Instagram Influencer Spotlight On: Tayla Lee Sakurai @MonchichiTanuki

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

Hey there! My name is Tayla and right now I’m located in Hollywood, California as a part time Sanrio worker/costumer commissioner! I originally come from Boston, MA but around this time last year I decided to pack my bags and head to the west coast for a change of pace and I couldn’t be happier here! my main job is making costumes for people on the internet, its a really difficult job but I’m really something I love !

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

I really love fashion and makeup, but my passion is sewing and cosplay. I post mostly photos of costumes I make for myself and friends, along with outfit of the day shots and alot of makeup pictures! I post usually twice a day or more depending on the day of the week or what I’m wearing, I try to be as consistent as possible on all my forms of social media.

3) How did your Instagram name come about?

My current username right now is MonchichiTanuki, when you seperate the words they mean two totally different things and have two totally different stories! Monchichi comes from is very old toy monkey doll that my mother used to have as a child, and when I was younger she always told me and my siblings that we looked like Monchichi dolls because of our big hair LOL. And Tanuki comes from a subspecies of the Asian raccoon dog, which is added to my username mostly because my favorite show involves these hairy little buddies!

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

I use four different apps to edit my photos, beautycam, LINECAM (for twinkles and sparkles), PHOTOGRID and after light! I usually stick to using linecamera and beautycam for mostly everything and I buy all of my stamps on linecamera because alot of my editing options are limited other wise HAHA!

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

My favorite Instagrammers include mostflogged, Takisiski, hopiechan and Tattobot! I think mostflogged inspires me the most with how quickly she makes and shoots costumes, along with her great taste in clothing and interests!

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

It really depends on what kind of category were talking about here, but since alot of my followers follow me for makeup and costumes I would suggest to ALL my followers to pick up a toofaced chocolate bar palette time they’re out at a Sephora or Ulta… those things really can change your life for the better I swear! They also have the added bonus of smelling like cocoa powder!

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

Alot of people approach me in public or at conventions and always tell me I inspire them to make things and get creative… It really means alot to me that something I really love doing can effect people in such a positive way!

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

Be original, stay creative. Everyday I try and think of ways of how I can make my posts stand out and you can tell rover the years of how my editing style and makeup has improved so much! Do what YOU think looks the best and not copy what everyone else is doing, your originality and spunky way of doing things will catch peoples eye and benefit you later!

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

Don’t get lazy with it. If you think a photo doesn’t look that great personally then don’t upload it. if your not 100% certain about something then think it through or do it over, this is key to gaining a following and shows how professional you can be. Stay true to yourself and always be original, which is very hard to do when you see other people getting thousands of likes on other photos, but staying original and avoiding the herd wont go unnoticed! I promise!!

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

Its always fun partnering with brands I love. I’ve done shoots and promotions for some of my favorite small businesses and its so wonderful to watch them grow, and know that I could be apart of something so wonderful. Seeing something flourish into greatness is the best feeling you can have.