There are many days where I feel like a failed influencer – I could never make enough money for the work to be sustainable and that’s ultimately why the @clothdiaperpodcast just stopped one day.
As much as we hate it, money is crucial for any work, especially those in the space of education, influence and critical discourse. So when positions that offer money come along, money that can pay the bills and feed our families – priorities shift.
But while I consider myself a bit of a blogger failure, those years were an incredible unpaid internship for skills I’d need for the rest of my life.
Like how to write content for the web, how to put your face onto social media, and how to use the tools of 2023.
I often get compliments on my social media game, and while I have attended numerous conferences and workshops – nothing beats practice and the art of showing up daily.
Social media is trial and error. It’s learning and adapting to new trends, but at its core it’s connecting and maintaining relationships with people through engagement.
Secretly, I aspired to be a celebrity level influencer. I know a touch vane and pretentious of me. I wanted to be recognized locally and internationally. But at the end of the day, cloth diapering as a niche was too small, being from “rural” Canada a disadvantage to those in Vancouver or Toronto, and my aesthetic is rarely on trend. Add in opinions that often clash with the day to day of mainstream culture, it wasn’t meant to be.
And while I might not have met my vanity metrics, I know I did create change and discourse. I also learned skills that when I did buy a brick and mortar business helped us double and triple sales on a regular basis.
Sometimes the moments are just waiting for another moment. Also, if we want more diverse influencers and thought leaders we have to pay them. We have to buy their books, sign up for their patrons, and as businesses we have to pay them a liveable wage that encourages them to continue
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