Instagram Influencer Spotlight On: Marni Manning @marnimanning

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

I’m a watercolor artist, particularly drawn to illustrating folklore and nature. Originally from North Carolina, I’ve moved quite a bit in my life, including to South Korea for several years, and even to Canada for a short while. I married a Korean guy and our life is never boring! Travel is an integral part of my life, as I find discovering a new culture fascinating and exciting.

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

I enjoy traveling, creating art, spending time with friends and family, drinking too much tea, and learning languages. I’m currently studying Korean and German. My instagram posts mostly consist of marketing for my art business, work-in-progress watercolor videos, finished or published art, and the random “Boomerang” selfie to express my random life.

3) How did your Instagram name come about?

My full name is Leigh Margaret Manning, and I happened to be called the whole “Leigh Margaret” for most of my life. That said, I’ve gained many nicknames along the way: Margy, Leigh Marg, Margles, Marge, LeMar, Leigh-Leigh – you name it, I’ve been called that. As I was beginning my art business, I wanted to use my name, but make it catchy. Since one of my nicknames has always been “Marni,” I decided to use that as my brand.

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

If I scan a piece that I’ve finished painting, I use the website www.befunky.com to edit by cropping, brightening, contrasting, and adding shadows and highlights when necessary. I’ll then airdrop that scanned jpeg to my phone, where I post it to Instagram without much tinkering. If it’s a photo of some art that I’ve taken with my phone, I use the Instagram editing tools, using touching on brightness, contrast, highlight, shadow, and sharpen. I also adore the Boomerang app!

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

My all-time-favorite artist these days and one who has been a big influence on my style is Stacey Rozich (Instagram is same as her name.) Her feed isn’t just a platform to share her art, but she adds fun photos of her colorful life. As for her work, she’s prolific and poignant, adds immaculate detail and is a wonderful storyteller. I also enjoy sonia_pulido_illustration, papagazyo, havecompany, onechair, maruti_bitamin – they are all fantastic artists.

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

If you’re an artist, you should definitely take a progress video, in real time. People love watching people making art. It’s soothing, it’s quiet, and it intrigues you to watch more, like, “What’s coming next?”

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

I suppose I haven’t thought of myself as an influencer, as much as I would like to be an encourager. I’ve created a small community of artists and art lovers on Instagram. We support each other with kind words, celebrate each others’ triumphs, and console each other on bad days.

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

Loop giveaways can be fun for artists in similar genres, excepting that the list isn’t too long and the rules too convoluted. As for a regular social media marketing campaign, a simple product giveaway is ideal, by asking for followers to comment with answering a question and tagging two friends who would enjoy the post.

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

An Instagram account ought to be reflecting an authentic life, with photos of the owner’s particular likes. The more concentrated the content, such as choosing one genre or theme for the feed, is better than one with random posts. If the posts happen to be random and unrelated, the lighting and angles should be excellent, and the color palette harmonious. When reposting a photo from another feed, whether to support and encourage, or enter a giveaway, proper credit should be given.

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

Partnering with a brand allows me to get more exposure with a particular company’s audience, and in turn, my audience learns about a new brand. Win-win! Followers want to know about good products and services, and they need to hear from people they trust. It’s a pleasure to introduce a brand that I whole-heartedly believe in.

Topics:

• Art
• Food & Drink
• Nature & Outdoors
• Travel

Country:

United States of America