Daily Inspiration: Meet Lourdes Tovar

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lourdes Tovar.

Hi Lourdes, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was raised in the small town of Navasota, Texas. I grew up low-income and first-generation Mexican American. At ten years old, I helped my mother take care of my siblings when my parents divorced and she took on long hours at work. My mother always wanted me to focus on school and go to college. Living in a small town was challenging, to say the least. I always dreamed of finding a school in a bigger city. I eventually went off to San Antonio to attend St. Mary’s University. This was the first time I was away from my family and it was the first time in eight years that I could work on myself.

With all of the extra time that I had, whenever I was not studying or working, I started watching makeup tutorials on YouTube for fun. That was the peak of the beauty influencer era and I was attempting all of techniques from winged eyeliner to blending my eyeshadow to perfection. Since I didn’t have a lot of money to spend, I would often shop at my local Dollar Tree for makeup and thrift stores for clothes. I became very active on social media for fun, which allowed me to be a little savvier in the digital world.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In 2017, I graduated with my Bachelor’s in Sociology and immediately started service with AmeriCorps. Even though this was a consistent job and the stipend check was the most money I ever made before, it was very stressful mentally, physically and financially. This hindered my ability to start creating like I had always wanted to. During this time, I was in fight or flight mode trying to survive my everyday life. With that, my mental health suffered drastically and I began to develop anxiety and depression without any resources to help me get out of it.

I struggled with my identity because as a parentified child and ‘young professional’ I felt like whatever I was doing wasn’t enough. I constantly critiqued my every move and was frustrated that I had not figured out what I wanted to do with my life. That being said, I ended up convincing myself that I needed to go to graduate school to become somebody. I blindly told everyone I wanted to be social worker one day when I honestly didn’t even know what I wanted to do anymore. No one ever warned me that post-undergraduate life is a very confusing time. My boyfriend was attending grad school at the time that I was dealing with all of this. He would always tell me that grad school isn’t the end all be all and he was right. Maybe I would go back to school somewhere down the line but I wanted to continue to look inward and learn more about myself.

During the pandemic is when I started to create more videos and grew a following on TikTok. I was only doing it for fun and then some brands began to reach out to me. Prior to this, I would have been terrified at the fact that I was putting myself out there for everyone to see. Even though that was a difficult time in the world, I felt a newfound love to continue to make content and learn more about what I love: connecting with others on the internet. Tapping into my creativity is the best yet most frightening thing I have ever done. Imposter syndrome runs rampant in my mind but I don’t like to sell myself short anymore. Somedays, I feel like I am nowhere near worthy of getting paid for my posts and the next minute, I get an email offering me a great rate to make a 30-second video. If anything, this has showed me that I am capable of more than I give myself credit for.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a Digital Content Creator and micro-influencer, which basically means I curate social media posts, photos or videos to build my personal brand and promote products/services. Recently I have collaborated with brands like 1-800 Contacts, Savorista Coffee and Billion Dollar Beauty just to name a few. I pride myself on working with brands whose products/services I love and whose mission and values align with my own. Being a conscious consumer and an ethical influencer is very important to me because people want to follow creators that are trustworthy. I am most active on Instagram and YouTube with TikTok being my favorite because that’s where I have had a few viral videos.

Amongst my followers, I am known for my Dollar Tree videos. I like to show people what cool things they can get for just a dollar. Influencer marketing has a lot to do with selling and I think there should be a space to showcase affordable options. Other things I like to share are makeup and hair tutorials, lifestyle and vlog videos. My adaptability in general has helped me keep up with trends and also take my digital content in different directions. Often, I will use my platform to spread awareness on issues that are important to me and that’s something I would like to further explore.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
So far, the easiest strategy to finding a mentor or networking is following people you admire or look up to. Whether you want to learn more about the ins and outs of being an influencer or want to learn how to pitch yourself, there are so many accounts that focus on just that. I am always surprised when people follow me back and engage with my content when they have a massive following! I would love to network with more millennial creators in my area. That’s why I like following local accounts and hashtags that are Austin-based. What has always worked for me is putting myself out there. Making friends on the internet can be easy especially if you are being yourself because people that like you will find you.

Contact Info:

• Email: lulutovarbusiness@gmail.com
• Website: https://www.canva.com/design/DAEWnf4S1Jc/vGDup71kl2iwikFmQJTKqw/view
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luluxv.xo/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz_cCLqGhUb944nZ5YNc4vg
• Other: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM8YA338G/