Kylee Droddy

This has been a pretty big year for me, I mean my content has reached over 12 million views and around 2.9 millions likes which is just crazy. Honestly, I think it comes down to a mix of consistency and paying attention. I’ve always been the kind of person who notices what people are actually engaging with, not just what I like, but what’s working and why, and then I adjust fast. I don’t wait around for things to be perfect, I just make something, post it, and learn from how it performs. Over time that adds up. I also think being genuinely interested in what I’m creating helps. I’m not forcing content that doesn’t feel like me, so it’s easier to stay consistent and it comes across more natural. And a big part of it is not being afraid to try things that might flop. A lot of what’s done well for me came from ideas that easily could’ve gone the other way.

The best advice I ever received was a quote that literally changed my life and my mindset when it comes to being in a creative field. I heard someone, I think it might have been Austin Butler, say 'embarrassment is an untapped emotion, so people should go out there and make a fool of themselves.' Being in such a creative-based field, it is so easy to let embarrassment and pride take over because it is such a vulnerable thing to create something and put it out there for the world to see. But I took that quote literally and ran with it. I made a video about my top 5 most embarrassing moments, thinking that looking back on it, these are funny, I'm not embarrassed of these anymore, and I think people will see the authenticness in it. That video still to this day is my video that has done the best - it got like 2 million views and over 500 thousand likes. Everyone in the comments was saying how it made them feel so seen, and people were sharing their embarrassing moments. It was a really cool thing to see.

I would pass forward the advice I was given. I would say embarrassment is an untapped emotion - go out there and make a fool of yourself. It is such a vulnerable thing, and it's so easy to hold back and not be authentic and not make your creativity and your content and your art to its highest capability because you are afraid of what other people will think. But what I've experienced, and I wish I would have realized this sooner, is that people resonate the most when it's authentic, when it's confident. So I would say go out there and do what you can the best to your ability, and people will follow.

100%, the biggest challenge I think people are facing right now is AI. That's something I've been kind of worried about. It's such a tricky thing with AI because I mean, who doesn't use ChatGPT? People are using ChatGPT like Google nowadays, and I think that's fine, but whenever it gets to a point where it's replacing human beings, that's where we just start to go downhill. Because yes, it may be easier, it may be quicker, it may be cheaper, but it will never be the same as when it's coming from a human, and people can recognize that. I wish brands understood that. People want authenticity, you know? They want real stories, they want real creations from people, and AI will just - it will never compare. It's immediate, you can tell when something is AI when it's not. You can't take away the storytelling.

I’d say authenticity is the biggest one for me. I don’t like putting out work that feels forced or off-brand, and the same goes for how I show up in my personal life. If it doesn’t feel real, it’s hard for me to stand behind it. I also really value consistency and follow-through. Whether it’s content, work, or relationships, I try to show up the same way every time and actually do what I say I’m going to do. It sounds simple, but I think that’s what builds trust over time.