Instagram Influencer Spotlight On: Nicole Yvonne @nyinthecity

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

I moved to New York City from Atlanta a few months out of college. When I got to New York, I was just an intern so I was pretty broke. But, I was still always going to a lot of events and got into taking pictures for Instagram at the events. And then, that grew into a blog about all the free events in the city and how to live in the city on a tight budget.

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

I post mostly about the art and culture of New York City. I write a lot about events going on around the city. I try to find all the free and cheap events that people, who are entry level post grads, like me, can enjoy. I, also, have started writing about style and fashion because that is such a large part of the city’s culture. I love to post my street art photographer, as well. Street art is so ingrained in New York City’s culture and it’s really coming into a new era where it’s more accepted as an art form and not vandalism. I love finding new pieces all over the city and seeing stores and brands embrace it and commission walls of their stores as a canvas for these artists.

3) How did your Instagram name come about?

The name for my account came pretty easily. I got lucky that my initials are NY and so it only made sense to be “in the City” to make it NYC. There are a lot of other Instagrams that are “so-and-so in the city,” but I don’t think many of them can say their name creates the acronym for the city they’re in.

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

I like to keep it simple. There’s become this focus on Instagrams having a uniform look throughout their photos. But, to me, that is boring. I get bored looking at just grey things or just black and white things or a bunch of outfits in front of the same colored backdrop. It’s just not interesting anymore now that everyone is doing it. The Minimalism style is far too abundant on Instagram these days. It’s become the mainstream now. I like to use whatever filter I like and I think works best for the photo. I use VSCO cam. I have three filters on there A6, HB2, and S2 that I like the look of and between the three of them they work for just about any photo, but sometimes I will go in and do some further edits if I think it doesn’t look right. I think having a uniform look is great for building a brand, but I don’t think it should compromise the quality of the photo.

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

I’m inspired by a lot of different styles. Though my personal style mostly consists of wearing all black, a lot of the Instagrams I look to for inspiration don’t necessarily have the same style. @sonderlingonline I just started following about a month ago because she just has this effortless cool style and the look of her Instagram as a whole has a really unique look that I love. Another Instagram that I love to get inspiration from is @cvazzana. Her style is far more colorful than mine, but so unique and so fun. I actually had the opportunity to take a style class with her and it had definitely inspired me to start adding some color into my wardrobe. Though I do follow mostly style blogs, I do of course follow a lot of event blogs and blogs about things happening around New York City, since that is the main focus of my blog. @madhattersnyc is a blog that I just found and they have given me a lot of great ideas of things to do and places to see around the city.

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

Instagram business account. It has helped me a lot to see the stats from my page and my posts. All I had to do was create a page on Facebook for my blog and it allowed me to create a business Instagram profile and it is definitely useful.

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

The community is definitely the best part of being on Instagram. Other bloggers are definitely way more supportive than I would’ve imagined. I have made a lot of friends through doing this and had a lot more experiences I wouldn’t have had if I wasn’t doing this Instagram.

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

Stop doing giveaways! If I don’t really love an Instagram and they go a giveaway, I unfollow them. It seems harsh, but giveaways really are just a ploy for followers and likes and they cheapen your brand. And, they’re just irritating. If I have a whole feed of just giveaways, what’s the point? There’s no real content. I find it pretty easy to maintain my authenticity by just not doing what I wouldn’t do. Does that makes any sense? If I wouldn’t wear something or go somewhere, I’m not going to do it just for Instagram. I am my Instagram, my Instagram is not me. It reflects what I like and what I do, but it doesn’t control my likes and my interests. I have a very specific taste and I’m extremely stubborn about sticking to what I like, so I think it’d be very hard for me to not be authentic. I don’t think I’d be very good at it.

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

It’s obviously extremely important to be original and have quality content. You want to sell your unique perspective on style or art or anything you want. And, you want it to reflect the best quality of work you can create. In the end, this is still Instagram. It’s a site to share your life through photos. Think about how you want your life represented.

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

I haven’t really gotten into partnering with brands, yet. I’ve been mainly just posting supporting local artists, events, and shops, but just because I genuinely like them. Unfortunately, no one is paying me, but I enjoy posting about local businesses that I like. I have some brands in mind that I love and would love to partner with and that’s definitely a goal for this year.

Topics:

• Art
• Fashion
• Photography
• Travel

Country:

United States of America