Instagram Influencer Spotlight On: Victoria Turcios @VisualVitaliti

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

Originally from Central America, I was born in Guatemala. Moved to the US when I was around 5-7 years old and have lived in the midwest since. Currently based out of Minnesota, I am now a college student and recently graduated MCTC with an AFA in the Visual Arts. In the next year or so I plan on transferring schools to continue my education in graphic design. I’ve always loved the visual arts, fashion, and telling stories so I think that becoming a blogger and a content creator was a bit of a snowball effect after taking on different opportunities that came my way. During high school I gave journalism a try at an after school program called ThreeSixty Journalism through the University of St. Thomas, and I started to venture into photojournalism there. My Nikon has since been my most prized possession, and those who know me can tell you I carry it almost everywhere I go. Growing up, I had a knack for styling outfits or giving advice on what to wear to my mother & sister and that continued on through high school with my friends. Once I was in college, I got a part-time job at a Levi’s store and that taught me a lot of things about style and how clothes work with certain body types. My experience there reminded me of my love for fashion, so I took my camera and the writing skills I had to begin a style and fashion blog. Now I create visual content for my followers, readers, and also to satisfy myself because it all comes down to that. What I do makes me happy, it may just be something I do on the side but it keeps my creativity going, and that’s what I love.

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

The things that really catch my attention are real, raw, and meaningful images. I love to create posts related to fashion, photography (film/digital) and anything that can inspire others.

3) How did your Instagram name come about?

Man that’s a long story, the last three years I’ve done a lot of soul searching I guess you could say. I needed to love myself more, and accept who I am and be at peace with that. I believe we all go through that journey at our own pace through our lifetime and the last couple of years have been that for me. Visual Vitaliti, came about because one– I love anything that is visually striking whether in concept, design, or formation. Vitaliti came from vitality, another word for strength which is a key word for the journey I’ve been on with myself. I changed the “y” for an “i” because most people who know me call me Vikki, so it’s all about the “i”s and i wanted to make it personal but had no idea how so I changed the ending of the word to achieve that.

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

I’ll be fully honest, the only app I fully rely on for editing pictures is Lightroom & Afterlight. I think that many people overlook the app as not being equal to Voscam but I love it, and have used it since I started two years ago. My photo editing routine begins after I upload my photos onto Lightroom, there I can take care of any pimples, add contrast, and brighten the image then it goes to my Iphone. I never go crazy with editing, it’s just not my thing. In Afterlight you can create your own mix used as the option “fusion” which gives you the chance to pick from a variety of filters and options (lighting, contrast, and saturation) to then mix them, so I use a combo of two “fusion” filters I created about a year ago.I try to keep my content as clear and honest for my followers as I can so that’s pretty much all I do for editing.

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

There’s way too many but my all time favorite instagrammer’s include: Sterling Silvy the account for Angie Silvy’s content agency. The content on there is so inspirational to me, and she gets to work with some of my favorite brands so it’s kind of like goals seeing her feed. Jetset Justine is another of my favorite instagrammer’s – her feed is also inspirational, and she takes the time to respond to comments of her followers which I appreciate because she’s so genuine and that shows humility and professionalism.

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

Talenti gelato! It’s amazing so go get yourselves some. The flavors I’ve had so far have been amazing, so I am certain they’re all good. My faves are: Raspberry Sorbeto, Southern Butter Pecan, & Sicilian Pistachio

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

That I get to interact with people from all over the world. I appreciate my followers and their constant support, even if it’s through an emoji in a comment on a post like they take the time to let me know they see my work and that’s everything. I’ve taken on the opportunity to tell stories and share my skills with those willing to take it in, when it all began solely to satisfy a personal need for another creative outlet and that’s truly rewarding to me.

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

The only tip I really have for brands is that they need to stop thinking solely about numbers as far as social media is concerned. This has more to do with Instagram than anything else but, we all know that there are numerous influencers who buy followers which is simply sad and unfortunate for those who don’t. Work with influencers who truly represent and embody your brand. I know the numbers make the money, but if you want to engage with consumers who will be loyal than I think originality and honesty are of much more importance than the latter when finding influencers to work with.

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

We’ve all heard that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but that gets old. As a content creator there is nothing more satisfying than knowing that the images I create are one of a kind. I come up with the idea, I see that visual mentally and I produce it. So I say it’s of extreme importance that anyone out there who is a content creator, influencer, or story teller of any kind creates their work with originality and most importantly with purpose. The internet is a huge, saturated void, so if you want to stand out and want people to appreciate your work than you have to be original. Now, you may not become popular right away, or rich from it but if you enjoy doing it that’s all you need. Trust me, originality is much more rewarding.

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

My favorite thing about partnering with brands is that I get to decide who I want to collaborate with. I am certain that’s the same thing that many bloggers do but for me personally it’s key to stay authentic with what my values are and what I convey to my followers and readers because they follow what I do, and that means that we have a connection whether it’s through our beliefs, our ideas or what we wish to do with our lives so I always have to remember that who I work with should not only embody my values and what I want my blog to stand for but what my followers would be interested in as well.

Topics:

• Art
• Design
• Fashion
• Hair & Beauty
• Photography

Country:

United States of America