Today we had the wonderful opportunity to speak to May who is a lifestyle beauty and travel blogger. Here at Taste the dram, we want to help you get a glimpse into a world outside just spirits. We want to lead you on the journey of “lifestyle”. Check out her full interview below:
May please tell us a little about yourself.
MC: Hello, I’m May or @mayfiscella on Instagram. I’m a DMV fashion, beauty and lifestyle blogger/content creator.
When did you start blogging/social media, and what was your motivation for getting started?
MC: I’ve actually been dabbling in the blogging realm for a while now. I used to be an avid Blogspot user and followed a bunch of fashion blogs for inspiration. Before my current blog, my posts were for the most parts hidden and more of a personal outlet for journaling my outfits and thoughts. I spent my last semester of undergrad studying abroad in Seoul, South Korea and was able to check out Seoul Fashion Week. I was super inspired by the fashion at fashion week and in Seoul in general, which re-lit my spark/interest in fashion. At fashion week, I was also fortunate enough to have a few photographers send me some pictures via Instagram. That was really around the time I started using Instagram business purposes.
Where does your style-savvy come from, and where do you get your inspiration from?
MC: I’m not entirely sure where my style/love for fashion originated, but my mom loves shopping and always took us to the mall when we were younger. That might’ve had an impact. Also, growing up in such a large family (I have 4 siblings!) I had to make do with a lot of hand-me-down clothing from my older sister and definitely tried unique looks and pairings to make those pieces my own. Even to this date, I feel that my fashion sense/styling is the best when I have fewer pieces to work with. That’s when you can get really creative. I get a lot of my inspiration from bloggers! Some of my favorites are Francis Lola (@flamcis), Ellen V Lora (@ellenvlora), Aimee Song (@aimeesong), Jenn Im (@imjennim) and Ashley (@bestdressed) – just to name a few. I’m also always inspired by strangers on the streets!
In what way does being a multicultural and international fashionista and blogger help you connect with your fans?
MC: The majority of my followers are of Asian descent. I think having this common cultural background definitely helps us connect since I find a lot of them relating to what I write about in my captions/posts. Being someone who is also interested in the beauty realm, I definitely tend to follow individuals who also have Asian features just so I can get a better feel for what looks good on myself too so I can definitely see that being a factor for people who follow me because of the beauty and skincare aspect of my page.
Do you market on behalf of brands? Can you share any brands or campaigns you have worked on that you are particularly fond of?
MC: I actually don’t do too many promotions on my page since I only like to promote brands I genuinely enjoy and connect with. I have a list of “brands I want to work with” filled up with names of brands with products that I love and have been fortunate enough to have had worked with a few of them. When I do market brands on my page, we usually have a mutual understanding that we are looking for long term collaborations so it goes beyond just a simple transaction. I’ve also had to turn down numerous brands that didn’t necessarily fit my values or were not brands I’d think my audience would like. I think trust is a big part of the influencer-audience relationship so I definitely try to maintain that. One brand that I thoroughly enjoyed working with was Ana Luisa (@analuisany) their team was super kind and I still wear all my Ana Luisa pieces non-stop! They’re really a diamond in the rough and I’m glad I was able to share their pieces with my audience (and no I’m not getting paid to mention this haha).
General words of wisdom you live by?
MC: I’d have to say the best life motto I’ve learned in my early twenties is to not compare yourself with others. I feel like we like in the day and age of social media, we like to compare ourselves to others, but all this leads to is a bunch of negativity. What is shared on social media is only the highlight of someone’s life. You don’t get to see the process, hard work, and failure that goes behind it. Similarly, most things are subjective so even if you think someone is “better” than you, they could be having the exact thought about you. So just live in the moment and enjoy your own journey cause it’s the only now you can control and mold.
What were you like growing up?
MC: I was a super shy and introverted kid. I think this has a lot to do with my upbringing. In Asian culture, it’s customary to not talk/speak too much in certain situations and I think I had this warped mentality as a kid (and sometimes still unintentionally have) that less is more when it comes to sharing your thoughts and ideas. It also didn’t help that I was sent to ESOL in elementary school to improve my English – even though it was my first language. This kind of furthered the mental divide between myself and my peers, which made it harder for me to connect and develop close friendships early on. I eventually overcame this in college and now have a group of really amazing friends.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
MC: I don’t think the journey to finding your passion/pursuing your dream is ever easy, but I am fortunate enough to have parents, friends, and family that support me 100%. My mom is the best face-to-face marketer of my brand and tells all her friends about what I do. My younger sister enjoys photography and helps me shoot the majority of my content. My older sister is a doctor and super busy with her career, but always makes time to catch up with my content. My dad and younger brothers are less expressive, but I know they care too and support in subtle ways. As with other creatives, I’ve had to take risks and face uncertainty in my endeavors, but having a solid support system really helps me through even the toughest of times.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
MC: I think perseverance is key. You can’t (unless if you’re an outlier) become successful overnight. It processes (that is often slow), but if you keep at it, you can definitely find success. I have definitely not reached my end goal, but am hopeful that if I keep creating, I will get there eventually. Another key quality that I see in a lot of creatives that I admire is determination and drive. I have creative friends that quit their stable careers to pursue their passions full time and work non-stop to create content. I don’t think that’s something I can really do yet, but it’s amazing to see others be so driven and succeed. I definitely need to learn from them (haha).
How do you think the Social Media industry will change over the next decade?
MC: I don’t think social media is going anywhere – even though a lot of people say that it could. I think the way in which we use social media could definitely change, but creatives will definitely work with the change and still be able to do their thing. As someone who primarily creates content on Instagram, the removal of likes displayed will be a big change, but nothing Earth-shattering. I can see both the pros and cons associated with it. I see a lot of influencers diversifying their profile and creating accounts on other social channels as a form of insurance in the case that one social platform somehow becomes irrelevant, which is very smart.
