
Photo Credit: Ellie Pritts
YiZhou is a Chinese multimedia artist, filmmaker and entrepreneur, who is also considered an influencer for her unique way of using social media. She has been invited to share her innovative approach to social media at three TEDx talks in Paris, Beijing and Hangzhou and as a speaker at the Financial Times Luxury Conference.
Having spent most of her childhood and teenage years in Rome, Paris and London, style has always been an essential part of her upbringing. YiZhou’s studies in political science and economics at London School of Economics and currently at the Pepperdine Graziadio, make her a unique thinker and skillful writer. She expresses most of her ideas and displays her creativity passionately and vividly through her social media platforms.
Today, YiZhou shares her wisdom on how to achieve success as an influencer:
- Be authentic. Stay true to yourself, feel comfortable with yourself, embrace both your qualities as well as weaknesses and do your best to inspire others to do the same.
- Be an aspirational figure. Try to be responsible for the image and message you wish to deliver to your followers. Be responsible for young kids using social media and their future.
- Use your voice and platforms to help others. As your fandom grows, try to use your virtual and real life spaces to help others by raising awareness to situations and causes you can choose to support. Never be self-centered.
- Don’t sell out to brands. Never look like a walking Christmas tree. Choose the brands that you really like, with values and core beliefs that have a certain affinity with your own.
- Be unique. Do not copy others or what other influencers are doing. Find your own voice, style and grow your own fans.
YiZhou Studio co-produced with China’s video portal tudou.com, for which YiZhou serves as honorary art director the video https://tinyurl.com/y7s2z67v, shot in Los Angeles in 2015 and targeted to the Chinese audience.
By Nicole Goesseringer Muj Photo Credit: Ellie Pritts