Instagram Influencer Spotlight On: Hillary @hillarykimeya

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

I am a full-time social worker who just graduated from NUS earlier this year. I found that this profession was what I really wanted to devote my time and energy to because I’d always felt troubled by the suffering of others and wanted to be able to help others – being trained in the profession only increases my level of competency for the job, so I devoted myself to learning about it full-time as a student as well. I find it difficult to do a job or even do things that I do not personally feel convicted about, so I followed my passion to study and work in the profession I felt most strongly about. I also love to travel and see the world, not simply for travel’s sake or to take pretty photos, but to also understand and soak in the culture of another place in the world and to see and learn how other countries operate/ what’s working for them that I can bring home. For instance, after I’d graduated from NUS earlier this year, I’d spent a month in Korea and also travelled to Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan and learnt from various points on the journey truths about myself and the place I was visiting. Korea, for example, highlighted to me how architecture could actually be used to achieve social gains (e.g. anti-suicide purposes) instead of being purely aesthetic.

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

I am most interested in travel and other cultures. I mostly post my travel photos, and photos of nature. I also like to share about good stuff I came across, my thoughts and learnings in my captions. It is part of my personality to only share what I truly believe in, and to post pictures of places along with my experiences/ thoughts is something that remains true to myself. I also occasionally post outfit photos or photos from photoshoots. I am also VERY interested in Formula One racing (particularly Red Bull Racing) – I followed the whole season this year and also studied and watched all the races. I attended the one in Singapore this year too! I don’t like attending events just for the sake of attendance, so I always make sure I study and understand them before attending. However, I haven’t had the opportunity to work with anything related to Formula One, and would really love to.

3) How did your Instagram name come about?

It is made up of my first name and middle name.

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

I use VSCO and the instagram app to edit my photos! I usually do most of the editing on VSCO before doing some final edits on the instagram app and then sharing it.

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

I really like @zosuen and @kristengracelam. They inspire me with their sense of style, and @zosuen especially with the way she looks at the world. You are able to see through her pictures the artistic nature of her person and her film shots are also very nice.

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

Try living overseas for a month AND writing a reflection journal! There is so much to learn about self and the world in this process.

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

Being able to encourage and inspire with my learnings and thoughts and to share good things with others!

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

If you want to engage someone to be a part of your campaign, make sure you don’t just pick someone who suits the part, but who genuinely believes in your campaign. This benefits you in that when someone genuinely and strongly believes in something, they are more likely to go the extra mile to promote it, and would be more convincing when asked questions about it in their comments. I personally think that brands should take the step of interviewing the influencer after letting them try out the product or service (if the campaign is of that nature) and also listening for whether the influencer thinks there are any areas for improvement or if the influencer personally did not like certain areas of the good or service so much (may not necessarily need improvement, it may just be his/her personal experience). It’s easy to find any influencer who would say they love everything about a product or service just to get the job, but much better to find one who is honest and willing to give you feedback and work with you, so that when promoting the product or service the influencer is in fact authentic about his/her views. But of course, there may be influencers who genuinely like everything about a product or service – not discounting their authenticity in that area – but asking if there could possibly be any areas of improvement for a product or service could reveal if the influencer is willing to or has seriously thought about the product or service.

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

Quality and original content is definitely very important. Any discerning person would be able to tell when something was simply ripped off or poorly done – it is a reflection of the campaign and the influencer’s values.

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

I like the opportunities for exposure to different products and services and discovering new and good things to share with others!

Topics:

• Architecture
• Fashion
• Film, Music & Books
• Food & Drink
• Nature & Outdoors
• Photography
• Travel

Country:

Singapore