Interview: There’s a place for everyone. Build a community: Deeba Rajpal, Food Influencer

Deeba Rajpal's passion for baking cooked up a sugary blog with food styling and healthy recipes with photos that'll make you chuck your diet.

In the interview with Social Samosa, she shares how it all began with a camera, internet connection & a head full of recipes, a day in her life and more.

Read all about it here.

Looking back, where did it all begin?

2007: A digital camera, net connection, head full of recipes and time on hand. Inspiration : home pastry chefs who wrote food blogs in the US.

What's in the name?

An obsessive nature, a rabid baker. Just want to bake my life away. Dream, create, experiment, style, shoot, live through seasons, celebrate fresh produce, stay inspired.

What is your USP in this cluttered space? How does your content give you an edge?

My images and simple bakes. That I use easily available ingredients, fresh seasonal produce, trying to keep it real tends to hit a chord. I always try and reply to each DM.

Please take us through your content creation process. How do you stay relevant and relatable?

The ideas begin to pop the minute I get a spark. That spark could be a change of season, a new product in the market, inspiration from someone’s feed, a reader request, or a brand collaboration. Things I keep in mind is primarily – is there a takeaway for my audience. Can I inspire them to think differently, to make small changes to their everyday ingredients, processes or food they bring to the table? We are all inspired by one another. This is a great way to build community. Last but not least, my image/frame must talk too. I really enjoy styling and taking pictures.

How do you take moolah with your efforts?

It’s a means to an end. This allows me reason to explore my creativity in a meaningful and productive way.

How do you maintain editorial objectivity with the influx of brand briefs?

I offer a plethora of options, I insist on creative freedom, I stay with my brand look. Also, importantly, I respect copyright.

One instance/experience that made it all worthwhile

A 3-day whirlwind trip into SFO to witness how walnuts are harvested. That entire experience of standing under trees laden with walnuts, the harvesting process, the cleaning from shell to kernel, then the charm of my all-time favourite dry fruit with the California Walnut Board was amazing! That I could share my stories and recipes was even more rewarding!

Also Read:Interview: There is no room for being pretentious: Barkha Singh

Weirdest brand brief/request ever

To photobomb couple in love with a brand product on V Day. Not happening! Didn’t bother!

If not blogging, you would be?

Curating vintage props, travelling across India.

A day in your life….

Hit the ground running, feed the dogs, begin work on the recipe I dreamt of, then think up styling and a colour palette to shoot it with, figuring out props, shooting, editing. Work life. On a parallel…spending time in the garden, cooking meals for the family, shooting nonstop nonsense with the Google Pixel3Xl {fabulous camera}, catching up with friends, browsing Pinterest & Instagram….

Message/tips for upcoming bloggers

Build a niche. Create quantity content. There’s place for everyone. Build community.

Your Favorite Influencer

There are so many that inspire me. Not fair to name just one!

The Future you foresee for your Personal Brand

To move with the times, stay relevant, continue to create value-added content for my blog & social media. The bottom line – enjoy every moment. The numbers don’t matter. I began from 500 followers on Instagram, have grown a day at a time, a follower at a time. I am eternally grateful for everyone who follows my handle!