I see people wasting food for the sake of content and it breaks my heart: Bhawna Mehta

For people who truly love what they do, Bhawna Mehta feels there are many opportunities to grab and horizons to explore and grow.

While creating content, it is important to balance out brand briefs with what the creator's profile stands for. Explaining her process, Bhawna Mehta tells that she tries to create a balance between the expectations of the brand and what her brand offers to the audiences she caters to. Here's more.

Looking back, where did it all begin?

Since childhood, I have been watching different travel and food exploration shows, making a list of everything I want to try. In my third year of college, I was suffering from anxiety and medical issues, which affected my confidence to a great degree. It was then one of my closest friends suggested that I should start a page and follow my passion for food. I started this page as '_adatewithfood_', solely dedicating the space to food. After about a year and half of getting suggestions, I expanded it to lifestyle: '_adatewithlife_'.

What’s in the name?

Why date anyone else when you care date yourself and your life! When I started out, I didn't think deeply about the name. All I can say is that it clearly defines the soul and purpose, which is me living my life to the fullest and sharing every day of it with people who follow and admire my work.

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

I believe what makes my profile stand out is its vibrancy. It has a balance of content and I am always ready to take risks and work hard to bring out the best content that can give me an edge.

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

The process involves a lot of planning and research. I made sure to seek suggestions from audiences. Often, I also get inspired by talented creators around me. Taking it from there, it's about how I execute those ideas and analyse my performance and standards.

How do you make moolah with your efforts?

As they say, you do what you love and everything comes along. For people who truly love what they do, there are many opportunities to grab and horizons to explore. For influencers who truly work on their content, there is a lot that the industry can offer. When the content speaks for itself, brands approach for collaborations and we get paid accordingly. Though money is uncertain, it sure is worth it.

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

For me, it's always about creating a balance between the expectations of the brand and what my brand offers to the audiences that I cater to. I shape ideas and strategize content that's the best of both worlds.

Also Read: Understand the trends and figure how to bring them out in your own style: Muneeta Aneja

One instance/experience that made it all worthwhile.

There have been instances where I have been recognised at public places as well as received DMs from those who admire my work. I remember how the first paid collaboration I had got was not because of followers (I had 7K followers back then) but because the brand loved my content. That day, I was overwhelmed with joy. All of these incidents are important to me.

Weirdest brand brief/request ever

Thankfully I have never been approached by a brand with a weird brief. Although a brand did once ask me to chat with strangers and meet them. It was pretty uncomfortable.

If not blogging, you would be?

I would either be a teacher or be working as an HR professional.

A day in your life

I am a student, so usually I have to wake up early in the morning and leave for college. After attending about 6-7 lectures, sometimes directly visit cafes to create content. I like to dress up and look my best. As a lifestyle blogger, every nick and corner is a photo opportunity. I like to balance both worlds. The world is challenging but fun!

Message/ tips for upcoming bloggers

Believe in yourself and your passion. If you are willing to put in the hard work and creativity it requires then you can achieve everything. Take ideas from other creators but never copy them blindly, stand out. It is easy to get demotivated by the number of likes and followers but what counts is how you tackle it. Don’t let it control you, after all, you started it for happiness. Keep analysing your audience and their preference so you can work on your content accordingly. Sometimes I see people wasting a lot of food just for the sake of content, and it breaks my heart, there are many people who don’t get the basic meal, so stop wasting food like that. At last, content is the king, so focus on making amazing content and your hard work will pay off.

Your favourite Influencer

Huda Kattan is my absolute favourite, she has worked a lot and now has her own web series and makeup line. Apart from her, I love Jaimie Oliver, I used to watch his television shows as I was a child and now I follow him on Instagram. I just admire his work.

The future you foresee for your personal brand

To be honest, I haven't made many future plans for my brand. I'm looking to expand to various social media channels now and even start YouTube pretty soon. I plan to achieve 100k by the second half of 2020. Hoping for the best to come!