Instagram Influencer Spotlight On: Rachel Willie @livelycreativeco

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

My name is Rachel, and I’m a full time portrait, branding, and blog photographer. I work with (mostly fashion) bloggers all the way from Windsor to Toronto to create content for the Instagrams and blogs, and have helped create visions and grow followings. I went to school for Visual Arts and live in Canada- specifically, in Windsor, Ontario.

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

I love posts that are real, funny, genuine, and just lovely! My three words I always ask myself before I post is "is it bright, is it inspiring, and is it excellent quality?" I mostly post photos from shoots that I do with all of the local bloggers I work with, pictures from my travels, and behind the scenes / snippets from my personal life.

3) How did your Instagram name come about?

My Instagram name is my business name! I chose the name Lively Creative Co because I thought "Lively" was an adjective that describes both my photography style and my personality.

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

My favourite app to edit with is AfterLight (I even ordered their t-shirt when they first launched.. haha!) However, if the photo is from my DSLR camera then I’ll edit it in Lightroom and once I get it on my phone screen I tweak it slightly in the Instagram app. Seriously, Instagram’s sharpen tool is like no other.

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

I love following Jillian Harris, and Annawithlove is probably one of my most favourite!

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

I think everyone should try out at least one trend per season even if they think there is NO WAY they could pull it off. It’s fun to not take life so seriously and I love the idea of being able to tell my future kids one day about what fashion was like in 2016.

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

I actually currently am not an influencer- you guys are the first to reach out and ask me if I’d like to do this and I thought I’d give it a try!

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

I shoot a lot for other Instagrammers and I think what is key to running campaigns is that you have to keep your story authentic. People can sense when what you’re saying is not real, so I think you really have to hone in on your storytelling abilities to tie in the product to something relatable and real. It’s more than okay to be imperfect and I think audiences really grab on to that.

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

Quality is SO important to me. We are so visual, and with so much coming at us all day every day it’s really important to make sure what you’re putting out there is quality work. In regards to original content, I think it’s easy to say "hey that’s cute, I want to do the same thing" but I’m always "re-adjusting my sails" to make sure I am headed in a direction that is true to my style. It’s easy to copy someone, but it’s more important to create something original.

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

I’ve always loved collaborations and it’s so fun for me as an artist to take the constraints of a project and think outside the box to create something magical.

Topics:

• Animals & Pets
• Art
• Education
• Fashion
• Film, Music & Books
• Food & Drink
• Hair & Beauty
• Photography
• Technology
• Travel

Country:

Canada