Today we’d like to introduce you to Halee Decker.
Hi Halee, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am one of those people who take pictures of everything. My camera roll is full of sunsets, food, animals, things I want to buy, and so much more. I think my need to take pictures of everything was a glimpse into what I actually wanted to do. I have always been drawn to social media and envious of the influencers you see throughout it, so like any high school girl I wanted to be one of them. I am always on social media, whether it be Instagram or Tiktok, so one day I asked myself, “why don’t I just start seriously posting on it?” I wanted to take part in social media and leave my mark. Most of my posts throughout high school were either taken by my parents or my friends, but they weren’t giving me what I wanted to see from my account. I decided to buy a tripod from Amazon and start taking my own pictures, pictures that I liked and felt good in. I started putting on cute outfits and going around my town with my tripod taking pictures. After a few times, I got the hang of what works, what doesn’t, what poses I like, etc. I then did some research into hashtags, profiles to tag, and keywords to try and find the secret to social media (in case you were wondering there isn’t one!). I went to some accounts that I found inspirational as a starting out content creator and looked at who they tagged and what they were doing for inspiration.
The first time I posted one of the pictures I took for the purpose of posting (instead of pictures from an event taken by family) I saw that I got a lot more engagement and that made me feel really good so I kept doing it. I kept posting little by little and of course, just like with any other person that posts on social media, there were people who didn’t think it was all that great. Sometimes it was hard to ignore and made me rethink my content and think about if it was even worth being seen. I would delete the comments and at the end of the day and in my head, I would just say that my content was not their cup of tea and try to move on. I had been waiting to do this for so long, I didn’t want to give up now.
The first year I was in college, Covid-19 was still a major problem and I was trying to balance being a full-time student with the new modification of all online classes and working full time, so content fell to the bottom of my list. In my second/current year of college, I decided I wanted to make time for it and really try and make it work. I started going to fields, trails, and libraries to take pictures and post them consistently as well as trying to find out what my niche would be. This was hard for me because there are so many things I love and want to post about, but I chose fashion and lifestyle for most of my content because I felt it fit my personality and what I had envisioned for my account. Once I did that, I started growing followers, engagement and had brands reaching out to me to send me their products. I loved being able to share my outfits or my day with people online in a creative way. Doing this was so new to me, but I had fallen in love with it. I am so happy I decided to start creating and even more proud that I didn’t let the numbers or comments get me down. For anyone out there reading this, start now! This is your sign to start creating or start something you have always wanted to do because it will pay off and it will be worth it!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There is no such thing as a smooth road, but honestly, I’m glad that it hasn’t been. Long story short, there is no magic way to become an influencer overnight. You cant expect to create a community if you don’t put in the work. I think the main struggle I had was myself. It was really hard for me to post knowing that people I grew up with would see my posts and judge because I post like I am already an influencer (if you want to be one, post like one type of mentality). There are so many niches and platforms to focus on and it can definitely be very overwhelming at times. As a college student, it also has been hard to balance school, work, and content creation and make sure I don’t leave one out. Another obstacle would be comparing yourself to other influencers. It can be hard seeing some of the other girls grow faster than me, getting more collaborations or better content ideas. I am very happy for them, but sometimes it can be hard to not evaluate and compare yourself to others. I still have much to learn and experiment with as I continue creating content and growing. Without all of the obstacles, I wouldn’t be where I am today, and I definitely wouldn’t be as determined to keep working at my goals.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an Austin content creator and I focus on lifestyle and fashion content. A lot of my content is outfit, beauty, or lifestyle-based, but I am also open to many other things so I can be ready for anything the future brings. I love being a content creator as it provides me a creative outlet and gives me the opportunity to meet other like-minded creators and connect.
I am most proud of how far I have come throughout this journey. I used to be so scared to pull out my tripod and take pictures in public, but I am working on that and becoming more comfortable each time I do it. I am proud of the small community I have supporting me as I keep working towards my goals. I am proud of how I don’t let people get to me anymore, if I like my content and if I am proud of it, it is staying up even if it gets a negative comment. Lastly, I am proud of myself for putting my content out there and doing something I always wanted to. Because of this, I have collaborated with brands such as Soffe, Mad Hippie, Mejuri, Formulate, and more!
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
There is really so much to learn from the social media industry, I personally still have much to learn. The most important lesson I have learned so far is to just do you. I am posting as myself and posting the pictures and products I like. I used to be so worried that people might not like a post, but in the end, it is MY profile I am sharing on and MY life I am sharing about. Now I just think, if they don’t want to see it they can unfollow. To everyone reading this, don’t let the haters bother you, you are amazing and the hate they are sending you isn’t worth stressing over.
I am so excited for what is to come as I continue my journey as a content creator. Lastly, I just wanted to thank my parents and friends for the countless times I asked “Can we take a picture real quick?” and for the endless support and love. I also am so thankful for the community I am starting to build on social media and for all the support and inspiration they give. Lastly, thank you to VoyageAustin for this amazing opportunity.
Contact Info:
- Email: haleedecker1@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haleedecker/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@hhhaleee
