Fatima Rana - Creating Content Is Like Working Two Jobs (Blogger From Germany)


I ran my home bakery for 3 years until I moved to Germany. Over the years, the landscape of social media has changed so much that I found baking and food blogging to be a bit linear. There are so many new and innovative ways you can present your work, and I've really been enjoying experimenting with videos and photography.


Tell us about your background and journey.

I'm a Communication Designer by profession but was interested in baking from a young age. I was in my third year of college, in Lahore Pakistan, when I decided to start baking for friends and family. It gradually turned into a full-time job and I spent my days attending classes, and my nights baking and decorating. 

I ran my home bakery for 3 years until I moved to Germany. Over the years, the landscape of social media has changed so much that I found baking and food blogging to be a bit linear. There are so many new and innovative ways you can present your work, and I've really been enjoying experimenting with videos and photography.



When did you first decide that you wanted to create digital content and how did you start?

I've had my Food Blog for about 10 years now, but four years ago I realised that blogging wasn't enough for me. Around that time Instagram was really taking off, and it was fast becoming a platform for creatives to experiment and share their content. 

I've only just recently gotten into editing videos, with the introduction of reels, but Instagram gave an outlet for creatives to share more detailed processes of recipes on stories even before Reels. (My Instagram @sconceandscone) I just really enjoy the community of digital creators. We bounce ideas off one another, support each other, and it's a truly wonderful community.



Is vlogging and digital content creation a financially sustainable career?

This honestly depends on your skill and how much you're willing to learn and adapt. Brands have turned to small content creators for advertising and content creating, and it's great once you find an in. I myself develop recipes for brands and dabble in food photography. 

If you want to make it a full-time career you need to market yourself and really put your work out there. It can be a sustainable career, but it takes time to create those brand partnerships, and it's more than a full-time job.



How and where do you find inspiration to churn out content?

I get my inspiration from cookbooks and my favourite chefs. Social media has made these people so accessible. We can see what they're cooking, where they are, and that definitely inspires me. There are also so many amazing accounts on Instagram that share work from talent across the globe. I also watch a lot of tvs, and I definitely get inspiration for video angles and cinematography from there. 

Inspiration can be found anywhere, you just have to look around, whether it's at home, or elsewhere. When I find myself on a creative block, I watch other creatives at work. A recent favourite of mine is a home renovation show called Bizarre Builds, where the hosts create homes out of random structures like school buses and horse trailers. Shows like that definitely help with my creative process.



What piece of advice would you like to give to future and aspiring digital creators or influencers?

One thing I've learned is that you have to be willing to adapt and work on your craft. The landscape is changing so fast in every field you have to stay on top of your game. 

But the single most important thing I could take away from everything is that you need to truly enjoy what you do. Creating content is like working two jobs, so if you're not enjoying the process, it'll show in your work!



Interviewed by - Saba Parveen