Disha Bhanushali - When I Create Something, My Only Goal Is to Make My People Relate to Me (Digital Content Creator, Mumbai, India)

Poised Popsy

Mumbai, India

Instagram - @dishaxbh

1. Tell us about your background and journey.

I have been in love with makeup and styling like every other teenage girl. I used to watch videos first thing in the morning of the bloggers that I could relate with. At the age of 14-15, I will do my makeup, style myself and also do makeup for my family and friends during events and functions. However, never this thought occurred that I would one day have my own page, my own youtube channel or become a blogger.

I am a really studious, reserved, shy person. I like studying a subject like I might get bored reading a novel but I won’t ever get bored of reading a subject and learning something new. So I completed my 10th Standard in the year 2015 and I thought I want to have a website. Now let me tell you, that I love computer stuff. 

I love reading about this subject, love trying new things and create something with the help of digital amenities we have. So, I decided to have a website in 2015 and as I didn’t have any money to pay someone for making a website, I thought I will do it on my own. That’s where it all started.

So I created a blog where I can write stuff I want to but I forgot about the part that I want to write, hence the first thing that occurred to me were product reviews. I just wanted to write something there, so I started writing about things that I knew more about. I also like writing my thoughts down. Also, very cringey but the website name was whateverandblush.blogspot.com.

I wasn’t consistent due to college and assignments and also other things that an ordinary teenage girl would go through. So I guess I stopped writing by the end of 2016 maybe. Then I went on to pursue my college degree in Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in 2017. Also, joined courses in Graphic Designing and Multimedia in the same year. 

2. What led you to start your blog and what is it about?

 

I did internships as a Graphic Designer, as a Content Writer and also as a Digital Marketer, all before the age of 20. So after working in all these roles and also studying the most fascinating subject, I realised somewhere in 2018 that I can create something related to beauty fashion and all the stuff I love but in a very subtle, minimal, to the point layout which might interest people and use my computer skills + personality + aesthetic designs to something.

But starting immediately was a bit difficult as I had to convince my gujju family that this isn’t modelling where I have to follow certain norms and this is basically my passion and I can actually nail it. This took a while and also I had no space to film, things to film with, not much confidence to show my acne-prone skin and also the fact that I have strawberry skin all over my body, I kinda started feeling insecure but eventually, one thing led to another and finally I was there on Instagram in April 2019 with my first post.

My blog is about just the way I style, I live, and what I think. Everyone has their own way of creating content, mine is about how would a normal teenage girl in India does her daily activities, chooses her outfits, decides her makeup and all that stuff. Keeping it minimal, very simple yet relatable.


3. Is it financially sustainable to be a digital creator these days?

I wouldn’t say it is financially sustainable, especially in India. Here, to get paid collaborations brand needs numbers, while in foreign countries they prefer content over the number of followers. Brands look out for bloggers/influencers who are genuinely into content making and not just for fame. While in India, you would see every other famous person endorsing products and things, making the worth of genuine content creators down. 

And because every other person advertised themselves as influencers, the real original content creators do not get enough appreciation, enough trust, enough money to survive and make their content better with the income produced. I remember in the initial stages I was just blatantly asked to do reviews of big brands as they don’t pay people who have fewer followers. 

I did require good money to purchase products and clothes so that I can review them on my page. It was very difficult to grow considering there are so many people out there who want to be in this field because they only see the big picture and the freebies.

I have a 3Cs rule which I always share with the aspiring content creators who are on my page and ask me for suggestions on how they can grow. Candid, Content and Consistency are what I recommend because honestly, this is what helped me to reach this stage. 

Even though I might not have a huge following at the moment but being selected to be featured in an ad for Katrina Kaif’s brand made me realise that I was picked because of the content and because I was candid throughout. It’s been just 2 years to my page and I have done every other strategy/ideas/jugaad thinking I will reach more people but none of them worked. 

In fact, there was a period last year where I got so overwhelmed with the brands approaching me and I completely forgot the purpose of why the hell I am here? I started losing my audience. The only reason this happened because in that phase I stopped being myself. 

4. How can someone become a successful content creator?

Connecting with the audience doesn’t require any strategies. At least this is what I feel and do for my page. I try to be who I am and I try to understand what would I do or how would I react to a certain piece of content. The audience is everything, I mean I keep my focus on the people that follow me. 

When I create something, my only goal is to make my people relate to me. I don’t care if the video goes viral or not, I don’t care if the tagged brands see it or not, even with the sponsored posts, I just want my audience to take something from what I create.

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

My inspiration comes from Instagram itself. I do follow people who have similar content as me and I just see how they share their life on their page. I also love watching shows a lot and sometimes some inspiration, concepts, cinematography, sound, transitions and a lot of other things comes from there. Usually, people decide the content first and then they think about what music they should put. 

For me, it's different. I do not sit and think about what content I should make. It comes to me on a regular basis. I choose the music first or rather I should say whatever I listen to, after that the concept comes to me via that music and then I go ahead accordingly. 

I love anime, thrillers and documentaries. I think the way they show the content to the audience and know how to keep them engaging is what I am trying to do here I guess. I still lack so many skills, of course, there’s no way we can match with them but if we know the path it at least helps us reach somewhere.

6. Who is your favourite creator and why? Which is your favourite book and why?

This would look very mean to me but I genuinely do not have any favourite creator and favourite book. Firstly, I haven’t read many books to even be in a position to pick a book. However, books like Ikigai, The Secret- The Power anything that connects the universal theories and concepts to humans and the survival becomes my liking. 

The relation between the science, nature of laws, religion, mythology and us is what I would like to read more about. I would want to know everything that goes beyond this planet, humans and the afterlife.

- Interviewed by - Sanjana Jain