Today we’d like to introduce you to Marijka Hunsaker.
Hi Marijka, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I am a full-time content creator/ influencer. I specialize in the western industry, and more specifically in the western fashion industry. I have been doing this for just about 5 years now and I have been an official business for 2 years. Just after I got married in 2017, I decided I wanted to take my Instagram seriously. I grew up in the western industry, so western attire was not new to me but the rage of western fashion was just taking off on Instagram and Pinterest. I had been following some random girls from places like Texas, Oklahoma, California, and other states and they were wearing bell bottoms, sequin dresses, colorful boots, big bingy belts, and cute cowboy hats and I wanted in! There was another group of girls who got together and did a western-themed photoshoot and it was EPIC. I wanted to be one of those girls SO BAD! So, I decided to start dressing the way they dressed, though living in Utah and being about 3 years behind on the trends, I didn’t quite fit in with everyone around me but I didn’t care, I was going to wear what I saw these girls wearing. So, I started buying the cool western clothes and I wore them around town, taking cell phone photos of my outfits and posting them to Instagram. I started brand repping for boutiques all over the United States, which means they would send me clothing product, I would wear it, take a picture in it, and post it to Instagram, tagging them. I did this kind of trade for 2 years growing my name and working with anyone who wanted to work with me. I started doing professional photoshoots too, I would hire a local photographer and I would style my outfits and do photoshoots so I had better content to post to my page. I have never been signed as a model; I have just been self-taught over the years.
I decided this fun hobby was cool but I wasn’t making any money, in fact, I was losing money. So, I started charging for my content, at first, just covering my photography cost and soon after covering that and a modeling fee. Little by little I have worked my way up, gotten my name out there, and I now make a full-time living doing it! I work with boutiques, brands, and businesses, they will send me products to model, I will photograph said outfit and post it to my platform where I have a very engaging audience who enjoys the unique style I have. I create styling videos, get-ready-with-me videos, and day-in-the-life videos too, I hope to expand to YouTube this year! I have also branched out from fashion and I share a fair bit of home decor, food recipes, daily life, and my journey to learning to ride horses.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I wouldn’t say I have had a ton of obstacles along the way, but more of a learning curve. Influencing and content creation is a brand-new business, this isn’t a job that has been around for centuries, so when I first got into it, there was not a lot of information about how to make money doing it. So, it has been quite the learning curve finding how to price myself and my work, to charge companies to work with me. Working with small businesses vs large corporations and the different budgets they use for marketing. Honestly being an influencer, you can charge whatever you think you are worth, there wasn’t a standard of ‘you charge this much for this many followers.’ Nowadays I do feel like there is kind of a standard but again there are so many other variables that go into pricing yourself beside follower count! I have taken lots of influencer courses and done tons of research to try and gage an appropriate price, but it just varies from collab to collab. Another Obstacle would be staying true to myself and my style, as I have grown my page, it’s been the most important thing for me to stick to my values. That is what my audience is used to and holds me accountable for, but it can be hard with the changing of the seasons, the latest trends, and what everyone else seems to be doing. But sticking to what and who you are is everything and the support outweighs the desire every time, which I am so grateful for!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an influencer/ content creator. I specialize in western fashion/ modeling/ styling. I photograph most all of my own content, either with a tripod or the use of my friends/husband. I am known for my modest style and that is what sets me apart from other western fashion influencers. I am really proud of my standards and professionalism; both of those things have gotten me so many brand deals because these brands know they can trust their image/name with me and that is so important when it comes to influencing.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Marijka_dam
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@marijkahunsaker?lang=en
