What is your personal aesthetic?

In our earlier post “You Didn’t Get Picked for a Project. Now What?”, we laid out the top three qualities that brands look for when selecting influencers: Aesthetics, Personality, and Quality. Now, we’re going in-depth and breaking them each down one by one.  First up: Personal Aesthetic.  

What is personal aesthetic?

Aesthetic a word that gets thrown around pretty often, but how many of us can put our finger on what it means?  Merriam-Webster defines aesthetic as: a particular taste for or approach to what is pleasing to the senses.

Put simply: your aesthetic is your personal “look.”  It’s how you approach things, what you perceive as beautiful and compelling.  The best Instagram feeds are cohesive; every photo is part of the greater whole. That means that a top influencer will sometimes choose not to post an awesome photo that just doesn’t match the rest of their feed.  This is hard work, but the results are totally worth it.  Brands love influencers with carefully curated content, because they spend a lot of time curating their stores, products, and advertising.  This is why you know exactly what to expect in terms of color, music, and even smell when you walk into your favorite store.  Those brands know their aesthetic -- and so do you!

When brands make choices, they are often looking for an aesthetic that compliments their own. This means that, hypothetically, a bright, bold, and wild Instagram feed might not get selected for a collaboration featuring cozy fall sweaters, even if the influencer is talented and passionate about the brand.  It may be tempting, learning this, to stear away from a specific look, in the hopes of getting invited to a wider variety of projects, but this would be a mistake.  Brands don’t want just a general fashion influencer or a general home decor influencer- they want someone creative and unique that really resonates with what they’re doing.  

Cool. So can you share some examples of influencers with a great aesthetic?

Obviously.  We’re incredibly lucky to have so many talented influencers creating beautiful content for our partners.  We’ve picked three to demonstrate how widely different aesthetics can all be equally gorgeous. These three ladies might not get picked for the same projects, but they are all doing exciting collaborations and we love love love their feeds.  So here goes… a little inspiration!


Check out those florals!  Personally, I just want to dive in and live in this bright, lush, fantasy world.  @Ravayna is all color -- even her hair!  


It’s literally in her name -- simple, clean, grayscale images create a mysterious and moody cityscape which draws our focus and keeps us guessing. So chic!


This lifestyle feed is earthy, natural, and casual.  Makes me want to jump in an old camper, drive out west, and gaze up at the stars.  Or maybe I’ll just keep scrolling through these pics forever…

How do I know if my aesthetic is strong?

That’s the million-dollar question.  One thing that makes our three examples stand out is that anyone could probably guess who took their photos without looking at the bio. This is a great indicator that aesthetic is strong.  If you’re not there yet, though, don’t stress.  It just means it’s time to get to work!

Write down your personal style in a single sentence or phrase.  Copy it on a post-it note and carry it with you. Commit it to memory.  Every time you post something, ask yourself “Does this match my aesthetic?”  Try asking your friends how they would describe your personal style.

How close does their descriptions come to what you see for yourself?

Keep on being creative, surprising, and unique.  We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Pro-TipsEmily BarozComment