Instagram

64

Behind the Content with Rachel Mar

44

Give your profile a health check with an audit

66

Promotional feature: Club Backdrops

48

Shake up your Link in Bio

70

Expert profile with Ana Santos

54

Lights, camera and Instagram Live

72

In the kitchen: Smoothies and Vegan Nachos

58

The ultimate guide to IGTV

Creative Impact Mag is part of Creative Impact group For inquiries or suggestions, contact us at: Website https://creativeimpact.group

Email info@creativeimpact.group

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For more details check out our Brand Guidelines.

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d o o G

IN THE NEWS

CREATIVE IMPACT CO

NEWS As we are consuming news more than ever, we thought we’d bring you our very own special roundup of happy news from across the globe.

Cookie OMMM MINDFULNESS | UK

Sesame Street and Headspace, leader in online meditation, have announced a partnership that could help our favorite lover and eater of cookies become a little more calm.

The companies have teamed up in creating “Monster Meditations,” kidspecific mindfulness content designed to teach the basics of mindfulness, meditation, and juggling emotions.

“Monster Meditations” will consist of six animated shorts, each roughly three minutes in length, which will be released biweekly on YouTube and YouTube Kids.

06 | CREATIVE IMPACT MAG

CREATIVE IMPACT CO

IN THE NEWS

Potato Zoom

Let’s Co-Watch

What makes us Tik

Lizet Ocampo and her colleagues were getting ready for a video call when the unexpected happened. “When we started the meeting, I saw myself as a potato,” she said. She downloaded filters, but she absolutely could not figure out how to change it back for the duration of the whole meeting.

New Insta-feature alert. Co-Watching was being tested as early as April 2019, yet the current state of affairs pushed Instagram to get the feature out to users quickly.

The new feature allows friends on a video chat or group video chat to browse through Instagram and share content with the group while still connected.

Legs Eleven

Big cheers

Wellness is carving out a presence on TikTok just as it’s found its place on other platforms in the past decade—and synchronised dances only scratch the surface. TikTok’s 800 million active users have viewed its #wellness-tagged videos nearly 160 million times and its #healthtagged posts 4.3 billion times. This may be the time to jump on the bandwagon for yourself

Bingo night got a little more interesting at a senior living facility, when actor Matthew McConaughey virtually hosted the game for all the residents. He posted a video on Twitter calling for unity during uncertain times. This unity translated into a robust bingo battle on Sunday night, which the actor hosted via Zoom for isolating residents at The Enclave, an assisted living community in Texas.

The photo of 93-year-old Olive Veronesi holding up a can of Coors Light along with the sign “I need more beer” went viral. She has been doing her best to practice social distancing in order to keep herself and others safe, when she ran out of beer, she sent up a flare for help.

Coors delivered 10 cases of beer. As soon as they arrived, she cracked one open on her porch: “that tastes pretty good”.

TECHNOLOGY | USA

ENTERTAINMENT | USA

EDUCATION | USA

FOOD AND DRINK | USA

SOCIAL MEDIA | WORLDWIDE

From the newsroom EDUCATION | USA

Fancy getting weekly inspiration and motivation straight from your Instagram?

We recently launched our very own news show, the Good Feed, which you can watch every Tuesday on our IGTV. CLICK TO SEE THE LATEST EPISODE

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 07

DIGITAL TOOLS

TOOLKIT

Scheduling tools for Instagram

T

he short answer is yes. Before we share with you the Creative Impact list of top picks, let us remind you why scheduling is so important. Enter consistency.

Truth is the time of social networks “being tools to capture authentic content in the moment” is over. This means, scheduling can support you creating a consistent schedule when life gets too busy.

Let’s say you may not buy into the idea of scheduling to be more consistent — then scheduling is still the most efficient way for you to save time on social media, and claim

back some of that weekend of yours. Using external tools on your laptop to coordinate your Instagram content calendar is key to become more efficient.

Using an Instagram scheduling tool allows you to cut out these steps and upload your posts straight from your computer files, Dropbox, Google Photos and many other online storage systems.

Using an Instagram scheduling tool and a calendar will allow you to visually plan your feed, ensuring your posts are cohesive, do not clash, and keep any patterns or themes intact on your profile.

Sked

There are more and more tools cropping up when it comes to scheduling your Instagram posts. However, Sked is definitely an all-time favourite. Unlike other software, you don’t have to have your phone on you at the time something is scheduled. Sked does it all for you.

Including the Stories scheduling. Its Stories scheduling tool is their best feature by far. You can schedule your stories with a ‘swipe up’ link, as well as other features.

CLICK HERE TO TRY

Planoly

The thing about Planoly is that it speaks directly to a very particular audience. At first glance, it seems to be aimed at the entrepreneurs, female creatives.

It allows you to manage and reply to your comments, as well as discover and repost user-generated content from your community. It’s a highly visual scheduler compared to other options, it also integrates with an Instagram Stories template feature, which allows you to design your own stories.

CLICK HERE TO TRY

Tailwind

Tailwind was born as the Pinterest scheduler and analytics tool but recently opened up to Instagram as well. It includes intelligent posting, hashtag recommendation, Regram options as well as a mobile app. Its Instagram scheduling is constantly updating with new features to keep up with the changes on the platform.

Not as ‘pretty’ or easy to use when inside the dashboard, allows you to play around with a free trial.

CLICK HERE TO TRY

Later

Founded as the first-to-market Instagram scheduler in 2014, Later has grown to become the number one visual marketing platform for Instagram. With their link. inbio you can send your followers anywhere by linking your Instagram posts to specific product pages, blog posts, or websites.

You also can optimise your content and grow your following with a look into your Instagram analytics, and post at your best times thanks to smart scheduling.

CLICK HERE TO TRY

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 09

CREATIVE IMPACT CO

COMING UP

Monthly calendar Monthly social media calendar

MAY 2020

We have worked on a number of different tools to help the wider community. We’ll be offering an extended calendar of digital events.

Whether you are new to working from home, want to improve your self-care routine there we have something for you.

DIGITAL ROUNDTABLES WITH EXPERTS Mondays

4th May | R ebranding Roundtable with resident experts (4pm) 18th May | P roductivity Roundtable with Becky Stanton (11am)

collective.creativeimpact.group

IN THE MEMBERSHIP

Tuesday 1pm & 5pm 5th May | Group coaching and accountability 19th May | G roup coaching and accountability collective.creativeimpact.group

MASTERCLASSES

Wednesdays 1pm & 4pm 13th May | SEO Auditing and Content Optimisation Strategies 27th May | H ow to use Linkedin to grow your personal brand creativeimpact.group/masterclasses

21 MAY | WORLD MEDITATION DAY

Turn to P32 to read about simple mindfulness steps to calm the mind

PODCAST

Every Wednesday 7am 6-27 May | Make an Impact Show (Right)

ON INSTAGRAM

Every Thursday 5PM 7-28 May | Self Care Clinic Q&A instagram.com/creativeimpactco

10 | CREATIVE IMPACT MAG

SEASON TWO OF THE MAKE AN IMPACT SHOW Join the team behind the Creative Impact Co for audio guides and exclusive interviews.

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE

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06 MAY | CINCO DE MAYO

Monday

Tuesday

COMING UP

25 MAY | SPRING BANK HOLIDAY

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

01

Saturday

Sunday

02

03

08

09

10

EARLY MAY BANK HOLIDAY

NATIONAL LOST SOCK DAY

15

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MAY ISSUE PUBLISHED (This one!)

04

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RED CROSS WEEK 2020

11

06

07

CINCO DE MAYO

12

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17 NATIONAL CHILDREN’S DAY

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WORLD MEDITATION DAY

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Creative Impact is the ultimate tool and resource for creatives and conscious entrepreneurs. We offer a subscription option that allows you to access a year worth of magazines and exclusive monthly templates, as well as our back catalog.

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE

24

WORLD TURTLE DAY

29

SPRING BANK HOLIDAY

MAGAZINE EXPANDS TO MONTHLY

23

30

31

MAY 2020 ISSUE NO. 04 $3.99

APRIL 2 02 0 ISSUE NO. 03

DI TCH THE ‘ 9 T O 5’ AN D E M B R AC E F LE X I B LE WO R K I N G Make an impact on other people and the planet

BOSS #Like A

THE PER FECT T IME TO DE CLUT TER YOUR HOME

PRO SECTION

E VE RY T HI N G Y OU N E E D T O K N OW A B OU T RE MOT E PRODU C T I VI T Y

Wor king fr om ho me

Special

VE RL EY GR AC E BE

H O W S H E B U I LT E SELF-CONFIDENC A WHILST BUILDING BUSINESS EMPIRE Award-winning chronic illness blogger Natasha Lipman talks

BEDROOM BOARDROOM

PRO SECTIO N

INSTAGRAM

to The five proven ways y create a winning strateg

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 11

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MISSION STATEMENTS

What’s your mission?

We asked our collective members what’s their mission and how they are looking to make a positive impact on other people and the planet, and here’s what Stephanie had to say.

“My mission is to support vulnerable populations - women, children, and the environment through a social enterprise business model. Every time someone hires me to design, I give 1% percent of revenue to organizations that I believe are making a difference.”

Stephanie Descary

www.boldyface.com

About Steph aka Boldy Face

Ottawa Ontario Canada Simply put, Steph designs brands for creative entrepreneurs. Clients get the usual digital deliverables and extra goodies, but what they really get is - the excitement of what a new brand will do for them, the gift of time (definitely, not spent on branding themselves), and the relief that this puzzle piece is completed.

Steph’s jam is getting to know people, and is also the most important part of the job; the more she knows about a person and their business, the better she brands.

Serving clients is good, but making friends in business is end-game - her real plan is to ensure she’s invited to your family gatherings.

12 | CREATIVE IMPACT MAG

The creatives that Steph works with have similar values: a need to make or create, we use our work to give back to (our) communities and/or to turn some wrongs into rights - that’s why Boldy Face donates one percent of revenue to organizations she believes in.

Steph’s belief is that if women were in all industries equally, the world would be a better place. This is why one percent of revenue is given to organizations that help and support women, children with a focus on Indigenous and LGBTQ2S+ communities.

Bey did say it best: “Who run the world?”

Well, we do.

CREATIVE IMPACT CO

BOOKSHELF

FROM OUR COLLECTIVE MEMBERS

You are a Badass at Making Money

Mindset Secrets for Winning MARK MINERVINI

JEN SINCERO

Choosen by Bridgette @hyper_health_nut

I am loving Mindset Secrets for Winning by Mark Minervini!

About bringing your personal best to every situation, in relation to goals, fear of failure, practicing your skills, and the quality of our thoughts. It’s a very motivational read, with many examples and analysis relating to success and the mindset of athletes within different sports, but these traits can be applied to any aspect of your life.

Smart Women Finish Rich DAVID BACH

Choosen by Rachel @thevitalityvet

This book is focused specifically towards women on how to budget and save, as well as where to invest your money so you can essentially retire a millionaire and achieve all your personal & financial dreams.

Gives you a specific task at the end of each chapter making it a nice step by step guide on how to accomplish these things! Super informative and practical when it comes to figuring out your finances (whether your young, old, single, married, etc.)

WHAT WE’RE READING

Choosen by Ushi @pushwithush

Click on

book to get sales link

She’s clear but not “woowoo” when it comes to money mindset, her short stories are fun, shes changed her life around and the look makes you feel like ‘yes I’ve got this’... great mindset shifts after reading this book!

Becoming MICHELLE OBAMA

Choosen by Rachel @thevitalityvet

I really love the insight into her life and how she grew up. It gives you a great perspective. And I already loved & respected her, but it definitely makes you, even more, a fan of her!

And inspires you to know you can achieve anything you set your heart & mind to, despite any obstacles you may encounter.

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 13

BO COVER FEATURE

CREATIVE IMPACT CO

BOSS The (BOSS) lady behind the business empire Interview by Amy Lanza

14 | CREATIVE IMPACT MAG

OSS CREATIVE IMPACT CO

GRACE BEVERLEY

S

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 15

F GRACE BEVERLEY

CREATIVE IMPACT CO

or this issue, all about building confidence and inspiring confidence around us, we wanted to bring you the best people making waves and shaking up the online world. When it came to think about who we’d love to have on our cover, the name Grace Beveley came to mind.

For the launch of her activewear brand, TALA, we could safely say she broke the internet. As stated in one of her Instagram posts during the launch process, the website counted over “10,000 new @wearetala girl orders in 30 minutes, 80,000 people on the site”.

We had the pleasure to interview Grace Beverley, fitness entrepreneur and founder of TALA, B_ND and Shreddy to talk more about her journey as an entrepreneur and what her brand TALA taught her about supporting her community and empowering them.

Since the launch of TALA in 2019, you have taken the fitness world by storm. What is the story behind the brand?

Put simply, there weren’t any brands that I felt I could really support whether because of their production practices or if they were a sustainable brand, their price points weren’t realistic for my then student audience. It made sense, given my experience building my first company, to start something myself! I’ve also always been a lover of activewear and definitely knew what made a good pair of leggings, so I was very excited to be able to bring all that knowledge together with our selling points of ethics and sustainability.

What do We Are Tala and the #teamtala mean to the business and to the community?

Everything! We can’t deny the power of social media, it allows us to connect directly to our customers and make decisions based on what they want and need. #TeamTALA have named collections, decided on colourways and even decided how and when we drop each product.

Since the inception of the brand we have been lucky enough to grow an engaged, slow fashion community who love what we do and thankfully support us in our journey towards making change.

You also have a big focus on sustainability which sets you apart from other brands. What inspired you to venture into the world of sustainable activewear?

We are in the middle of a huge climate crisis, we’ve passed the time where fast fashion should be seen as the norm. We’ve found through our research that people want to move past fast fashion but often aren’t given the opportunity at a price point they can afford, and we wanted to give people the power to vote with their

money. In terms of the sustainable fashion industry, I have high hopes. I think the rise in sustainable brands and change in consumer habits are really scaring some of the big fast fashion brands, and I truly hope for change, no matter how much competition it creates for us.

Can you explain a bit about your hashtag #itscooltobekind ? What impact do you hope to have on society?

We came up with the #itscooltobekind hashtag, during the conception of the brand in 2018 and it still encapsulates everything we’re about. This could include being kind to yourself and your body, kind to the planet, kind to other people, but really it should take on whatever meaning feels right to the individual. At it’s the most basic level, it is just keeping ‘kindness’ at the forefront of everything we do.

For example, we wanted to have an entirely inclusive marketing campaign and we follow that through every area of our business. Of course, sustainability is one of our biggest ethoses - we currently ensure that all of our clothes are made from over 92% upcycled or recycled materials which come from either offcuts that would’ve gone to landfill or plastic bottles. Then we’re also conscious of who makes our clothes - we do not believe you can be kind if the people making your clothes are working in terrible conditions, drinking contaminated water and essentially living a very low standard of living so that people can have another item of clothing.

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 17

• STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD •

Listen to season two of Make an Impact Show SUBSCRIBE ON ITUNES LEARN HOW TO GROW YOUR BRAND AND CREATE A LEGACY ONLINE

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GRACE BEVERLEY

Self-acceptance, body-positivity and kindness are all words that spring to mind when you see the TALA feed - how important is this to you?

Ultimately we just want to make sure that people can go on our site and see what something would look like on them, so they can make an informed decision before they decide to buy. Actually, one of the most shocking things since launching has been the reception we’ve had on inclusivity, it’s kind of sad how happy people have been because it means it’s abnormal to see people of all shapes, sizes and races in our campaigns. It shows how under-represented some people feel and how much change there needs to be.

You must have picked up a lot of knowledge so far, what is the best piece of advice you’ve been given and who was it by?

I’ve got to the stage in my life where I genuinely take inspiration and knowledge from anyone and everyone. There are so many people doing incredible things just about everywhere, so look around and take inspiration! The best piece of advice I’ve been given is to always listen to feedback, constructive, positive, negative - all of it. Don’t let it get to you, but allow it to reward your business in improving!

GRACE’S DAILY ESSENTIALS

1 2

Stop concentrating on whether people like you, just be the best you can be.

Productivity does NOT mean working nonstop and never having time for yourself, downtime is equally as important.

3

Take time to celebrate your successes and be proud of yourself, the world moves so quickly and sometimes you can miss those moments because you’re already onto the next.

What advice would you give someone thinking of starting a business on their own?

You have to have a clear mission in order to succeed. Time management is essential otherwise you will easily get distracted and lose track. It’s all about balance. You need to recognise when to ‘put the hours in’ and when to relax. The only thing that can stop you from getting where you want to be is yourself!

Grace, as the TALA founder, how do you manage to find balance as a multiple business owner, social media sensation and Oxford graduate?

The last few years haven’t been easy at all in terms of having a lot on my plate, but they’ve also been incredibly rewarding. My main tip would be to set small goals and keep on pushing through because if you think of the bigger picture you’ll always be overwhelmed and all your goals will feel too large. It’s all about balance and spreading yourself correctly across your priorities.

Prioritising is hard, but important - there is no way I’d be able to do my job without it!

It is without a doubt a tough time for everyone right now. How is TALA adapting to life with social restrictions?

Our main priority at this time is making sure we’re giving #TeamTALA what they want and need whilst keeping the

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 19

# WE ARE

GRACE BEVERLEY’S TOP FOUR TALA PRODUCTS Choosing my favourite products is incredibly tricky, because I wouldn’t sign off or design a product that I wouldn’t wear all the time myself, but I’d say there are five I am leaning to most right now.

HOSTA

HEADBAND

Our headbands are an absolute lifesaver, so useful to throw on, such an easy way to make you look put together.

These shorts are one of our best sellers, people absolutely LOVE their fit...they have the best contour and high waistband

NOVA

The softest and cosy plastic bottles I’ve ever worn!

GRACE BEVERLEY

people in our supply chain safe. Now more than ever we’re leaning on our audience to guide us. For example, we know that continually hearing about COVID-19 can be difficult so we’ve launched TALA Talks (a mini blog on our site) and changed up our entire social strategy to offer people a welcome distraction.

We are currently still able to deliver globally whilst closely monitoring for updates from all of our partners. It is important to make sure the products we’re releasing are useful and what people want, but also that we’re doing the best thing in regards to safety! This means we’ve made a lot of changes to our production schedule to ensure that we’re launching collections that are relevant in the current climate.

Do you have a motto or mantra that you live by that shapes your outlook on life?

The time is going to pass anyway, you might as well make it count!

If you could live in just one TALA item for the next few months, what would it be?

If the weather continues as it is, a Hosta and Aster set in one of the core colours. SO flattering and comfy I’d be very happy wearing it for the next few months!

About Grace Beverley

ONDA AND LUNA

I love wearing the full Onda/Luna set at the moment as it has such a flattering fit, and is super comfortable. I normally put this on when I get up in the morning ready to start work, then can work out in it later that afternoon.

You can stay up to date with Grace Beverley on her Instagram account, as well as viewing more products that have been featured in this article via the website

C li c k o n the b o ld li nks to fo u n d out more

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CREATIVE IMPACT CO

FIGHTING BACK

e h t g n i d Lea e v o L f l e S

u l o v e R

Interview by Amy Lanza

elf-love and diet are not two terms you’ll hear often in conjunction with one another. So, we decided it’s time to smash the diet taboos with Harri and Becky from the Anti Diet Riot Club.

They have founded the first radical community and platform dismantling ‘diet culture’, body shame and fat phobia whilst also educating people on how to accept and look after their bodies regardless of size or weight.

Preaching that diets do not work (with approx 90% of dieters regaining the weight back plus more), the Anti Diet Riot Club (ADRC) aims to help people stop wasting their time, energy on money on an industry that doesn’t care about them and stigmatises fat people in the process. As well as creating informative and inspirational content, ADRC host workshops and meetups that are an antidote to the millions of slimming clubs happening around the world.

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n o i t u CREATIVE IMPACT CO

FIGHTING BACK

CREATIVE IMPACT CO

The Anti-Diet Riot Club is causing a storm right now – tell us, what is it and where did it all begin?

Becky – I came up with the idea for ADRC at the end of 2017 after my own life and mindset were changed through the body acceptance movement I had discovered online years before. I was going through a difficult breakup and I wanted to create an IRL community around me, one that was free of diet chat or calorie counting, and with a background in events, I thought setting up a group would be the best way to do this. Our first event in March 2018 was with Megan Crabbe and over 100 people came! Harri and I joined together later that year initially to help take some radical, body-positive workshops to festivals which we both love – but since then we’ve been growing and adapting and hopefully improving ever since.

“one thing we all need to do is talk more kindly to ourselves” How are your personal stories and experiences weaved into the ADRC as it is today?

Harri – both Becky and I have similar experiences of growing up not thinking we were thin enough and consequently going on every diet under the sun. I ended up with binge eating disorder but I didn’t recognise it as an eating disorder. We both felt out of control and miserable. And when we were at our thinnest, we were also the most messed up in the head. We both got to a place where we had completely lost our connection to our bodies (instead caught in a place of loathing) and had a very messed up relationship with food.

Our journey to healing ended up being pretty similar too. We both hit

a ‘dieting wall’, where something in our heads was saying ‘stop!’.

Then we were lucky enough to find the body positivity movement (as it was back in the day, not co-opted by diet culture as it is today). I trained as a health coach and discovered Intuitive Eating and Health at Every Size and Becky used her event management background to create a space IRL for the body positive movement to gather in London.

Everything we do is influenced by how much we used to hate our bodies and fearing food – and fatness. We know how much diets can steal the joy out of life – and all the life experiences that are easy to miss out on when you don’t feel good enough. And we’re living proof that you don’t have to reach a goal weight to be happy.

The Anti Diet Riot Club is blooming – what are your career highlights to date?

Becky – It’s been such a wild roller coaster! From the sold-out launch event to our recent Anti Diet Riot Fest which had over 250 attendees and 9 hours of body and sex-positive content, we’ve hosted some really great events we’re proud of. Our little club being picked up by BBC News, The Guardian, The Times and Grazia has definitely been a highlight as I founded it not thinking people would be so interested in it! Taking our workshops to Meadows In The Mountains in Bulgaria, as well as festivals like Boomtown, Wilderness and Shambala have also been an amazing feat for us personally as we love festivals and their atmosphere. On a more specific level, the feedback we’ve received from attendees, the stories of freedom from diet obsession that people have told us and having women with double mastectomies come to our boob printing workshops and take so much from them has made EVERYTHING so worthwhile.

Diet culture is a form of oppression that holds us all back – fatphobia is real and something we all need to actively work to change.

Capitalism is profiting off our insecurities when flaws simply don’t exist. Health isn’t a moral obligation and whatever your body looks like, healthy or unhealthy, you’re worthy of love and respect. Oh, and diets don’t work so please save your physical and mental health

and stop going on them.

What does self-love mean to you?

Harri – Self-love to me means putting yourself first and learning how to fill up your own cup, which actually means saying no when you have to. It’s having healthy relationships and a generous self-pleasure practice!

What are your non-negotiables in your daily self-care routine?

Becky – being compassionate with myself, because self-care looks different every day.

With a bone condition called Fibrous Dysplasia, I’ve learned to listen to my body’s limits and honour when it needs food, rest, movement as much as I can.

Harri – Mindfulness and meditation changed my relationship with my mental health. In terms of more traditional ‘self-care routines’, I have to think about my obsession with face care (laughs). Since I was 15 I’ve been obsessed with a face cleansing routine. Even at university, I was never too messy to wash my face. Now, at night, I double wash my face, use Pixi Glow Tonic and then use facial oil. I used to spend a lot of money on serums but since The Ordinary came about, they’re my go-to. Although I’m trying to use more natural and eco-friendly products. In the day, I never go out without an SPF in my moisturiser.

What do you do to show yourself a little TLC? Becky – I love long baths, deep conditioning my curly hair, curling up with a book or Netflix series and some chocolate, being outside and looking at the sky, and getting a massage! Harri – eating out always feels like a treat. I love food, it’s one of life’s great pleasures – if someone else is cooking for me then I’m happy!

How can we all be kind to ourselves?

Harri – one thing we all need to do is talk more kindly to ourselves!

Catching the words we’re using and showing ourselves some selfcompassion is game-changing. I recommend to everyone to look up the work of Kristin Neff on self-compassion. It involves learning to be mindful of how we’re speaking to ourselves and using kinder words in our self-talk. And also realising that being human is hard and everyone suffers If we can remember this ‘shared-humanity’ then it’s easier to give ourselves a break!

About Anti Diet Riot Club

You can stay up to date with the Anti Diet Riot Club on their Instagram and check out their website for upcoming events.

C li c k o n the b o ld li nks to fo u n d out more

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 25

KNOCKOUT BRANDING

GROWING

Confidence in your brand with Rob Eades

Interview by Amy Lanza

I

n times like these, understanding the importance of honest relationships between brands and creatives is key.

This is why we talked to Rob Eades, the face behind the brand once known as Lean Student Chef, about his experience being a creative (and “influencer”) in the space for years.

His mission is to make a healthy lifestyle accessible to everyone: “My page is full of content that anyone can do, whatever their budget and whatever their level of fitness. By making recipes that cost less than £2 and 20-minute workout videos that take less than 20 minutes and don’t need any equipment, I strongly believe that I’m making a healthy lifestyle accessible for everyone.”

Being a creative and constantly coming up with content ideas to present to your audience means always being able to think on your feet and find inspiration everywhere around you: “I just take inspiration from the food I try for the recipes, workouts I do for the workouts and anything I see that I can

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 27

KNOCKOUT BRANDING

really resonate with for the motivational posts” continues Eades “I love Instagram because I love the imagery side of it and even with all of its changes, I still think it rewards the best content.”

We spent some time with Rob and asked him some questions about what’s behind his online content.

“I trained as an actor, so I’ve always wanted to use my platform to work in front of the camera” What advice would you give to anyone wanting to start in the industry now?

Make sure you are really, truly passionate about the content you want to create. If not, it will be impossible to survive the months, maybe even years of creating heaps of content without much traction or reward.

What is the process behind each post you produce?

For recipes, I price out the ingredients food to check if I can make it for less than £2, then simply cook it, write out the recipe, photograph, and post it. For workouts, I write out the workout first then film and edit in order to post. For motivational stuff, I write down anything I see or hear and then compile it into posts as I go. I then try to use a variety of images of myself for the post.

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KNOCKOUT BRANDING

What has been a career highlight so far?

Presenting BBC’s Kitchen Starter Pack has to be number one for me. I trained as an actor, so I’ve always wanted to use my platform to work in front of the camera.

I’ve been very lucky to do some incredible things and work with some incredible brands but having watched inspirational chefs my whole life on the BBC, it’s very surreal to be able to say that I’m not the host of a cooking program on the BBC! Can you tell us about some of the lessons you have learned along the way?

Definitely taking on deals with too many brands. The biggest lesson I learned is to always make sure your content is adding value to your audience. If not, they lose interest and your personal brand gets much weaker. There is a big misconception about social media, and that is easy to keep creating good content. Having a focused

message behind all of your content helps to shape and focus the content you create.

When it comes to health and wellness, how is the content you are creating helping to make a bigger impact in the world?

Everything I post is aimed at making a healthy mind and body easier for anyone that follows me to achieve. I don’t think being healthy should be something reserved for the privileged few. With feeling fit and eating well comes an inevitable mental health benefit too. My fitness and health have been so key to my mental health throughout my life that I think it deeply unfair that more people don’t have access to the same thing. Added to that, I try to keep my content motivational and happy if not just useful - I firmly believe that we should only follow people that enhance our lives, not make us feel worse - so I only post things that I honestly believe will do that.

What do you think is the most important thing about working on collaborations with other creatives and brands?

I think in every walk of life, it’s so important to take inspiration from anybody that you meet.

Everyone has something useful that they can offer you, normally you just need to ask the right questions. With brands, it’s so important to feel in control of the creative process behind the content, if the brand works with you from as early as possible, the overall content is something I am proud to have created, that reflects my message - rather than something I have felt forced to create.

I’ve had so many helpful conversations and pieces of advice from people like Ben

Lebus, Miguel Barclay and Joe Wicks.

But the biggest help has been the community of other content creators that you meet on the way - they help you to remember that they’re also going through the same trials and tribulations. Without that, it would be quite a lonely thing to do.

Can you let us in on something exciting coming to Lean Student Chef?

I’m about to step away from the ‘Leanstudentchef’ name and simply become @Rob_Eades. I created the page three years ago when I was a student and food was my main focus. Now food, fitness, and wellbeing are all equally a part of what I do, as well as my presenting, acting, and work on my other business - so I want the page to reflect that!

Find out more

Make sure you check out Rob Eades on Instagram @rob_eades

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 29

COLUMNIST

g n i t a l p Contem e t t o l r a h C with

Women can do it all but it’s ok if you don’t Women can have the job, the partner, the child, and the side hustle… but do we risk negating female progression if we don’t want to?

Written by Charlotte willis

D

oes anyone else have a feeling that they are the friend who of health complaints, which included physical fatigue, menstrual always turns down brunches, nights out and coffee conditions and hormonal imbalances. mornings using the age-old excuse that you’re just simply These health complaints are often the result of a gradual, chronic “just SO busy right now”? Yeah, me too. release of stress hormones such as cortisol, which begin to negatively Perhaps you’ve had one of those days, weeks, or months where impact regular bodily functioning. You may not think that typical your to-do list is a never-ending scribe of tasks. The scheduled events daily jobs and habits such as commuting, guzzling caffeine, working on your Google calendar begin at 8:05 am and have you marked an additional hour or so every day, or falling short of 8 hours sleep for down as busy until, well… eternity, spending 8-7, not 9-5 bending a few nights per week in favour of clearing your inbox would make a over backward just to try and keep up with your own ambition. We’re significant difference to your stress levels, but over time, these constantly pulled from meeting to Zoom chat to project briefing to stressors begin to accumulate, leaving your mind and body fatigued. phone calls, squeezing emails, gym classes, healthy eating, What’s more, the busy woman is at risk of psychological burnout, socializing, 2 litres of water, 8 hours of anxiety and work-related stress, which sleep, family time and healthy love life can result in the need to take time off. (optional) into 24 intense hours of the “Never before have we been day. Being a modern woman living in Why so much pressure? surrounded by as many a non-stop world means switching and Call it feminism, call it the female inspiring women ” changing between multiple different revolution, call it whatever you like, but roles, with one condition: you’ve got females are beginning to truly own it in to keep up. the world of business. Never before have we been surrounded by as many inspiring, driven and motivated The trappings of a busy woman women on social media, whilst simultaneously being reminded of the One of the most important and influential books I have read lately is need to “work harder” in order to reap success in our lives. We see Rushing Women’s Syndrome by Dr. Libby Weaver. Within her years women who have it all – the career, the volunteer position, part-time working as a women’s health practitioner, Dr. Weaver began to notice passion project on Etsy, the baby and the partner. And dammit, we that an overwhelming majority of her professional female clients want it. We take a look at these successful busy women and think to lived busy non-stop lifestyles in which they ran from task to task, ourselves, wow, I wonder how she does it all? Being busy has become juggling multiple roles as they go. These high-flying women were at the new cool, and it seems we are scrambling our brains and the top of their field, but at what cost to their wellbeing? Dr. Weaver throwing our bodies into a state of constant stress in order to get began to notice that chronically busy women often presented a series there. To keep up. To be, busy.

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CREATIVE IMPACT CO

COLUMNIST

We don’t have to

Un-busy yourself

I’m sure some women may think that any mentality shy of work work work is anti-feminist. Surely, we owe it to female empowerment to be as successful as we possibly can be? Whilst I couldn’t agree more, this endless weighting pressure we place on each other as women to be as successful and motivated as we possibly can at every minute of the day is… exhausting. There’s no doubt that women living in western society have great opportunities for both personal and professional development, and when we look around us at other regions of the world, we need to realise just how lucky we are to have such choices. However, this need to embody busy-ness in our lives must not come at the compromise of our own health and close relationships with others.

After all, when the work stops, do you have other areas of yourself that are as developed as your LinkedIn profile? Being the friend that always says no won’t leave you with many people to call upon in times of need. What’s the point in losing sleep to clear an inbox which will surely fill itself back up again within 24 hours? There’s a limit to what everyone and anyone can do, and realising these limits is your first step to leaving your busy, stressful and tiresome lifestyle behind.

Here’s how.

If you feel like you have been devoting too much time to one area of your life lately, take a look at how you can re-address this balance, and gain a better sense of your own personal purpose, needs and happiness. Schedule in a reflection time for yourself every week to check in on your mental and physical health. In your downtime chat with friends or family, make time for meditation, journaling and contemplation.

Start saying no to extra work if your capacity has been reached, and be honest with yourself about how much time you need to complete tasks. Most of all, start to think about the pressure you put yourself under. Is it a healthy level, or do you feel like you are struggling to keep up? What small changes can you make to help yourself feel more in control and less rushed? Perhaps you need to have a social media cleanse, or digital detox? How are your diet and overall health? Now more than ever is the time to prioritise your own wellbeing, without the need to look like a busy woman.

Sure, as women, we can do it all, but we don’t have to. And you know what, that’s perfectly brilliant in itself.

Click to read more from Charlotte aka @charlottesophiewrites

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 31

FIND YOUR CALM

CREATIVE IMPACT CO

Steps to feeling more calm and connected Written by Vida Carmel

A

s a coach and trainer, I need to be grounded and present so I can be in a resourceful state for the people I work with. At this challenging time, we all need ways to look after ourselves and help others. We are living through a pandemic and the world is a complex and distressing place. What follows are some of the tools I use to ground myself, in the hope that you will find something of value you can take away to feel calm and connected.

Robert Dilts’ C.R.A.S.H and C.O.A.C.H framework provide a checklist you can use anytime you need to bring your attention to how to feel balanced.

It is useful to realise when you may be in a C.R.A.S.H state (contracted, reacting, analysing, separate, hurt), which is similar to flight or flight mode. In times of crisis, fight or flight is the natural human response and the state that many of us have been in recently. Consider the last time you felt tense and stressed (C.R.A.S.H state), and acknowledge and welcome that uncomfortable feeling.

Ask yourself what specifically you were reacting to at that moment (was it reading the news, scrolling through social media, WhatsApp group messages, someone else’s behaviour, your own self-talk?) Becoming consciously aware and acknowledging how you are feeling enables you to truly connect with yourself and in turn to connect with

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others in a more authentic and compassionate way.

If you are in a C.R.A.S.H state and this isn’t helping you right now, you can refocus your attention by asking, ‘what do I want instead?’

Often we are all looking for ways to feel calm and grounded. The C.O.A.C.H state (centred, open, aware, connected, holding) will enable you to do this so you can take back some agency during this difficult time.

Author bio

Vida is currently available for online coaching, workshops and group facilitation, find out more on www.vidacarmel.com

CREATIVE IMPACT CO

FIND YOUR CALM

Ways to find your calm 01 Centre Sitting on a chair or

04 Connect While maintaining a

standing, make sure your feet are firmly on the floor and your body is in a symmetrical position. Drop your weight down so you bring your attention to your centre and let the ground or the chair support you. Imagine you are an old oak tree, your legs are like the trunk of the tree and your feet are the roots, connecting through the earth’s crust deep down into the core of the earth. Notice what it feels like to be centred and grounded. Place your hands on your tummy, the centre of your body, and breathe.

connection with your centre, bring your attention to the system you are part of, your household, family, friends, work, community, country, and the world. By connecting with yourself you are able to realise your relationship with the whole.

You can use your own past experiences and wisdom to do this. Consider a time in your life that you felt balanced, calm and connected to yourself. It could be sometime this year or from further back in the past.

See what you saw, hear what you heard and feel what you felt, that time in your life when you felt balanced and connected.

Notice what you were doing more of, and what you were doing less of.

What needs to be true for you to feel this way?

02

Open

Bring your attention to your breath and on your next exhalation, squeeze all of the air out, like you are squeezing the water out of a sponge until there is nothing left, and then let it go.

Notice how deeply you are able to breathe again. Start breathing out for longer than you are breathing in, breathing out for a count of 6, holding for 3, and in for 3. Notice how you can let any areas of tension in your body go as you breathe out.

Allow your jaw, shoulders, and stomach to soften, draw your shoulders back as you open your chest. Bring your arms down by your side, palms facing open.

05 Holding Hold what you are

03 Aware Become aware and attend to what is going on inside and outside of you. Widen your periphery vision, softening your gaze, as you take in everything from this centred and open state. Notice three things you can see in the outside world, three things you can hear in the outside world, and three things you can feel in the outside world. Do this again noticing two and then one for each. Next, attend to your inside world and repeat the process, noticing what you can see, hear, and feel within you.

experiencing right now from a place of resourcefulness. What feels different and what else seems possible? What can you commit to doing from now so that you are able to access this state on a daily basis?

What action will you take? It could be useful to write this down or share it with someone for accountability.

Writing down your thoughts and journalling can help you to get clarity around your emotions.

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 33

#NOMAKEUPSELFIE

ECZEMA WARRIOR helps skin glow Interview and feature by Amy Lanza

C

amille Knowles is the best selling author and founder of the Beauty of Eczema™. She is also a qualified Health Coach via The Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and Natural Chef. Here, we talk to her as she takes a huge leap into the beauty and wellness world, launching a unique new vegan skincare range featuring a revolutionary prebiotic.

It was at this point that she decided to take control. Camille has helped to live a life beyond eczema through practising simple lifestyle changes and designing and adopting her own HOPE principals. “ In 2016 I qualified as a health coach, then in 2017 as a natural chef. I then began writing my book which launched in 2018, which followed by the launch of my journal, affirmation cards and skincare range.”

28 year-old Camille was a chronic eczema sufferer, which impacted her childhood and teenage years, right into adulthood. She led a life where she would be constantly covering up her skin, hiding herself away and avoiding social occasions. The condition became so debilitating that she was hospitalised and told that there was nothing anyone could do to cure her eczema and severe flare-ups: “the Beauty of Eczema was born from a lifelong dream to personally live a life beyond eczema and then share that with the world. I was hospitalised in 2013 covered in eczema head to toe and made a promise to myself that if I managed to find a way to find glowing skin again I would write a book and dedicate my life to helping warriors.”

What kept her going when things got tough was the belief in her mission: “In 2013 I was extremely depressed and didn’t see any hope for my future. I had two choices, to give up or to give it all I have got. I chose the latter. Even on the days it was tough, I thought about just helping one more person than myself and that motivated me to keep going.”

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Camille has found that eating well and nourishing the skin from within was a key principle in reducing her eczema symptoms and achieving glowing skin. Following her certification with Integrative Nutrition she had the confidence to share this guidance with her online community titled the ‘Warrior Tribe’.

Camille’s first book, The Beauty of Eczema provides fellow sufferers with what she believes is a life-changing toolkit to support and inspire: “The book is divided into two sections. Part one my story and part two the HOPE principles. The reason it begins with my story is because back in 2013 I felt completely alone, as if nobody understood

“I had two choices, to give up or to give it all I’ve got.

I chose the latter”

what I was going through. The medical professionals I were speaking to didn’t have eczema, as much as they tried to help, I couldn’t relate.”

Through her book, she wanted to help Eczema warriors all over the world and everyone and anyone wanting the tools to live a healthier life: “I decided to become that person for myself and for millions of warriors all over the world. Part 2 is the HOPE principles and these are what they live by daily to live a life beyond eczema.

The reason they are called the HOPE principles are because I am not offering a cure, I am offering HOPE, and sometimes that is all you need to get through another day.”

of the book has been phenomenal!! I set out to just help one more person and now I am helping thousands all over the world. I am so lucky to receive such positive feedback via DM on instagram.”

The Beauty of Eating Well by Camille Knowles™, a recipe book that puts the freedom and fun back into food for the 35 million people affected by eczema. All the recipes featured are free from dairy, eggs, gluten and refined sugar but are full of colour, flavour and passion: “The reception

Now, Camille is on a mission to help people pamper their skin with ‘supercharged’ natural ingredients through her new skincare range, The Beauty of Eczema™.

A new, over 97% naturally derived and vegan skincare line of highly effective, affordable products to help the 15 million

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 35

#NOMAKEUPSELFIE

CREATIVE IMPACT CO

people in the UK who have eczema prone, sensitive skin or those who suffer with allergies: “Growing up I could only use unattractive, plain looking products that smelt bland and were greasy on the skin. I felt completely left out of the beauty world as my friends would have a beautiful selection of products.”

“An arrow can only be shot forwards by pulling it backwards” The first line of five vegan and cruelty-free products has been developed with an award winning skin care formulator, tested by dermatologists and uses cutting edge scientific techniques: “I asked myself at 16, why can’t people with eczema have beautiful products that are safe for sensitive skin? Over 10 years on and having not seen these created for us warriors, I decided to create them myself. I couldn’t be more happy with the line! For the first time in forever, I and many other warriors can use beautiful products for our skin type.”

a fermented sugar based ingredient which protects and soothes.

Botanically-sourced ingredients have been chosen for their holistic healing qualities including Bioecolia®, a prebiotic to help balance the skin’s ecosystem, Smithsonite crystal for zinc, Oat Lipids which contain high levels of vitamin E and Rhamnosoft®,

Staying true to its natural ingredients list, the packaging is 100% recyclable. The packaging has been given a touch of raw design to showcase its closeness to nature and purchasers will see an “I am glowing” message when they open the box to offer About Camille Knowles a note of positivity.

For more information click on her website and follow @thebeautyofeczema and @camilleknowles on Self-care is the biggest act Instagram www.thebeautyofeczema.com of love you can give yourself C li c k o nt he b o ld li nks to fo u n d out more

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and on so many occasions I used to loathe putting on creams because it felt like it was a prescribed and clinical, now The Beauty of Eczema ™ is a catalyst for change, allowing more people to pamper their skin and see it as a positive action.

Camille’s favourite quote states: ‘An arrow can only be shot forwards by pulling it backwards’, and it has an incredibly powerful message behind it: “when you feel like life is pulling you back, it only means you are going to fly forwards into a must better place. This gives me hope.”

SKIN CONFIDENCE with these beauty products

C li c k o n to p ic tu re s g e t s a le s li n k

The Beauty of Eczema™ Calming Cream A beautiful every day pamper for the face and body, packed with nourishing ingredients carefully formulated to protect the skin’s barrier and boost hydration. “Adding this to my everyday skincare regime is like giving my skin a daily dose of gratitude.” shares Camille “It’s a miracle in a tube and leaves skin comfortable and cared for.” Featuring powerful ingredients rich in moisture as well as intensely nurturing natural butters such as Jojoba Seed Oil, the Calming Cream also contains purposeful crystals, Oat Lipids and Omega 3&6 which are especially important for dry skin conditions.

The Beauty of Eczema™ Warrior Wash To start each day the right way, Camille recommends The Beauty of Eczema™ Warrior Wash - an energising, creamy and cleansing skin wash rich in antioxidants. This careful blend of ingredients includes natural moisturiser - sugar beet - which helps protect cells from dehydration enabling everyday use without leaving the skin irritated or dry.

The Beauty of Eczema’s™ Salty Soother The Salty Soother is a mineral-rich blend of pink Himalayan blush, Dead Sea and Epsom salts infused with soothing and restoring oils. The salts soothe and give the skin and all over immersion of nourishment while relaxing the mind, preparing it for a blissful sleep.

The Beauty of Eczema’s™ Pamper Me Bathing Oil This a gel is based and packed with ingredients such as natural oils, Omega 3&6, Oat lipids and crystals which work in harmony to treat mind, body and soul. Add the gel to a warm running bath and it will turn to a sumptuous milk for you to have a relaxing soak, while nourishing the skin. Or, apply directly to the skin before rinsing in the shower for an intensive moisturising and luxurious treatment. The range also includes bath salts especially formulated for those with skin conditions.

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CREATIVE IMPACT

PRO SECTION FUN FACT

The most liked picture on social media is found on Instagram and is of a plain egg with over 54.4 million likes

THI S I SSUE

Instagram IN STA GR AM M Y T HS

H O W TO A U D I T

CO MPLET E I G T V G UI DE

Busting 6 big myths about Instagram with our friends at Hypeauditor with credible advice to grow your account.

Follow these three steps to learn how to review, analyse and optimise your profile, audience and your overall strategy.

All you need to know about getting started with an IGTV account - and why you should. How to make the most of Instagram videos.

INSTAGRAM

6 Common mistakes to avoid when growing your

Instagram With plenty of information on the Internet on how to grow your Instagram account, it is not often easy to understand which advice is credible.

Written by Kate Karnaukhova

1

DON’T Use follow/unfollow

Follow/unfollow or mas-following is a widespread method of growing one’s audience on Instagram. The main reason why a mass follower follows someone is to be followed back. If the latter does not follow back after a couple of days, a mass follower unfollows this profile.

This is not a viable strategy since mass following lacks genuine engagement with the profile’s content and consequently gives you loads of passive followers which has a major downside. Why a downside? The more

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passive users you get, the increasingly lower reach you have. Instagram prioritizes those posts which receive higher engagement and puts them higher in the feed.

INSTEAD Do monitor your followers and engage with them As you may understand, the less unengaged followers you have, the better it is for your account. Thus, monitoring your account’s health should become your

regular routine. Creating a practice for yourself it key.

Tools like HypeAuditor allow you to see the percentage of mass followers among your subscribers and the percentage of bot accounts. Together with the analytics of your profile, you need also to focus on maintaining the relationship with the audience and ensure engagement with your account.

INSTAGRAM

Author bio

Kate is HypeAuditor blog editor and community manager. She is also an avid cinema and travel lover https://hypeauditor.com/reports/instagram/

2

DON’T Do loop giveaways

A loop giveaway normally comprises 15+ Instagram creators who join their resources to buy a prize for the giveaway participants.

They have several requirements for participants which they need to fulfill in order to enter the giveaway.

Users who are willing to take part in a giveaway are required to follow every account in the loop in order to enter, which implies that an creators should gain hundreds or thousands of new

followers. The followers you get during the giveaway are temporary: most likely they followed you because they were tempted to win the giveaway. These accounts will unfollow you shortly or will turn into inactive followers once it is over.

INSTEAD Do marathons or very tailored giveaways with creators of the same niche as yours It is hard to dispute that giveaways attract a big

number of new potential followers to your profile. To retain them, you need to remember that marathons and tailored giveaways with creators from the same niche as you can help you with that.

Marathons are prolonged in time and allow to create a true community, whereas by doing a giveaway with like-minded creators you will attract a truly relevant audience due to the similarity between the content in your account and the one of creators you work with during the contest.

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 41

INSTAGRAM

3

DON’T Use engagement pods

Engagement or comment pods are private groups of creators that aspire to increase their engagement by leaving comments under publications of one another. Once the pod member publishes a new post and shares it in the group, others are obliged to comment on it.

It seems to be an infallible strategy, however, as any shadow method of growth, it has a downside. Once you leave the pod, you will no longer see new comments automatically appearing under your publication, and you definitely will leave the pod one day, since participation in it is very time-consuming.

INSTEAD Improve your photos and captions

4

DON’T Do shoutouts

Generally, a shoutout is a good practice allowing you to present your profile in another creator’s account and attract new followers. However, most creators use it incorrectly and don’t prepare their own account for new followers.

Often they choose wrongly creators to partner with because the content of the

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Constantly improve and experiment with your Instagram content and do not focus only on pictures and their editing. Captions should not be disregarded because they are the key to having a bigger reach.

A good Instagram caption will demonstrate your personality, entertain, motivate or educate the audience – depending on the goal of your content. Find a way to differentiate yourself and offer something valuable to your audience.

latter is different and thus the audience also differs.

The second trap you may get into is accounts with bought followers. You should know that some unscrupulous creators buy bots in order to justify the cost of a shoutout. So you expect to get a bunch of new followers, but if the account in which you advertise has a distinctive number of inactive and bots accounts, this shoutout will not bring you the quality following.

INSTEAD Do shoutouts with relevant creators Just as in case of tailored giveaways with creators from your niche, you should do shoutouts in the accounts which contain content which is similar or complementary to yours. Secondly, check the authenticity of the creators you want to partner with. Don’t be fooled by a big follower count: check them by using special tools to see their engagement, the percent of the quality audience, and other factors.

INSTAGRAM

6

DON’T Buy followers

Many Instagrammers think that the easiest way to grow the audience is by buying followers. Many even think that they buy real followers since the advertisement on the website claims so. The truth is that these followers are always not real people – you buy either bots, or inactive, or stolen accounts that will even in the shortterm perspective lower your reach and thus engagement.

Having fake followers destroys your credibility and it goes against the Instagram community guidelines.

This implies that you may lose all followers that you have bought and even your account.

5

INSTEAD Do use official Insta ads Instagram advertisement is a good and secure way to grow your follower count. Remember that results completely depend on your creativity and targeting.

DON’T Use broad hashtags

Those Instagram users who practice follow/unfollow usually do it with the help of an automation tool which is set to follow accounts on the basis of some criteria.

Hashtags are often used as such a criterion.

All Instagram creators constantly try to find ways to reach a bigger audience, and thus many of them use popular hashtags.

The problem with broad hashtags is that if you use them, you attract mass followers. These users normally have more than 1500 followings. What’s more,

it is very likely that they will unfollow you shortly or will turn into ghost followers which, in its turn, will lower you reach INSTEAD Do use narrow hashtags To protect your account from users resorting to the follow/unfollow method and to gain quality followers and Instagram growth, give priority to narrow hashtags that are relevant to your particular niche and a given post. People don’t use hashtags like #sky, #free, #instagram and so on to discover new profiles. They will use more precise hashtags like #cleaneating, #zerowaste, #handmadefurniture, and more.

First of all, you should study who your most engaged audience is and target a similar audience. Second, the post you intend to use as an ad should be relevant to your audience. If you create content about style and fashion, share some style tips, and together with a remarkable photo, it will produce the desired result.

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 43

INSTAGRAM

INSTAGRAM AUDIT

How to run one in three easy steps

Written by Fab Giovanetti

R

unning an Instagram audit is something all account owners should do, from time to time.

However, we realised that now more than ever, people need to assess the quality of their account.

Some people may force the growth of their accounts by using ambiguous methods, which means, in the best-case scenario, they won’t reach the desired goals. In the worst, their account will be flooded with the tonnes of bots, who drop your reach and damage your reputation as an authentic personal brand.

That said, every account attracts a degree of ghost followers (bot or inactive accounts). Here’s why you can find a simple 3-step guide to improve engagement rate, follower growth behaviours and media value.

This guide covers both the way your account looks and feels, as well as the quality of your own engagement.

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INSTAGRAM

ST EP O N E Y OU R ACCO UNT S Let’s start with the fun stuff, shall we? This is the best time for you to have a hard look at your own profile and feed.

Developing a cohesive visual style for your brand is the most effective way to communicate what your Instagram is all about. Consistency is what embeds your brand into people’s memories. That way, rather than having to tell them who you are and why you’re valuable, you actually show them.

“If someone were to receive an email from you, see your Instagram, and visit your website, would they know all of those channels are part of the same brand?”

The number one mistake people make on Instagram is that they don’t create a great looking feed that truly expresses what they do and who they are in a way that is pleasing to the eye and draws people in.

I strongly believe that if you don’t get this right first then you are wasting a lot of time and energy trying to build your account and your tribe on Instagram. You only have 3 seconds to make an impression so when you have an account that looks amazing and echoes the truth of who you are it will speak directly to the hearts and minds of your audience.

“Consistency is what embeds your brand into people’s memories”

A lot of people also forget about their bio and picture, as well as their link in bio.

It’s essential to take the time to routinely check that your profile, best links and highlights are representing your current brand.

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S T EP T W O F OLLOWE R C LE A N - UP How can you detect ghost followers?

There are different aspects you’ll need to look at, as these people are fake or inactive users on Instagram who don’t engage with your content. The accounts rarely have any content on their profiles and are often

It can be daunting to scan through all of your likes, so looking at your follower list is a great alternative. You can either remove the followers or block them – with some of them, you won’t even need to check their profile.

slowly shifting through your followers, instead of bulk deleting. Bulk deleting can be seen by Instagram as an “automated” activity, and that can also affect your overall account visibility.

“Implementing a daily check-in practice is essential”

I’ve searched long and hard for a program that not only identifies ghost followers but can remove them in bulk without fear of blocking those real followers who don’t post regularly. Deleting people manually seems to be the way to go.

Let’s say you do your full “account spree”, how do you make sure you do not get back to square one? Implementing a dayto-day practice is essential: check in your latest followers, and delete anything that looks suspicious or simply not your right fit.

created by bots. Their handles are usually combining a string of names, numbers and are often private and have no profile photo.

Once you recognise them, it’s time to go through your own account and see who follows you – fun, right?

We are using this manual principle for the Creative Impactco Instagram account, and the “quality” of our followers – as per Hypeauditor ranking – is increased (as well as our overall engagement, by 1.5%!) On the upside, by doing it manually you are

It sounds counterproductive to delete someone who follows you, but you should know what type of audience wants to engage with you – and their accounts can give a clear snapshot of whether they are a good fit.

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Once again, there are so many ways you can engage more efficiently.

We have a full guide on how to use Instagram stories, as well as an article uncovering Instagram stickers.

Learn how to introduce video in your very own Instagram strategy.

If you like structure for engagement, I am a big fan of the 5-3-1 technique from Kicksta: “once you find an account you like and would want to follow you: “Like” the last 5 photos they posted. Comment on their last 3 photos. Get 1 new follower.”

“Find a way to keep your content in your followers’ feed”

Commenting on other user’s content, liking relevant pictures, or following similar accounts is a great way to slowly build a following.

Making sure you also engage with followers who engaged with your content is a lovely surprise for them.

Find a way to keep your content in their feed.

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knowledge and strategy they need to make a bigger impact All of the hard work that Fab does for Creative Impact has really helped online. to guide me in terms of turning my blog into a business. I’ve found her courses and tutorials so beneficial and she’s always been open to We believe there are two key steps to making a bigger impact: helping me when I’ve nagged her with my many questions! All of the grow your audience through key tools in order to monetise your advice, tips and tricks that she’s provided me with are something that I content now usevia ondigital a dailyproducts, basis. partnership or online shops.

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Creative Impact is an amazing group to be a part of. I am always learning from the content shared, the courses available, and the amazing online magazine. It's such a helpful platform to meet other professionals, make friends and share knowledge. Thanks team!

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All of the hard work that Fab does for Creative Impact has really helped to guide me in terms of turning my blog into a business. I’ve found her courses and tutorials so beneficial and she’s always been open to helping me when I’ve nagged her with my many questions! All of the advice, tips and tricks that she’s provided me with are something that I now use on a daily basis.

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r u o y e v How to gi

In s t a gr

T

a o i B n i k n i L am

Written by Fab Giovanetti

he idea of a new free app that allows me to create a beautiful Instagram website was definitely something I wanted to get my teeth stuck in. As our work at Creative Impact is mainly geared towards creatives, learning about Milkshake was incredibly exciting for me.

Milkshake App was created to help predominantly creative, entrepreneurial women to build their personal brands, grow their businesses and make the most of their link in bio. Available on both iOS and Android, the Milkshake app is a fun, fast and easy website builder enabling anyone to make a stunning Insta website on their phone in minutes.

I reached out to the team and Madeleine Rochecouste from team Milkshake agreed to answer some of my burning questions

about Link in Bio optimisation, Instagram trends and what to expect from the evolution of the industry.

When asking about the origins of Milkshake, I am happily relating to the overall mission of the product: “It was essentially created to empower women in the entrepreneurial space, as many feel held back from pursuing their goals because they believe they lack the skills, time, creativity and confidence to make their business a reality. Milkshake aims to empower these go-getters and trend-setters by providing them with a fun, easy and beautiful tool to turn their ideas, hobbies and ambitions into a business.�

You may be wondering how Milkshake stands out from her cousins in the online space. Milkshake App allows users to not only feature multiple links in their Instagram bio, but connect their online

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community with their very own bespoke and professional Insta website – which can be created entirely from their phone within minutes.

“Helping Instagrammers make the most of their link in bio, a Milkshake Insta website is so much more than just a link directory page“ adds Rochecouste “Offering a wide variety of trendy look designs, optimised cards and innovative tools and features, Milkshake is a one-stop-shop for building your brand’s online presence and highlighting all you have to offer in one place.” When building a Milkshake Insta website, you can choose from our About, Links, Top Picks, YouTube and Splash Cards.

Each card has its own objective, and it can be used for that objective or can be ‘hacked’ to work for any other you’d like.

On Milkshake App, you can personalize each of your cards with text, images, GIFs, YouTube videos, blog posts, podcast

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episodes, contact details, products, links and more: “By creating a variety of different cards with different purposes, it allows users to easily break down what they want to say, sell and share with their community without overwhelming them.

As a bite-sized website, we wanted to make it as simple as possible for users to highlight all they had to offer in a fun, easy and consumable way.”

Does the rise of link in bio tools mean websites are going to be gone for good, you may be wondering?

“Websites, no. However, as technology continues to evolve, there’s no denying that the traditional method of building a website is becoming less relevant.” highlights Rochecouste “Mobile website builders like Milkshake now make it easy for anyone to create a beautiful, professional, optimised website from their phone in minutes – without the need for desktops, design or web development skills.”

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“The biggest mistake people make with their link in bio is not heroing their most important content” While it’s important to create a presence online, you don’t want to create a website with no purpose or work behind it.

profile – you don’t want them to drop off simply because your website is too hard for them to navigate and access.

In this day and age, a website with a clear purpose and outcomes is crucial to start, grow, launch or share anything online. It’s an online presence and perception that you can entirely create and control, which is both fantastic freedom and a big responsibility.

As Instagram allows you to add only one link to your bio, it’s so important to make sure that website is designed for Instagram’s mobile web browser and optimised to highlight the most important information and actions upfront.

“We help our users make professional, smart and optimised websites with purpose, whether that be selling, watching, buying, directing, the list goes on.” continues Rochecouste “Milkshake Insta websites help users to create a professional online presence while still capitalising on where they get the most traffic – usually social profiles and especially Instagram – to convert their followers into brand fans.”

That’s why Insta websites are perfect for this. They’re concise and optimised and primarily designed for Instagram’s mobile web browser, making them feel like a seamless extension of the platform itself.

Our users have already done most of the work by building their Instagram presence and community – an Insta website is simply the cherry on top.

Why is it important to have a place to direct people from Instagram?

When someone visits your profile, it’s so important to harness that attention and direct it to the most valuable destination or action you want them to take.

An Insta website via the Milkshake App allows you to further extend your Instagram profile for what you want to say, sell or share in an on-brand way, helping you to harness, grow and convert Instagram traffic.

When looking for more info about you, your followers want to feel like they’re still on Instagram. They want to feel like they’re still connected to your brand, business or

What is the biggest mistake people make when creating a link-in-bio?

The biggest mistake people make with their link in bio is not heroing their most important content upfront. When optimising your link in bio, it’s so important to ensure you’re highlighting your best content front and center to entice visitors from the get-go.

It’s also key to ensure your content is onbrand. People click on your link in bio to learn more about you, your business or your brand, so you don’t want them to feel lost or unable to identify you. You never get a second chance at a first impression, but with a Milkshake Insta website, you won’t need one.

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“Be consistent, clear and authentic.

Know your purpose and ensure that all you do on Instagram is helping” Do you see Instagram still dominating this year, especially with the rise of TikTok? Definitely. However, I still see Instagram as Instagram and TikTok as TikTok. TikTok is a short-form video, while Instagram has a broader range of content formats. They are two distinctly different platforms with different content, user bases, and user experiences. The real domination as a user is knowing how to use both platforms to work together.

TikTok is now allowing creators to directly link to their Instagram and YouTube channel, so even they see it is important to

cross-promote and for their users to connect their followers to both platforms.

Instagram is more transactional with the ability to tag and check out products as well as a link to websites within the platform while TikTok is still more entertainment focused. Neither monetize creators, but Instagram influencer marketing is more established with paid partnerships.

At this stage the two aren’t necessarily comparable – it’s important to be on both and to know the content that converts best.

Both are platforms to create an audience, garner attention and direct that to

outcomes you want to achieve – it just depends on what that outcome is.

What is the one tip you’d like to share with creatives when it comes to Instagram?

Be consistent, clear and authentic. Know your purpose and ensure that all you do on Instagram is helping you achieve this. Stay true to your vision, be proud of the content you create and value and connect with the communities that engage with it.

About Milkshake

For more info about Milkshake don’t forget to check out the app below iOS App click here Android App click here

C li c k o n th e b o ld li n k s to fo u n d out m o re

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INSTAGRAM LIVE Strategy for beginners Written by Fab Giovanetti

I

n the past few weeks, quite a great deal of people have been hosting online events of any sort, including Q&As and yoga classes. In one way or another, live events are booming, and more and more people are collaborating online.

This is why I wanted to talk about one of my favorite ways to connect with your audience: Instagram Live.

Instagram Live is just like a webinar, but condensed in a vertical layout (I know, right?). The Live feature allows your audience to submit their comments and questions in real-time, making it one of Instagram’s most interactive video options.

This can be a hugely beneficial tool for building a stronger connection between you and your audience, allowing you to gain valuable feedback and insight — straight from the people who already follow you. As

an added bonus, your Instagram Live will stay on your Instagram Stories for 24 hours for your audience to catch up on.

In order to start a Live, simply open the Instagram Stories camera and swipe across to the “Live” mode. You will be able to see how many of your followers are currently active in the Instagram app — these people will receive an in-app notification if you go live straight away. Now, let’s say I convinced you to give the good ol’ Instagram Live a try.

Get an affordable ring light and a phone tripod to help you when hosting the Live.

My tripod broke right before a Live this week, and my hand was literally killing me by minute five, so I had to politely excuse myself to my interviewee as I was trying to adjust the phone on the table. It’s a great arm workout, but your Live could make people seasick. Also, check your surroundings. A Live broadcast does not have to be recorded in a high-tech home studio, but you may want to look into areas of your home with the best lighting, sound quality, and potentially a background that looks great, yet it’s not too distracting.

All these things can truly help when it comes to your Live.

Hosting a Live on Your Own

There are a few things to remember when you are hosting a Live on your own. Hosting an Instagram Live can also help boost your discoverability on Instagram. Yet, when it

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comes to Instagram broadcasting, I always recommend having a plan of action.

If you are looking for your audience to follow a workout, meditation or practical activity, you can range something between 15 or 30 minutes.

However, if you are just answering your audience’s questions or going fully free flow, the shorter the better. People can share questions with you during a Live, and you can answer them via the button on the lower left-side corner. You can then share questions from your viewers to the screen by tapping the question mark icon. When it comes to

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Top rules to host a successful live Going live when your followers are most active is one of the easiest ways to make your Instagram Lives more successful.

Simply head to your analytics to have a clear look at your followers’ habits, and see which days and times they are live more often. One of the best ways to plan your live stream is to think of it as having an introduction, core content, and a closure.

The more you practice with your broadcasts, the more you’ll be able to create a structure that works for you.

Without structure, it will become harder and harder to gain new viewers. Create an “appointment to view” by always going live on Instagram at the same time each week or month. The more your

promoting your broadcast, always give your upcoming appointment a boost by promoting them on Instagram Stories in advance.

In the past three weeks, we hosted six Instagram Live with experts and members of our collective, and this is by far my favorite way to host a Live. You can see we recently hosted one as a video icon appears at the bottom of our Instagram icon.

and picking someone who’s tuned in to watch your video. Remember the etiquette for becoming a great Live host (and learn from my numerous mistakes). Make sure you create a digital countdown for your stories the week before the Live, and take the time to share it multiple times across the week. This will allow people to get notified when the Live is about to happen.

Remember to tag your co-host to make the most of their followers’ attention.

Co-hosting a Live is incredibly easy — you can invite someone to co-host your Instagram Live by tapping the faces icon

When you write a comment in your Live, you’ll be able to hold the comment on the screen and by doing so Instagram is going

Co-Hosting a Live video

viewers anticipate your Live, the more viewers you will gain!

As you can see in our highlights, underneath the bio, we have something called a weekly plan, which highlights our weekly schedule, and allows us to direct people to a collection of stories with countdowns and reminders of future appointments.

Last but not least, remember that you can always save your Live after you end it.

Brands like Shopify, for example, have been converting Live series “Prop Up Market” into IGTV videos. Once you’ve saved your video, you can always repurpose this content into clips for Instagram Stories, cross-post them on other social media, or even use it for a longer IGTV edit.

to ask whether you want to pin the comment on top. A great way to tell people what to expect from in case they arrived late to the party. Offer to return the favor and join somebody else’s’ Live to tap into a new audience!

In a time when connecting with others is key, Instagram Live events are a great way to truly connect with your audience, as we have seen ourselves firsthand. These broadcasts require no studio equipment, little setup, and are a great way to dip your toes in online events and do it in a way that connects you to your followers.

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The ultimate guide to getting started with IGTV Written by Fab Giovanetti

D

ear reader, I do not need to tell you how important video content is in your marketing strategy — or at least I hope I don’t have to.

This is why I’m hoping I don’t need to sell you on why it’s important to take time to understand how IGTV works. IGTV is Instagram’s brand-new video platform, and it’s looking to take other video platforms by storm. IGTV is a place for long-form videos on Instagram (between five minutes and one hour at the time of this article), and it’s available in both the native Instagram app and the standalone IGTV app.

IGTV is Instagram’s already pretty successful attempt to take over the video mobile scene, looking to target Snapchat and YouTube alike. A bold move from the Gram?

Not really, as it’s accounted that, by 2021, mobile video will account for 78% of total mobile data traffic. Some speculate Stories were just a way to test the potential release

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of IGTV — either way, being on IGTV could prove to be incredibly efficient for you for so many reasons.

If you are looking to get started with IGTV, here’s a few things for you to remember: • IGTV now features both vertical and landscape videos.

• You can watch IGTV videos in the Instagram app, in the IGTV app, or by clicking the IGTV button on someone’s Instagram profile.

• When someone you follow posts a new video to IGTV, you’ll get a notification on Instagram.

• You can share IGTV videos with your friends through Instagram Direct.

• If someone follows you on IGTV, they’ll be following your regular Instagram account, too.

• You can add links to your videos. That’s right, people will actually be able to click on links in your description and be taken outside of the Instagram or IGTV app.

“The new Series option will help creators better brand their content “ About the IGTV App

Instagram curates videos for you based on your interests and who you follow, and you can also watch trending videos on the Popular channel, just like you can with Instagram Stories.

There are also no ads — yet. But it seems there will be, as Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom said in a press conference after the launch: “Right now we’re focused on building engagement, but that’s obviously a very reasonable place to end up. There will be a way for creators to make a living.”

Even though you won’t be seeing your favourite TV shows on IGTV, Instagram is trying to make the experience a lot like your telly. In October 2019, Instagram has added a new IGTV Series option which will enable creators to segment their videos into dedicated collections.

The new Series option will help creators better brand their content and encourage return viewing by giving their series a dedicated label, along with an on-screen tab that viewers can tap to get notifications of new episodes.

On top of your Instagram account, you’ll now have an IGTV channel everyone can access. You can only have one IGTV channel per Instagram account. This is because “the creators are the channels,” according to Instagram’s announcement.

People can like or comment on IGTV videos while they’re watching them, as well as swiping right for the next video and swiping up to search videos or view by category.

We all know mobiles are now making us as resourceful as videographers — and this is

such a great thing about IGTV. IGTV started as a platform for vertical videos, and more recently opened up to landscape videos: “Ultimately, our vision is to make IGTV a destination for great content no matter how it’s shot so creators can express themselves how they want.”

Its original vertical video naturally encourages you to record on your phone, making for a better mobile experience, because you don’t have to rotate your phone or watch a smaller version. This will require you to adapt the size of the

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videos to different platforms (such as Facebook), as well as be mindful of the time limit (currently between ten minutes for smaller accounts and one hour for bigger accounts). IGTV is meant more for following your favorite influencers or vloggers, instead of the Kardashians.

IGTV supports videos that are at least 15 seconds long and can run up to 60 minutes for some accounts. If you’re wondering what size IGTV videos are, they’re a 16:9 aspect ratio (the same as Instagram Stories).

Create an IGTV Channel

Sign in to the IGTV app and click on the settings icon in the right-hand corner, and then click Create Channel. Well, that was easy. Now, it’s time to go to your new

channel by clicking on your icon from the main page, and then finding the plus (+) icon on the right-hand corner. After that, you’ll have to select a vertical video from your camera roll. (That is very important; you can simply edit a horizontal video with an editing app if needed).

Time to make it official: Write your title and add a description. Add in any relevant keywords to your description to make it easier for people to find your videos on IGTV. Oh, and don’t forget to add your links.

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When it comes to your cover, you can upload your own custom cover or choose a thumbnail from your video. The cover photo is what will show up on your channel page and in the IGTV categories, so make it one that sticks out.

Previously, IGTV videos lived only in your IGTV channel, which made it a bit difficult to garner engagement and views. In an effort to fix this problem, Instagram has introduced the option to share a oneminute preview of your IGTV video to your Instagram feed. Remember, you don’t have to share IGTV videos to the Instagram feed.

This is totally optional.

But you only get one chance to share IGTV videos to the feed, so you have to decide while posting if you want to share it to the feed or not. Because once it’s posted, you can’t share it!

If you’re looking to share your preview, make sure that the first minute of your video is truly exciting. Ideally, you would start to create some intrigue or a cliffhanger around the one-minute mark, to get your viewers to tap over to IGTV to keep watching. Lastly, when you choose to share a preview of your IGTV video to the Instagram feed, your IGTV title will appear as the caption to the video, both in the feed and on your profile. You cannot edit your caption after, so think extra-hard about what your IGTV title should be.

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Now take your IGTV videos to the next level your 01 Make videos short

There are too many other things to watch out there, so make sure you grab attention and deliver your message in a very contained time. Four to six minutes is the best length, despite having a maximum available length of ten minutes.

It is particularly important to include a Wow image in the first few seconds so your lovely fans stop and watch it, rather just scroll right through.Creating the right cover can make or break your reach.

and 04 Analytics Scheduling

Follow us on IGTV No really! Click the icon above

In order to track performance, you can also check and reply to the comments on your post and track your IGTV analytics. A view on IGTV is the number of times people watched at least 3 seconds. As you map out your social media editorial calendar, you’ll be able to better promote important dates. Sticking to a schedule will help your followers know when they can expect new content and better encourage them to engage with your videos.

your videos useful 02 Make You know your followers better than

graphics, photos, text 03 Combine Ok, everyone wants to see your pretty face

anyone else. You what they like and what they need — make a video that responds to those needs so as to make it worth watching and sharing. Beach season approaching? Why not make a video on fresh summer recipes. Cold and rainy? Share some tips on some of the best warming and immune-boosting drinks.

— there is no doubt about it. But do try to incorporate texts, images, graphics, animation, etc., to make your video more informative and engaging. I recommend you look at creating consistent branding for your videos branding increases revenue by up to 23% and overall brand recognition by three to four times.

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Shiso Delicious, Sara Kiyo Popowa, is a blogger, photographer, and creative chef.

Her food is inspired by nature and plants and feeling good in the simplest, most lowimpact way possible. Through social media, events, and workshops she inspires thousands of people every day with her unique approach to food.

Shiso Delicious brings together Sara’s journey to date: as a performance and visual artist, a graphic designer for the health food industry and as a member of several food and art-centered communities. Based in London, Sara was born in Sweden and has a Japanese-Bulgarian heritage.

“I like to eat what keeps me balanced and focused: ‘non-extreme’ foods, which to me is whole ingredients as close to their origin as possible, produced in a way that is good for the earth as well as for my own health.

Inspiration for my recipes come from how to transform this kind of ingredients into

something yummy I can eat in the fewest steps possible.”

In this episode from the podcast, we talk about how Sara created Shiso Delicious to inspire beauty, sustainability, and appreciation on every level in life through food and lifestyle.

Three things you will learn in the episode: •H ow to share your story through food •T ransmitting your personality through online content •T urning your love from food from a hobby into a career

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SARA DA SILVA

F O U N D ER

SER I ES

Ask for what you want

with Sara Da Silva

Interview by Amy Lanza

S

ara Da Silva is an independent clothing business run by husband and wife team Simon & Sara. It was created when Sara (Brazilian living in Ireland) became frustrated with the fit, quality, and availability of workout wear. She and Simon (an Irish engineer who grew up in the fashion business) decided to collaborate and create a line of their own: “I left Brazil to challenge myself, I stayed in Ireland to be with my husband, we built the brand because I couldn’t find good quality workout wear which fitted and flexed with my body, we work tirelessly to improve our product and brand because we believe in it and growing both as a couple and a business.”

The clothing is made to support and fit real bodies, through the stages of their lives and reminds women how strong, beautiful, and capable they already are: “Something that I would hear my mom always talking about is that if you are not happy, go and change otherwise stop complaining... I have never been happy with the status quo, I was always keen to find better for myself. I have never settled in life and I think that people should be confident to find what makes them happy.”

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The origin for a legacy

She was feeling frustrated, because in her home country, Brazil, activewear has existed forever.

Really good activewear. So, I started to ask my mom to send me some leggings and in true mothering fashion, she sent her many, many pairs: “People started to see me in my leggings and ask: where did you get your leggings?

So, in February 2014 on a trip back to Brazil for my mom’s wedding, I bought some leggings back to the UK with the intent of selling them.”

When Sara first moved to Europe she lived in Ireland. It was circa 2009 and the activewear market as we know it today did not exist.

Leggings were definitely not in fashion and only cyclists, runners and strange outliers with a fetish for spandex wore them. As a woman, it was extremely difficult to find high-quality sportswear that performed and gave her confidence inside and out of the gym: “I’m a firm believer that we all need support, whether it be from our loved ones, our followers, or our apparel. I found that while I was getting that support from my family, friends, and followers, I wasn’t getting it from my leggings”

She created a Facebook group and in less than 24 hours with one simple post, she sold every pair that she had: “I couldn’t believe how popular they were.

Even when they were all sold other women began to ask me, did I have more? In a nutshell, this is how I began selling leggings, but the Sara Da Silva brand story did not materialise for another 2 years.”

The passion for her brand goes beyond the physical product. Her real passion is the psychological component of what she does: “It’s about making women feel good about themselves, especially those in a pair of my leggings” she confesses to us “It still brings a smile to my face when I see the reaction and

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the changes in facial expression when women try on a pair of my leggings for the 1st time - it is like they have suddenly been reunited with someone they haven’t seen for a while and their whole attitude towards their self changes. It reminds them that they are strong, beautiful and capable!” The emotional response is where she derives her passion for the products as she wants every woman to experience that feeling too.

Inspiration is everywhere

She derives part of her inspiration for the brand from the women and country she grew up in, Brazil: “Confident and shapely women, women with an inner beauty that shines through. We are fiery and not afraid to express ourselves” This self-expression appears in so many ways, but in particular, the way they dress: “Our clothes are not just clothes, they are an extension of our personality. We don’t accept poor quality clothing or poor quality excuses and neither should you!”

Her other inspiration is made of the extraordinary women, in Ireland, the United Kingdom and globally who wear her leggings: “The passion they have for my products is just incredible and it is this passion that inspires me to make the best leggings I possibly can.”

This is what shapes her brand to the core.

Building a strong brand means refining a unique identity, voice, an expression of who we are, as we shout out to the world to grab its attention: “Our brand carries on its shoulders our reputation, a reputation built with trust. A trust which has taken us over 5 years to build and much blood, sweat and tears.”

The attention to social media and the connection built through Sara Da Silva’s accounts has been key part of her success.

In the beginning, all the sales come from Facebook. With social media evolution, it migrated to Instagram: “My business would not exist if it wasn’t for social

SARA DA SILVA

media… I started to sell leggings through a facebook VIP Private group that I created with some close friends and now we have over 5000 SDS lovers.”

Social media gives you a voice that in the past small businesses would not have - you have the opportunity to really show what you care about and are about: “If what you say is in congruence with what you show online there is a huge chance of you having success.”

Refining your branding means ultimately shaping a set of standards that define what you do and the standards your customers will expect from us: “As we grow in scale, staying true our brand will become much more challenging, the draw on resources increase and bigger opportunities.

About Sara Da Silva

C li c k o n the b o ld li nks to fo u n d out more

Find out more about SDS on their Instagram account @saradasilvabfw and their website

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INTERVIEW

BEHIND THE CONTENT

RACHEL MAR My name is Rachel and I’m a California native who moved to Dublin, Ireland to obtain a degree in veterinary medicine. I’m a lactose intolerant ice cream lover, caffeine-addicted foodie, and a beer and wine snob who enjoys expressing thoughts via writing!

to help owners care for their pets better and overall improve the quality of life for animals.

I believe pets bring us so much joy, so I know that if I am able to improve the health of someone’s pet, this would have a direct effect on the owner’s overall wellness!

Currently, I’m finishing my programme online (#quarantinelife) and will be qualified in June. I am currently enrolled in a course to become a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner (CCRP), and will be starting a veterinary acupuncture course in the fall.

Growing up, I absolutely loved animals, so being a veterinarian was always a dream of mine. I also knew that whatever I did with my career, I wanted to make a positive impact on people.

How do you choose the content that goes into your accounts?

So far, a lot of my content has been from personal experience, and sharing topics which are related to a current theme or event in my life. However, as I transition to my career I aim to share more on integrative medicine, veterinary cases, and personal wellness. Of course, my expertise would be focused on veterinary medicine. However, I also want to share about how people can improve their wellness, especially through more integrative approaches.

What is your mission?

I want to help people live a positive and integrative life. Through the content I share, I want to help people improve their mental, physical and spiritual health. Hopefully by doing this, they will learn to love themselves more and realize the impact they make on others and the world. I will also be sharing more content on veterinary topics, as I want

I’m in no way against western medicine at all.

There is definitely a need for western medicine and it has been scientifically proven to improve the health of both people and animals. However, I do believe that in certain cases, western medicine alone will not heal a person or pet. I chose to focus more on integrative medicine in my career and why I want to share the scientific evidence along with my own experience behind the usefulness of such approaches.

A career highlight so far?

Since I’m still a baby in my career, I’d have to say my highlights have involved getting a real adult job as a veterinarian, as well as just finishing up veterinary school in general. I’ve

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Author bio

You can find out more about Rachel Mar and her work at @thevitalityvet thevitalityvet.com

been in university for 8 years now so it just feels AMAZING to finally be done!

If I had to choose a highlight from vet school, I’d say it would be one of the moments from this last year on clinical rotations. We usually take on cases in pairs, but we were so busy one day that I had to take a case on my own.

It was a new client, and the records sent over from the referring vet weren’t complete and mentioned the dog was aggressive, so this was no easy case to start with. I went into the consult room to meet the owners and speak with them, only to find out they didn’t speak English very well.

However, I communicated patiently with them and we cared for their dog overnight as we ran tests to find out what was wrong with him. Turns out the dog was actually super

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friendly and only protective of owners, so he made a stellar patient. And we were able to diagnose his problem and send him home with the proper medication to manage his disease. The owners were so appreciative and kept thanking me for how I was approaching the case. Then they brought sweets to the clinic to personally thank the clinician in charge and myself! I felt so honored and it was one of the first times I felt capable as not just a student, but a veterinarian!

What are some of the lessons you learned along the way?

In terms of branding, I think starting off with minimal experience and not being as willing to invest in the brand. This was understandable at first because I started with a personal blog for fun. I used as much free online resources as I could to begin with but

as I grew my blog, I realized that only goes as far. As I started to invest more in different resources (ie. website building, Creative Impact!) I learned so much more and my brand has definitely improved.

In terms of pursuing a career in vet, I think I misunderstood A LOT about all the career entails. It is extremely taxing on your physical and mental health. Compassion fatigue is a real thing! A lot of people going into veterinary will say they don’t like working with people, but this is a career which actually involves working with more than you’d anticipate.

Is there a person you are grateful towards?

Honestly, I can’t name a single person because I have an incredible community of friends & family who have always been by my

INTERVIEW

side supporting me every step of the way!

Without all of them, I wouldn’t have had the love and encouragement I needed to keep pushing forward. Whether this was during my pursuit of vet school or as I branded myself via my blog, they were always my biggest fans.

What do you love about being a member of Creative Impact?

I love that the community is so supportive and fun! Whenever someone has a question or need, members jump in to help. Though I’ve never actually been able to meet anyone in person, I feel like I know them personally.

Everyone is so real and genuine. There are always fun topics we get to discuss together.

We celebrate our achievements and cheer each other on along the way. I really enjoy all the classes and conferences which add to the fun of being a part of the collective!

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PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

S T A ND W IT H S M A LL

Club Backdrops

BON BON VINYL BACKDROP Sizes 60 x 90cm | 90 x 120cm From £20.00

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PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

C lic k on p ic s to tr y yo u rs el f

CHIP VINYL BACKDROP Sizes 60 x 90cm | 90 x 120cm From ÂŁ20.00

Over the last few months, so many businesses have pivoted, adapted in order to be able to serve their customers. Behind every artisan products you buy, you support an independent seller. As we are a small business ourselves, we believe that adapting is key. For some businesses and entrepreneurs, this means taking their current products and making them available in a different format.

Most times, you do not have to reinvent the wheel. All you need is already at your disposal. In this series we showcase our favourite Etsy businesses via their StandWithSmall campaign.

Stand with Club Backdrops

Club Backdrops was started by Matt & Tommy Gunn-Cullin (pictured left). After working the hard slog for creative agencies and budding startups in both London and New York, we decided to settle down in Tommy’s hometown of Edinburgh and start our own online gift business.

Whilst this first business was a success in itself, we quickly rediscovered our love of studio photography and began to understand the challenge of keeping our product photography varied and current.

Yes, keeping that Instagram feed on-trend is a full-time occupation! We discovered

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PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

vinyl backdrops were the ideal solution to this, and when we couldn’t find the exact textures we wanted, we decided to design and create our own.

This quickly developed into our primary business, and in a matter of months we transformed our workshop, investing in our own large format printing equipment when we weren’t satisfied with the level of quality provided by third party printers. In 2019,

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talented photo-artist Ellie Noble and illustrator Michael Latorre joined our team to help take our little business to the next level. Today we operate exclusively from our workshop in Edinburgh, Scotland printing, cutting and posting our unique backdrops around the world, throughout the year.

From creatives to creatives

Our entire operation happens here under

one roof - design, manufacture and shipping. This means we are able to provide the best quality products at the lowest possible price, and with the fastest shipping times, because there is no middle-man in our entire product lifecycle. In 2019 we further upgraded our texture capture process - all found, crafted and captured by our small team of four.

Our durable PVC-free substrates come from an innovative and environmentally conscious British company, and our entire operation is designed to eliminate the use of single-use plastics wherever possible.

We print using Greenguard & Ecologo Certified water-based inks.

After creating the product for ourselves it only made sense to share it with the world.

There is nothing more satisfying than creating a tool that in-turn becomes an element of someone else’s creativity.

Watching our feed light up with images taken using our backdrops on a daily basis is always exciting and inspirational. We love championing the work of creative customers.

There really is no better type of customer!

BON BON VINYL BACKDROP Sizes 60 x 90cm | 90 x 120cm From £20.00

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C lic k on p ic s to tr y yo u rs el f

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NOLA MARSH CANVAS BACKDROP Sizes 100 x 150cm, From £60.00 Photo @ellienoblephotography Model Grant Hughes

The ebbs and flows of business

On the one hand, it sounds like such a cliche, but one of the best things about running your own business is being in charge of your own trajectory is worth more than any monetary reward. We took big pay cuts when we first started this business, but we essentially traded in y ears of stress for a new sense of creative ownership and a pronounced increase in happiness (and as a result I’d hope a marginally longer lifespan!).

On the other hand, the biggest challenge we face is wearing too many hats! As a small business owner you have to wear ALL the hats, especially in the beginning. It can be difficult to maintain your train of thought,

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

C lic k on p ic s to tr y yo u rs el f

especially when you get busy and you weren’t expecting it! But the challenge is always worth it. No matter how mental it gets sometimes, there is nothing more rewarding than being the captain of your own ship.

When your product is perfected, you can market it with honesty and integrity, and furthermore once it gains some traction, it will sell itself by word of mouth. We encourage this as much as possible via user generated content in the form of photo reviews.

Marketing with integrity

These are so valuable and simply do all the talking for you. Giving away free advice in the form of genuinely helpful emails and blog pieces is a wonderful way to get people’s attention. Google’s E.A.T. acronym always rings true - as long as you’re delivering Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness - the traffic will follow.

Marketing is key for a small business.

However, before thinking about marketing, I’m a big believer in making sure the product is paramount. That means your product is thoroughly thought through, well developed, and your unique selling points are clear. When you have a new product, version 1.0 is always going to have some flaws. It takes a few revisions and adjustments before you reach product perfection.

For more information and inspiration

https://clubbackdrops.com

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IN PROFILE

CREATIVE IMPACT CO

EXPERT PROFILE

ANA SANTOS As a User Experience (UX) consultant, coach, and educator, Ana helps burned-out creative entrepreneurs grow highconverting businesses and websites through UX strategy.

Ana is based in Portugal but has worked with clients from all over the world, from start-ups to giant techs such as Google. She teaches teams and individuals how to create user-centered experiences that convert. She believes that we all can contribute to other businesses to create a positive impact in the world.

How do you help people? What is your area of expertise?

User Experience strategy, from the research stage through methodology implementation and user interface (websites /app) expert evaluation. Usability or UX is a process whose main objective is to design a system that offers a great experience to its users. In a nutshell, it has a visitor in mind.

You can find out more about Ana and her work at @ux.by.ana ana-santos.com

What is your philosophy when it comes to websites?

Your website needs to speak your audience’s language and help them achieve their goals.

Only then you’ll be able to align them with your own business goals. When it comes to websites, a common mistake is trying to build a website without any prior strategy or knowledge about their target audience.

The biggest mistake I see businesses doing is skipping research when optimizing for conversions and user experience.

It’s not possible to truly improve user experience without talking with real users.

If your website is lacking basic usability principles, it’s easy to improve it by having an expert review it, however, it is still not a replacement for testing with real users.

How can people get started with introducing UX in their strategy?

Getting to know their audience and being open to feedback. The first step to incorporate user experience into your projects is to really understand your users.

In order to do that, you need to do research.

There’s no shortcut. In order to improve the experience a user has with your website, you need to understand their goals, their pain points, their mental models, how they navigate on your website, etc.

Favourite thing about being part of Creative Impact?

The opportunity to connect with other creatives who are passionate about creating an impact with their business. §

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In the Kitchen

Camille Knowles shares her favourite recipes from her latest book, The Beauty of Eating Well

SERVES 1

Mint choc chip protein smoothie PREP TIME 5mins | EQUIPMENT Blender

Directions

Ingredients

1 P lace all of the ingredients apart from the cacao nibs into the blender 2 B lend for 1-2 mins until completely smooth 3 A dd the cacao nibs and blitz slightly, still leaving crunchy nibs 4 S erve immediately

• • • •

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250ml/1 cup x hemp milk Large handful of mint, leaves picked 1½ x frozen bananas 1 heaped tbsp x vanilla pea protein powder • 1tsp x chlorella powder • 1tsp x honey • 1½ tbsp x cacao nibs

C li c k o n to p ic tu re s s le a s get li n k

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RECIPES

Ingredients

SERVES 4

Vegan nachos

For the cashew soured cream • 150g/5oz x cashews • 2tbsp x raw cider vinegar • Squeeze of lemon

PREP TIME 30mins plus 1hr for soaking COOK TIME 15mins EQUIPMENT Food processor

For the cheese dip • 1 x sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped • 2tbsp x coconut cream • 2tbsp x nutritional yeast • 1tbsp x tamari • Pinch of sea salt For the guacamole: • 2 x avocados, scooped • 1 x lime, juiced • 4 x spring onions, finely sliced • 2tbsp x olive oil • Sea salt

Directions 1 F or the cashew cream, place the cashews in a small bowl and pour over just enough boiling water to cover. Set aside for an hour to soften. Transfer the cashews along with their soaking water to a food processor and add the vinegar and lemon juice. Blend at high speed until smooth and creamy 2 F or the cheese dip, bring a pan of water to the boil, add the sweet potato and cook for 5-7mins until tender. Drain and place in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients and blitz to a smooth cream 3 F or the guacamole, place all the ingredients into a bowl, mash together with a fork and season to taste 4 F or the salsa, mix together all the ingredients together in a bowl and season to

5

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taste. You can emit the tomatoes to make this recipe nightshade-free F or the black beans, heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the onion and garlic over a medium heat for 5-7mins S tir in the cumin and ground coriander then cook for another 2mins before adding the beans, water and salt. Stir well and bring to a simmer for 10-12mins, stirring frequently until the beans have broken apart and are thick and creamy S queeze over the fresh lime juice and stir in the chopped coriander T o assemble the nachos, layer the corn chips on a platter then dollop over the beans, guacamole, salsa, cheese dip, soured cream and jalapeños

For the salsa • 4 x tomatoes, deseeded and finely chopped • 1 x red onion, finely diced • 1 x red chilli, finely sliced • ½ x lime, juiced • 1 x small bunch fresh coriander, chopped • Sea salt For the beans • 2tbsp x olive oil • 1 x onion, finely sliced • 2 x garlic cloves, finely sliced • 1tsp x ground cumin • 1tsp x ground coriander • 2 x 400g/13½oz tins black beans, drained and rinsed • 150ml/5fl oz x water • 1tsp x smoked sea salt • 1 x lime, juiced • Handful of fresh coriander, chopped • 200g/7oz x blue corn chips • Jalapeños to serve

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CREATIVE IMPACT CO ABOUT US MASTERCLASSES COLLECTIVE OUR COURSES