Instagram Influencer Spotlight On: Angel Thurman @atagirl419

1) Tell us a little about yourself. What are you doing now and where do you come from?

I was born in Chicago, but grew up in Tennessee. I joined the United States Navy a couple years after graduating high school, after deciding that college wasn’t for me and I was much more interested in travelling. Serve my country and see the world at the same time? I thought, "Why not?" However, I ended up getting a bit stuck in Georgia for the first 7 years of my career, and now I’m in Oklahoma. Next stop, hopefully overseas, finally. I’ve always been more artistically prone, which is why most people are surprised at my career choice. I use social media as my artistic platform, as I love all things tech-ish and can easily combine my wide variety of interests into one area.

2) What are your topics of interest? What do you post on Instagram the most?

I used to think I was just indecisive, but as I’ve gotten older, I realized that I simply have a broader range of interests than most. I love everything from travelling to fitness to photography to beauty to guns. It’s quite the eclectic mix, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I truly believe people are much more complex than we tend to give them credit for. Since my interests are so varied, my Instagram feed tends to be quite dramatic in its’ fluctuations, but mostly it all falls under lifestyle. Good food, good workouts, good beauty routines, they all add up to a good experience in life.

3) How did your Instagram name come about?

Actually, it’s simply a monogram of my name with my birthday added on. Back when I was inspired to create my YouTube channel (my first venture into the social media world), I wanted something that was inherently me, because I knew I would eventually want to create a brand and I felt like it needed to be authentic. So, I took the monogram, "ATA", and was attempting to come up with something when I said it aloud and automatically followed it up with "girl", out of habit, I suppose. During those tomboy days, I grew up playing sports, so "atta’ girl" was a popular encouragement term that I heard regularily.

4) What are some apps you use to edit your photos? Share with us your photo-editing routine!

My favorites are Layout (for collages), VSCO, and Snapseed. The former two I’ve only recently found but am absolutely obsessed with.

5) Any Instagrammers whom you really like? Which Instagrammer inspires you the most?

I suppose I like the typical beauty gurus, i.e. Jaclyn Hill, Desi Perkins, and LustreLux are my favorites. For fashion, I love Camila Coelho. Fitness would definitely be Ashley Horner, she’s a beast and she’s well known in the military fitness realm. And Kelsey Floyd for travel/lifestyle/fashion. I wouldn’t say that any one person inspires me more than anyone else, they all share equal parts.

6) If there’s one thing your fellow Instagrammers just gotta try now, what’s it gonna be?

My holy grail face mask, the Indian Healing Clay mask. It’s made up of bentonite clay that you mix with apple cider vinegar and it literally pulls everything out of your pores while healing acne scars and drying up active acne. I’ve gotten at least a hundred people obsessed with it because of how amazing it is. I’ll never stop singing praises for it, simply the best.

7) What’s your favorite part about being an influencer?

Honestly, just sharing things with people. I love becoming obsessed with something, having someone else take my word for it and then tell me how much they love it. I guess it’s all about spreading the love in the end. It’s a wonderful feeling. When I hear something doesn’t work for someone as well, I feel truly saddened because they’re missing out on something I genuinely enjoy.

8) What are some of your top tips to brands for running campaigns? How do you maintain authenticity?

The biggest issue I’ve dealt with or seen, is creator artistic privilege. I’ve only dealt with one brand that was very strict on the content I provided and in the end, I decided to not work with that brand simply because I felt like they were being too controlling. While I understand the temptation of controlling the influencer to ensure the products image, in the end, if the product is great, the influencers are going to add to the image, not take away or tarnish it. So, if brands were a bit more trusting and generous in their direction, that would make the entire process much more comfortable. Maintaining authenticity is easy, just be honest. I was raised to appreciate honesty above all else, so regardless of anything else, being honest is the best policy.

9) What would your advice be on the importance of quality and original content?

You have to be able to go back to that consumer mindset. It’s easy to get caught up on what’s ascetically pleasing, and it does serve an initial purpose, but in the end, not everyone is attracted to the same thing. The best bet is to appeal to the functionality and the feel factor of whatever your promoting. If it serves some kind of purpose, whether it’s lipstick that would make you feel like a siren, or a pair of gym tights that would make you feel extra put together for a workout, people are going to remember that. Pictures and ads are easy to forget, but words and how you make someone feel when they read them is where that wow factor lies.

10) What do you like best about partnering with brands?

The unknown. Sometimes, I work with brands I already know and love. Other times, it’s been a complete forage into the unknown, and while it’s a bit intimidating because I don’t want to let them down if I think it’s a disaster, the excitement is worth it. Maybe it turns out to be something that changes my day-to-day that I never would’ve tried otherwise. I always go into collaborations with an open mind but also with the knowledge that my followers are relying on my opinion, so I tend to treat the entire experience as if I’m doing research for a friend because that’s how I see my followers, little internet friends. And anything that allows me to share new, exciting finds with my friends is a pretty awesome thing.

Topics:

• DIY & Crafts
• Fashion
• Food & Drink
• Hair & Beauty
• Health & Fitness
• Photography
• Technology
• Travel

Country:

United States of America