“Aesthetic” is the number one trending term across social media. You’ve got “Vanilla Girl Aesthetic”, “Coastal Grandmother Aesthetic”, “Clean Girl Aesthetic”…and the list goes on and on and on! It’s enough to make you feel like you’re back in high school deciding if you’re a jock or a theater kid! How do you take this trend and make it work for you as an adult on the Internet? Is it best to go with the trends and change your aesthetic based on what’s popular? Or is it best to define a niche for yourself? Let’s talk about finding your aesthetic.
Finding What Makes You Happy
If you’re planning on featuring personal photos and videos on your online profile, you’ll have to live your aesthetic. This means that the interior design, fashion, toys, foods…anything you post will be a part of your real life. You’ve got to surround yourself with the things that make you happy.
Finding your aesthetic includes deciding on a palette of 5-7 colors that you want to emphasize on your page, choosing clothing styles that fit your life, and identifying brands that you love! All of these things will ensure that your aesthetic is authentic and consistent. In my opinion, Pinterest is still the best place to find looks and colors that fit you.
For me, I don’t feel at peace in a maximalist, cluttered environment. I want my home to feel quiet, peaceful, and calm. This has led to me developing more of a neutral, minimalist aesthetic in my personal life. No matter what styles are trending, I have to go back to what makes me feel the most comfortable. When you’re finding your aesthetic, focus on what feels comfortable and easy for you.
Fit your online aesthetic to your personal aesthetic. Not the other way around.
Living In Your Means
One of the biggest pitfalls of getting involved in social media is the temptation to live outside of your means. When you see influencers buying sixty new glass containers for their laundry detergent and cleaning supplies, you might feel like you have to do the same to “keep up.” This can lead you down an extremely stressful financial path.
Remember that you and your story are enough. You don’t need to buy expensive things in order to build an aesthetic. If you’re ready to amp up your personal style, it will definitely cost money! New clothes and furniture will come at a cost. Just make sure that it works with your budget.
In fact, potential followers on social media love to see people living authentically online, and that includes living and operating within a budget! You’ll probably get a lot of appreciation and love from followers who know that they could realistically build an aesthetic similar to yours!
Don’t let the pressure of social media cause you to sacrifice your financial well-being.
Use Design Tools to Your Advantage
One of the most underrated aspects of finding your aesthetic is using design and photo-editing tools to enhance your posts. Here are some of my favorite design tools:
- Canva Pro – You’ve probably heard of Canva. It’s totally revolutionized online design and made it simple to enhance your images with graphics, text, and more. The free version of Canva is great, but if you’re looking to really develop your online aesthetic, the Pro version is super affordable.
- Lightroom Mobile – I edit my photos on the Lightroom mobile app, and I absolutely love it. It’s low cost, but offers a huge range of photo adjustment and enhancement tools. I’ve even put together presets that you can use on the app to make photo editing a lot simpler.
- Inshot – This app is a lifesaver if you’re new to editing videos and fitting video content into your personal aesthetic.
If your photos and videos aren’t automatically working with your color palette and style, these tools can help you develop that authentic and consistent look.
Use design tools to enhance your aesthetic.
As someone who loves social media, I understand deeply the pressure it can bring–the pressures to keep up, to fit in, to look perfect, and to feel happy all the time. However, I’ve always enjoyed social media the most when I am the most authentic version of myself. When you’re finding your aesthetic, it’s so important to find yourself first.
xoxo Fil
Follow me on Instagram
