Today we’d like to introduce you to Lillian Claire
Hi Lillian , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
When I was five years old living in a small town in the country I would force my nana to wash my favorite dress so I could wear it every day as I weighed my shoulders down with any bags and purses I could find just to leave the house and walk our dog. In those moments I knew that my future was meant to be in fashion. I graduated college in December with two degrees, Bachelor of Science, Mass Communication with a focus in Journalism & Digital Media and Bachelor of Science, Fashion Merchandising & Design with a minor in Retail & Clothing. In June 2024 I landed a summer internship as a social media content creator in Nashville, TN. My original plan was to move into a short term lease for the summer and then continue school for my last semester. However, I ended up meeting the most diverse and amazing groups of people and the opportunities never seemed to stop. As the summer came to an end, I began to realize that I could not bring myself to leave this new life behind. This was a huge change to my plans, and I decided last minute to renew my lease and travel back and forth every week to finish school. I am now a full-time content creator/influencer in Nashville.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a rocky road for sure. I moved to Nashville with no solid plan and knowing no one in the city. Growing up in small towns, I always found myself dreaming of something more. Although, I quickly came to realize that it wasn’t the big city that I was looking for — it was the people. After moving to Nashville, I had to make the extremely hard decision to leave people behind. I was in a very negative environment before moving, and it was not until I began meeting the most genuine people in this new chapter that I realized I was settling for so much in my life. I was settling in friendships, relationships, and most importantly in my expectations for myself. It was extremely difficult to balance two leases in two different states while traveling back and forth between what felt like a new life and an old one every week.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a full time social media content creator/influencer. I began working in social media in 2020 and since have worked with hundreds of brands to promote products online. My main source of income is TikTok, where my niche is fashion/beauty content. I began to develop a following on social media by posting clothing hauls. As my audience continued to grow, so many doors were opened to endless opportunities from companies that I adore. The thing I am most proud of is my choice to pursue this as a job despite the lack of support I have received. I was made fun of and talked down to quite a bit when posting on social media. However, this has always been something I love and am drawn to and after moving to Nashville and concentrating on this full time, I have had so many pinch-me experiences!
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was a very shy and quiet kid growing up. However, my family moved around a lot which forced me to branch out of my comfort zone and meet new people. To this day I think this was my biggest blessing because I am now extremely extroverted and love experiencing new people and situations. I have always been very hard on myself, even from a very young age. I would always plan for the future instead of living in the moment. I began working when I was 16 and immediately put all of my money into a savings account, telling myself that the future is more important than the present. I have also been very hard on myself with my education, to the point where I would force my papa to write random math problems for me to solve in my free time when I was young. This resulted in me graduating college with two degrees and a 4.0GPA in both. That being said, if I could state one thing I have learned since moving to Nashville it would be this: The present is equally as important as the future. Not only living in the moment, but sharing your moments with people that uplift you is greater than any unspoken event in the future.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lillianclaire.online
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lillianclaireee/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTReexR27/
