.jpeg)
“I’d say Lulu is a very ambitious, outgoing but grounded girl who’s still figuring life out. I’m a student, a friend, a daughter, a content creator, and someone who genuinely wants to make something meaningful out of the opportunities I’ve been given. Social media is one part of me, but there’s so much more happening behind the pictures,” she says during our interview.
That distinction matters because Lulu’s life is not built around content alone. She is currently a Town and Regional Planning student at the University of Pretoria, where her interests extend far beyond social media. She is interested in how people experience spaces, how cities work, and how planning can create better opportunities for communities.
Outside her studies, she is involved in student society work, student work, and content creation, giving her days a combination of planning, leadership, and creativity.
“I’m currently a Town and Regional Planning student at the University of Pretoria. I’m interested in how people experience spaces, how cities work, and how planning can create better opportunities for communities. Outside academics, I’m also involved in a student society, doing student work and creating content, so my life is definitely a mix of planning, leadership and creativity,” she says.
It is an interesting combination for someone whose online presence has grown considerably from something she once did simply because she enjoyed it.
Lulu has been creating content since she got her first smartphone in Grade 6. Back then, there was no strategy behind it. She was playing around with edits and filters, making videos that mimicked her favourite YouTubers and TikTokers.
It was only much later that she began to wonder whether the thing she had been doing for fun could become something more.
Then came February last year, when her friends convinced her to get over her fear of being perceived and post an actual TikTok vlog. From there, she started making more vlogs just for fun, supported by the people around her. Eventually, brands started reaching out. That was when the possibility became real.
“Once brands started reaching out and I realised people genuinely enjoyed what I was creating, I started thinking, Okay, maybe this is something I should take seriously,” she says.
What began with a smartphone and a willingness to experiment had become a skill, and potentially, a career opportunity.
“I started because I genuinely enjoyed taking pictures, making videos, and expressing myself creatively. In the beginning, I think I was more focused on just posting. Now I’m much more intentional about what I create, how I present myself, and the kind of person and brand I want to represent.”
.jpeg)
She believes there is more potential locally than people sometimes give the country credit for. The idea that you have to be somewhere bigger before you can be noticed is something she has felt herself.
“I think people underestimate how much potential there is in Eswatini. Sometimes you feel like you have to be somewhere bigger to be noticed, I’m guilty of thinking that too, but there’s so much creativity and talent in Eswatini. You just have to be willing to start, even when you don’t have all the resources," she says during the hour-long interview.
Starting, however, is only one part of becoming a creator. Learning to treat it as a business is another. Brand collaborations have introduced Lulu to a side of content creation that is far removed from simply deciding what to post. There are contracts to sign and invoices to make responsibilities she did not expect to be handling this early in her life, especially because of content.
.jpeg)
There is also the question of knowing what you bring to the table. She shares that you have to know what you bring to the table, communicate professionally, and understand that your time, creativity, and audience have value.
In this department, she confesses she is still learning, but has definitely become more confident about advocating for herself. Of course, none of that is particularly visible when you are scrolling through her feed.
The finished image might look like it happened in one take. The ten-second video might look spontaneous. In reality, there is usually a lot happening before anything makes it online.
“Probably how many attempts go into something that looks like one effortless picture or 10-second video. There’s the planning, finding lighting, taking about 50 pictures, checking angles, editing, and sometimes having absolutely no idea what you’re doing. The final post is usually the easiest part to see,”
And then there are the days when the creator herself is not necessarily feeling very put together.
Lulu is refreshingly honest about that too. “Honestly, I’m only put together like 4/ 7 days a week😂,” she jokes. Her solution, when she does want to pull herself together, is not particularly complicated: a lip combo, a cute outfit, and a sleek ponytail.
That same ease comes through in her advice to people who want to start creating but are worried about what everyone else might think.
“Batch content whenever you can. If you’re already dressed, your hair is done, and the lighting is good, take advantage of it and get multiple photos or videos. It saves so much time and makes staying consistent a lot easier." she says as she shares advice on content creation.
Still, the biggest challenge may not be creating the content. It is making sure content does not consume everything else.
Lulu is still learning how to balance her studies, personal life, and being present online without feeling as though she has to be permanently switched on.
“I’m honestly still trying to figure it out.” Part of figuring it out has meant accepting that she does not always have to be online. Sometimes she disappears for a little while. Her studies and her real life come first.
“I think it’s important to have a life that exists beyond your phone. That actually makes coming back to create feel more genuine and not like a draining 9-5.”
That idea perhaps explains why she does not see content creation and her professional career as competing identities.
Ask Lulu where she sees herself in five years, and the answer is not about choosing one path and abandoning the others.
She wants to build a strong career in town planning while continuing to grow as a creator and hopefully exploring entrepreneurship too. For her, being professional and being creative are not opposites.
For someone still early in her journey, it is an ambitious vision, but ambition has always been part of how Lulu describes herself.
She is not claiming to have everything figured out. If anything, she seems comfortable with the fact that the person she is becoming may not look exactly like the person she is today. Her advice to her younger self reflects that.
“You don’t have to have everything figured out,allow change to happen and adapt. Take up space, trust yourself, and don’t shrink your dreams just because they feel bigger than you right now. You’re allowed to become the woman you imagine yourself being,”
For now, that woman is somewhere between lecture halls and content shoots, student commitments and brand collaborations, real life and the timeline. She is learning how to build a career, how to create without losing herself in the process, and how to take up space without waiting for permission. And if the contents of her bag are anything to go by, she is prepared for at least part of the journey.
What’s in Lulu’s bag right now?
Lipgloss — non negotiable.
Earphones
Her phone
Her tripod
Lipliner
Follow our WhatsApp channel for more news: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaEVeTe6xCSYfxi5vw1u
.jpeg)
.jpeg&description=All things Whimsy with Lulu!){kind=link}
0 Comments