النهار

I am excited to introduce my guest interviewee Huda Almarzooq. In this blog feature, you will learn more about Huda's creative journey in a storytelling approach that will inspire the next generation of artists. Huda Almarzooq is an artist, architect, and content creator. She was born, raised, and living in Bahrain. She completed her university education, majoring in architecture at the University of Bahrain. Before graduating end of 2019, she started content creation to share her art in an attractive modern way on TikTok. That's when a significant change started occurring in her work life.

Huda lived an artistic lifestyle almost her entire life. She started painting as a hobby when she was around four years old, taking over her family's interest and talent. Moving on to school, she used to participate in art fairs and was always chosen to create paintings for school competitions. In her university years, architecture was chosen based on the same interest in art, as architecture stands for the art and techniques of designing buildings. Also, she always loved science and math. Between 2020 and 2021, she worked as an architect, interior designer, and marketing manager in 3 firms. That expanded her mindset and made her more interested in being a content creator on social media.

If you ask me what kind of content I typically create on TikTok and how the journey started, now this is a thing for me to share! I generally create art content on social media, art in all its fields and forms, from paintings on canvases, makeup, and DIY, to fashion and outfit matching. I started TikTok in 2019, I was in my last course of university study, and I had only one subject to study before graduating. I had a lot of free time, and that is when I started exploring creative art TikTok videos on my Instagram feed. I got inspired by these videos and decided to start making some artistic videos. After creating some, I started sharing them on Instagram and got many impressed audiences in my small circle. I got excited, downloaded Tiktok, and started sharing my art and content there. W, downloaded a week since I began my TikTok account, I gained about 10k followers, a large number in a short time.

At the beginning of creating content on TikTok, I was my inspiration because either way, I was already painting and creating art. I just motivated myself to start sharing it with the world. However, at the moment, most of the inspiration and motivation comes from my followers and fans. They inspired me with some crazy ideas for my content. The community out there was awe-inspiring!

TikTok made a massive mind shift in how I see the world; after being a content creator and making a living from social media, I can no longer see myself working in an office. Making doing something you have law can no longer be a stress relief mechanism is a blessing. However, having past experiences in the working field gave me a lot of knowledge of how the marketplace works and gave me a clear vision of how to contact big companies or plan my schedules as a content creator. The most important part about being a content creator has something to focus your mind on, brainstorming and crafting ideas and concepts, something that helps you create content no matter what is going on in the world! Regardless of the trends, in the upcoming ten years, such apps will stay active and continue you from doing what you do. Adding to that, for whoever is interested in making a living out of content creation, being a content creator is a full-time job! You will be your manager. You will have to contact companies, attend meetings and work on new projects no one has experience in. You should always be ready to take risks and be open to new opportunities.

Being a female content creator in the MENA region, especially in the GCC, is not an easy starting step; due to the rules and traditions, I had to go through many debates and lengthy discussions with people in my surroundings, family members, or even friends. Therefore, being a content creator is not the job of everyone. You must first make sure that you are strong enough to stand out in your region regardless of the wrong or good comments that may come. You have to be sure of what you want and be ready for the battles ahead before the big success!

In the early stages of being a content creator, the actual journey varies from one to another. But most content creators agree on one thing: being a content creator stops you from being a people pleaser and often turns you into an extrovert. However, the first step, in general, to be a content creator, is the most challenging step. Once you overcome all the issues you may face, you are free to fly like an eagle, start having your support system of fans, develop your most challenging forms, and look overcome differently. You will be more attached, love what you do, and, most importantly, be independent. What I like most about it is the more you work, the faster it pays, and you can see the results clearly without the need for a manager to appreciate you. Cheer yourself up for your own success stories!

Every morning I thank myself for choosing the path of content creation, even though it's a path I have never planned or even imagined to be on because I live on doing something I love. I don't even feel like I am working. I paint, people love it, and that's my content!

Most young people need to gain knowledge of how to start in content creation, like where it would take you and how to grow. Developing online courses for this matter or publishing a guidebook from several successful content creators will help the next generation of creatives. Schools are the best source to enhance or develop an interest in a person. The who lDevelopingstem can find the talent or the interest of the young students and encourage them to share their power source on social media. They should be rewarded and given either prizes or marks. Show them or make them understand social media's value. Appreciate the creative ones and inspire the next generations of creatives!