Giulia Raffaello - It Is So Easy to Get Lost in the World of Content Creation but Consistency and Focus On the Long Term Will Keep You on the Right Track (Vlogger From Italy)

Giulia Rafaello

Motivation comes and goes, what makes you stand out is how disciplined you are, discipline is built with a solid routine.

1. Tell us about your background and journey.

My curiosity towards the world came really early in my life. At the age of 7, during my first trip abroad, I told my parents I would have lived abroad one day. I ended up studying foreign languages (I speak Italian, English, German, Spanish, and a bit of French. I am now learning Hindi too!) and graduating in Political Science because my dream was to launch my own NGO with the goal of helping others.

I then moved and worked in the US and UK for a few years, before eventually landing a great job in the vibrant and diverse tech scene here in Berlin. I met Shrey in 2016 and pretty soon started my content journey.

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

When I first moved to Berlin, I was looking for a way to start expressing myself. A friend of mine was taking Improvisation acting classes so I decided to join and I loved it so much that it gave me the motivation to keep on performing somehow.
Shrey, my husband, always used to tell me that I should bring my bubbly personality in front of the camera, and interestingly enough, around this time, I also started taking part in some youtube videos of the company where I work. 

One day Shrey just bought a whole bunch of filming equipment - cameras, lights, tripods, etc and told me: “That’s it, we’re going to make youtube videos!”. We started in 2018 with the aim of documenting the joys and the challenges of being in a relationship with someone from a different culture and continent. It all began with some jokes I was sharing with friends around a dinner table. These jokes became our first sketches - and the rest is history!

3. Is vlogging and YouTube content creation a financially sustainable career?

Kind of. For making content creation a sustainable career, you’d need to rely on an algorithm that is highly unreliable. You also need to rely a lot on brand partnerships, which can then eventually be a burden for your audience. I believe that the best way to keep on creating content and be financially stable is to have multiple sources of revenue. This is what Shrey and I do in order to keep on financing the project without putting too much pressure on it.

4. Who is your favorite creator and why?

It is so hard for me to only mention one! Lately, I have been binge-watching Emma Chamberlain and Jess and Gabriel. These YouTubers do more vlogging style content and what I like about them is that they have a natural way to connect with you to the point that you feel like you are hanging out with them. 

Since Shrey and I would like to do more vlogging-style content ourselves, we find their vlogs quite inspiring. For style and fashion, Masoom Minawala is my favorite one. She has an incredible talent for bringing Indian fashion to the world.

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

I am a strong believer that one shouldn’t rely on motivation too much. Motivation comes and goes, what makes you stand out is how disciplined you are. Discipline is built with a solid routine. 

When you are a content creator, it is important to dedicate specific time to creativity and inspiration. That is what I do on a daily basis, whether that is for content creation or trend research. I also go around with a little notebook, so that as soon as an idea comes into my mind, I do not forget it.

6. What does your typical day look like?

I wake up around 7 am, and usually always find myself wrestling internal thoughts - “Should I wake up, should I keep on sleeping?”. After overcoming my internal desire to keep sleeping, I leave the bed in around 20 mins. Shrey is usually still sleeping and some days I too decide to sleep in. I do my best to avoid my phone for the first hour. I brush my teeth, drink warm water, and go to our meditation room. I meditate for a bit and by the time I am done, Shrey is awake.
We then make breakfast and start our day. Most of the time we work from home, but lately, we have also started going to the office again. We both actually prefer that since it energizes us.

I try to always squeeze in a workout daily, either before or after working hours. During my breaks, I check my social media, interact with my community, create quick content and write down possible content ideas for the future. After work Shrey and I try to find time to brainstorm and work a bit more on the project. We then spend some time deciding what to eat for dinner and who will cook it and around 9 pm, it is “Chill time”, which means that we do our best to wind down. Shrey watches some Youtube videos, while I keep myself busy by speaking to my family and friends or doing other “feel good” things.

7. Which is your favorite book and why?

Hard to pick one, but I’d say “Think like a Monk” by Jay Shetty. I have been following both him and Radhi for a long time. The book is an incredible mix of ancient wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita, and practical tools for the modern world. I read it during the pandemic and it helped me so much that I promised myself I would read it again soon to memorize it even more. I 100% recommend it.

8. What piece of advice would you like to give to future and aspiring creators?

Make sure you know the message you want to share and be true to yourself and your values. It is so easy to get lost in the world of content creation but consistency and focus on the long term will keep you on the right track. Although content creation relies heavily on creativity, what will set out apart is consistency in uploading.

Giulia Rafaello

Giulia Rafaello

Vlogger from Italy

Interviewed by Dimpy Mavar