To get all the custom designs that you see featured in between the blog posts, check them out on Marjorie’s Designs on Zazzle
For merchandise, you can get them here;
On Zazzle, I make designs and paste them on clothes, accessories, stationary etc. If you want a custom design with a unique pattern and style made for you, email me with the details on;
marjic.ally@gmail.com
I started posting videos on Instagram in 2019 where I’d rant on petty stuff very dramatically. It all started when I joined theatre in my first year. This other side of me which didn’t shy off in being extra was suddenly unlocked when I started acting.
My friends and colleagues would comment on my antics saying that I was being too extra and too dramatic. They didn’t say it like it was a bad thing and they also did not imply that I should stop. In fact, a few of them found me funny and I remember a close friend of mine suggesting that I should start a YouTube.
Well, you can obviously tell that an idea came to me, but it wasn’t YouTube at first. To be honest, the idea of being a vlogger was daunting. I didn’t even know how vlogging worked, let alone have the adequate resources to start a channel. I had a shitty camera and a shitty phone that did not have enough space for even a one-minute video.
But then I found myself scrolling through Instagram and laughing at funny videos. Boom! Lightbulb moment. I decided to start small. Baby steps. I thought to myself, “If I can make my friends and colleagues laugh with my pettiness and dramatic tendencies, then I’m pretty sure an online stranger can find me funny too.”
So I began posting rants on random topics. At first, I wanted to convince myself that I was just doing it for fun, but who am I kidding? The more views and comments I got, the more I started thinking about fame and money. Such thoughts cross our minds frequently.
Sadly, after I got a few fans, who were mostly friends of my friends, the engagements with my posts sort of stagnated. And, you know, it really did impact on how I carried myself. So I stopped posting regularly and only put up a video on IG whenever I was in the right mood. I didn’t want to think that I was just a drop in the ocean of Instagram videos.
Come 2020, my creative juice stopped flowing. I didn’t have as much enthusiasm as when I started. I opened a YouTube channel “just in case” I’d get a surge of inspiration. I made a compilation of my IG videos for my channel, you know, so that at least it seemed that I was doing something and that whoever would bother to search me up wouldn’t find a blank channel.
At this point, I was really down. I wanted to blow up and become a viral sensation so bad but I lacked the mental energy to even watch other videos to see if I could come up with ideas of my own. Life really sucked. I was almost quitting on social media.
Then the most miraculous thing happened. I received a phonecall one early morning. I was still sleepy when my phone suddenly rang.
It was an unknown number. Even before I could contemplate declining the call, I’d already placed the phone to my ear.
“Hello,” I said groggily.
“Hi, am I speaking to Kadel.”
A small frown made it’s way on my face. “Yeah, who’s this?”
“This is Gladys from TikTok.”
To say that I almost flew out from my bed would be an understatement. Sleep evaded me and I was wide awake like someone who’d just drank three cups of coffee.
“Oh, okay.” I replied stupidly. My heart was pounding erratically and I wanted to say something cool but the words evaded me. TikTok? Someone from TikTok was actually calling me? Could it be . . .
“A friend of mine recommended that I check your videos out and if you’re free, I would like you to visit our offices.”
I bit my tongue so hard because I was afraid that I’d start squealing. Just when I was about to give up on social media, this miraculous thing happened!
Gladys explained to me that I’d been invited to join the TikTok creator program. She asked me if I had an account and also directed me to where the TikTok offices were. After confirming the details, she hang up and my eyes were wide with elation and wonder the whole day.
The TikTok creator program needs work, of course, for you to be a big sensation. But the good thing is they occasionally give you a boost and prioritise your posts when it comes to the hashtags on the discover page. Your video has to be top notch quality and have something unique for them to feature.
TikTok came through for me when I was at my lowest and about to let things go when it came to my dream of creating content for online audiences. I have to admit that I have so much fun on TikTok than any other app. With the music and the filters and effects and easy editing, it’s a wonderful experience.
So, for whoever wants to let go of what they enjoy doing just because the results of your work aren’t showing, NEVER SAY NEVER. You might just get your big break. Keep pushing through.
simply marj 