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Meet Vivian Tang

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vivian Tang.

Hi Vivian, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
They say, if you don’t know what you want to do with your life, think back to what you enjoyed doing when you were 12 years old. For me, my favorite things to do as a young girl would be blogging, dancing, shopping, and taking photos (yes, even before smartphones existed and all we had were our pocket-sized point & shoot digital cameras). But most of all, I enjoyed blogging. I started my first blog when I was around 5-6th grade, during the budding .com era of dial-up Internet. I taught myself how to code HTML, design websites. I took photos and wrote random blurbs about my teenage life.

During high school, I put blogging on a halt to focus on school, but it never really left me. I started a mildly popular food blog as an undergraduate at Princeton University, and my work got featured on some major platforms like Huffington Post, The FeedFeed, and BuzzFeed.

They also say, well, a TikTok video said: girls who had a MySpace or Tumblr all work in marketing now, and that’s also quite true for me because I now work in global branding and marketing. That said, content creation is my true passion.

A decade later, with my blogging + creative + dancing background, being a content creator came very naturally. People think content creation is easy, but it’s truly a demanding job that requires the creator to wear all hats. It’s a basically an entrepreneurial job that requires a lot of strategic thinking, business-mindedness, and creativity. We are the business person, stylists, the model, the photographer, the editor, the writer, and the publisher.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s definitely been a rocky road, but luckily rocky road is one of my favorite ice cream flavors. There’s been many challenges! One example is, when I was in college, the term influencer had a negative connotation, and it was embarrassing to call oneself that term. Even today, I avoid calling myself an influencer and prefer content creator. Nowadays, creating content is so normal, and everyone does it. I see current college students from all sorts of universities from state school to elite colleges creating content online. I wish that when I was a student at Princeton, there were more blogger people like me who enjoyed creating content and sharing it online.

So I guess the struggle was overcoming the social embarrassment of being an active content creator, as well as the shyness of wanting to put myself out there. It’s still something I sort of deal with to this day, but I’m very open about telling people I have a blog now.

Another challenge is just the whole social media space is very difficult to navigate. Sure it isn’t a literal war, but there are battles one has to face, such as trying to grow a following, avoiding comparison, staying positive. Anyone knows that social media can be so toxic–I strongly believe social media should be an 18+ app. I also think you need a tough skin to put yourself out on the web for everyone to scrutinize. But I’m optimistic and will keep creating content as long as it brings joy to me.

Lastly, another challenge is knowing my worth as a content creator. Like I said, content creators are basically entrepreneurs, and we need to be business minded. Content creation is a new artistic space that is not well-organized, and we have no unions. Thus, brands often take advantage of us and use our hard work as free content. As a content creator who prides myself on my high-quality work, it can be insulting when brands do that, so I’ve learned to say no to some really major brands.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I call myself an aesthetic and an authentic content creator because get you a girl who does both! I have a background in business, corporate marketing, photography, modeling, and writing. People think content creation is an easy job, but it is far from it! We are a new wave of Internet creatives and entertainers.

To be honest, I don’t like to put myself in a box, but I guess I could say I specialize in aesthetic photography featuring elegant fashion and classy lifestyle. But I also like to show the down to earth side of myself on video, where I’m literally wearing a t-shirt and talking about random things. I also have a few cooking videos on YouTube. I’m just someone who likes to share myself online in a creative or not-so-creative but authentic way.

I guess that sets me apart from many bloggers. Many bloggers do not want to show the less aesthetic side of themselves — they only want to show the pretty side, but I personally want to connect with my audience. I do have an entertaining side in that I love to make people laugh, and I guess you could say I love being the life of the party, so if I have a funny thought I want to share, I will make a TikTok about it.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Don’t be afraid, and have fun! Do not be afraid to put yourself out there. Do not be afraid to be YOU-nique (as cheesy as that sounds!). Which leads me to…do not be afraid to be cheesy and, I quote T Swift, “embrace the cringe.”

When starting out as a content creator, put yourself out there and don’t mind what others thinking.

Do not be afraid to be unique: the “content creator” marketplace is so oversaturated, and it’s important to be original and not copy others. Don’t do what others are doing. That’s how you win the game. Do something that makes yourself stand out.

All in all, just don’t be afraid. When I was a senior at Princeton and was just starting out as a content creator, I used to have a quote as my phone screensaver that said, “Do something that scares you every day.” Because at the time, I was afraid of being judged by my peers.

Don’t be afraid, and grow a thick skin, because like anything in life, you will need it. And if you do get a few hate comments that you’re bound to get as a public person, just know that means you’ve made it. 😉 But honestly, focus on being a confident and self-assured person and don’t rely on social media to make yourself feel validated. For me, that’s why I have a blog that has nothing to do with social media. Sure, people can leave comments on my blog, but it’s not a numbers game, and on my blog, I can share content on my own terms, in the style that I want, without feeling the confines and toxicity of social media. So I guess that means: if content creation really is your passion, don’t rely on social media to create content. Have an outlet that is not connected to social media. Instead, see TikTok and Instagram and social media as tools–not platforms–to help your personal brand presence grow.

That’s also my long-winded of saying: have fun! Do not take social media and content creation too seriously. Yes, it is a lot of work, and it’s a tough job! But anything creative is still meant to be fun, and if you find yourself hating it, then just log off, or like I said, go “off the social media grid” and start a blog.

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Image Credits
All but 1 photo was taken by me. Please credit IG @sandratakesphoto for the 1st photo of me with my two dogs behind a birthday cake!

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