Today we’d like to introduce you to Kirsten Krupps.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My name is Kirsten (Pronounced Ker-stin) Krupps and I’m a 30-year-old creative who was born and raised in the Midwest (Central Illinois to be exact). I moved to Austin, Texas in January 2020 – I know great timing, right? I went to Bradley University for Communications, with a concentration in Advertising and a minor in Interactive Media. In addition to my medical device marketing day job and fashion/lifestyle blogging side-hustle, I’ve run my own photography business since 2013. I mainly photograph people, concerts, and pets. I’ve always been a visual and creative person, so marketing just seemed like a natural fit for me career-wise. When I took a photography class in high school, I fell in love and have been doing that in some capacity ever since. My blog and own social media started off as a way to practice content creation but soon grew into a genuine outlet for me.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
As with most things, it hasn’t always been a smooth road, but I always like to think of things as a learning experience. A lot of aspects of my professional life and personal endeavors include adapting and thinking on your feet. Whether that’s in marketing or while doing a photoshoot, sometimes you get thrown a curveball and being able to take that in stride is crucial.
The biggest obstacle for me thus far was getting laid off due to the pandemic just about ten weeks after moving to Austin all by myself. As you could probably gather from the first question, I like to keep busy, so being unemployed for about five months was not my favorite, to say the least. At first, I thought I could put some extra focus on my freelance photography and marketing services, but people weren’t really looking to spend money on those types of things at that point in the pandemic. Instead, I used my blog and social media as a creative outlet and focused on that in the meantime. I have been fortunate enough that I did get that to pick up a bit and had the opportunity to work with some great brands along the way. It’s been exciting to have that continue to grow, even after I did find another full-time marketing day job.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Online, most of my followers know me as a rock music-loving fashion, beauty, and lifestyle content creator. In college, I interned for one of the radio station groups in my hometown of Peoria, Illinois and have worked with them in some capacity ever since – even doing some freelance work to this day. I love rock music, so I was immediately drawn to the opportunity to work for my favorite local station. I already went to a ton of concerts but went to even more on the job. That’s how I first got into concert photography, as well. I love to dress up for concerts and would frequently get compliments or inquiries where I got certain things or how I’d style something, so that was the initial inspiration for my blog and social media. I keep joking that I have so many outfits and things lined up for when shows start coming around again. They’re finally starting to and I couldn’t be happier. I’m most proud of some of the connections I’ve made by just being myself and authentically interacting with others online and in real life. It’s been a fun and rewarding time!
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
As I mentioned, I was directly impacted and laid off in early April of the pandemic. Learning to create some structure by finding constructive things to do with my time and stick to healthy habits when going through such an uncertain time was crucial for me. So many of my hobbies were things you can’t do when you’re socially distancing! On a positive note, I did get to spend a lot more time with my dogs, branch out into other hobbies, and ramp up my own content.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://blog.kirstenkrupps.com/
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/kirstenkrupps
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/blogkirstenkrupps
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/kirstenkrupps
- Youtube: http://youtube.com/KirstenKrupps
