How do you stand out in the digital landscape? Jaz Reyes is the content queen that keeps on thriving with her eye-popping visuals and witty captions.
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Have we reached our saturation point when it comes to content? Not for events host personality and radio DJ Jaz Reyes. Despite being in isolation, she was able to turn things around and prove that it’s okay to breathe and have a little fun in quarantine. With her skills in graphic design and knowledge in video editing, Jaz flawlessly upped her content game. The common mistake most people make? The fear of looking imperfect. And this is what she does successfully—making people relate to her with every post, whether it’s fashion-related or tackles current events (see her #HijaAko post). We were able to have a conversation with the content creator as she tells us the process behind all her creative posts.
NYLON MANILA: What does being an influencer mean in 2021?
JAZ: I prefer to think that every day should be counted as a fresh page to do something, get inspired or make some sort of mark. The previous year only highlights that. To hopefully turn every page accumulated by day into a book of something you are proud to call your own experience, personality, voice and memory. This isn’t for or about influencers, but for everyone.
NM: What made you decide on focusing more on eye-popping content this quarantine?
J: I personally don’t think it is eye-popping because I find other artists far more extreme. However, we all have eye-popping content everywhere, it just depends what your eye pops to I suppose. More than the content, I think it is starting conversations, raising questions, speaking out, asking why, and maybe have a little fun with it, too. It started with ideas that were at the back burner for so long due to the fear of moving away from status quo. Eliminating the fear is actually the most important part of the entire creative journey and being able to put it out there is the small reward you gift yourself after creating something.
NM: What does it take for a creative to stand out nowadays and how can they maneuver in a landscape that has oversaturated content?
J: The most important thing is to be genuine in your creation, because it speaks for you. The constant worry of having reach a certain number of people liking your creation is something that is quite difficult to erase (I always tell myself to not think of such). We are taught at a very young age about the value of a number; we link that value to our own personal bank of self-worth. All of the artists I have spoken with, whether it’s photography, writing, art, music…all have quite the same apprehensions, and it really involves a lot of the ego, valuation of self-worth from the reception of what they present out there. Embrace hard, difficult, and even long breaks in-between-the-art moments.
“A lot ask if I ever run out of ideas and I do. But because I embrace the moment and try to not force anything to be created in such a short amount of time or in a narrowed vision, I have been able to allow inspiration to come to me in a broader spectrum.”
NM: What were the funniest comments you’ve read from your posts? Were there any mean ones you’ve encountered too?
J: You can’t please everyone. I have learned that the easy and hard way. Some funny ones are commenters who have created even MORE creative puns! Mean comments, I don’t take it as mean, because I was still able to get a reaction from them and I think that’s the point of some, if not all of the things I do. You have to always understand to appreciate the people who also don’t think like you because you can learn something from their perspective. I believe that it makes you a better person.
NM: What are 5 of your favorite posts last year?
J: The first chip bag post kind of kicked things off for me. I have had that idea in the back burner for years and just didn’t execute. I also am proud of the #HijaAko clothing tag one. I think that really changed things for me in terms of gaining some sort of attention. And it’s also quite beautiful because I was not only able to make something that I truly am quite passionate about, but also because it took just an iPhone to take and edit the shot. No fancy things, just pure unfiltered but focused thoughts and action towards the intention.
