Philela Godlwana is a 25 year old , Former graduate of UKZN. She studied bachelor of Social Science in Geography & Environmental Management . She’s an environmentalist by profession however she is someone who is the lover of fashion & arts , hence her being in this Fashion & arts journey. She is someone who appreciates creative people who choose to channel their energies in different creative ways even though it might not be necessarily mainstream, she’s someone who has an optimistic look on life . She loves beauty , art , fashion , music and Interior design.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BE A SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER ?
Ok so I’ve always wanted to do something creative from when I started university which was back in 2013. However at that time I was enrolled for the bachelors degree which was very much in the science field I think I didn’t consider how strong my passion was but instead I focused on what was expected of me because in matric I did very well I’ve always been really good in Science, Maths and Accounting, so in university I was like “oh well let me do this I’ll get a good job afterwards” however on my first year when I discovered You Tube I was so enchanted because I had no idea that there was so many girls who were posting content ; who were sharing make up tutorials and outfits ideas so I was absolutely consumed and from there I wanted to start a You Tube Channel , however I didn’t have any equipment, and I just kept on procrastinating . My love for You Tube and content creating for me was ignited before it was a praise to be an influencer. I didn’t just jump on it because a lot of people are doing it. I absolutely loved it since then and the whole time during university I would speak about it to my friends and I was so passionate about it but I kept on procrastinating for years because I didn’t have equipment and also my academic career was too much time consuming . So after university I had several jobs but nothing ever fulfilled me, I was still consumed by the meer fact that I wanted to start a You Tube channel , I just basically wanted to share information because I’ve always got DMs from girls asking for ideas based on what I post on social media. My inspiration has always been sharing information.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN AN INFLUENCER?
It has been a little over a year because I’d consider my self as someone whose gone professional a year ago when I decided to purchase my equipment and to just level up and when I bought my equipment I told my self that I’m giving my self a year to establish my self and showcase what I can do with what I have .
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FOR AN INFLUENCER?
There are a lot of challenges . First and far most as a black person we get overlooked by people who can’t even do better than us but because we’re black we get overlooked, and when we do actually get those jobs we get underpaid. And because You’re someone whose starting out you can’t say “no I can only do this job for this ** amount of money” that something that I have personally experienced and I actually would rather pass out the job because you can see the skills that I have. Also the industry tends to choose the same people for all the campaigns over and over again , which can be quite discouraging. The industry recycles a lot of people and these brands hire celebrities who are not even qualified to do the jobs that we do but because they have an x amount of followers they’ll just hire them and those celebrities do the absolute bare minimum, but for the most part we get overlooked soo much only because you don’t have an x amount of followers or you’re not friends with the right people and then you find people who do something not satisfactory but yet they get jobs and reposts and that is very heartbreaking sometimes.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A PERSON WHO WANNA BE AN INFLUENCER?
I would say if this is something that sets your soul on fire then go for it , i would also say don’t listen to people who say “there are so many other influencers out there” this is a new industry it has so much potential for growth, everyone has a place . Don’t try to copy someone else but be effortlessly yourself as tempting as it is to copy other people , don’t do that because they already have that person they are not looking for a person whose going to replicate that person so be your self , show us what you are about . And most of all Put in the work , if it means sleepless nights and waking up at 5 o’clock in the morning it’s worth it and if it makes you happy and if it satisfies your soul then do it. Don’t look for instant gratification, as long as you’re putting out content that is interesting, that is good quality, that is innovative there will be other people that will identify with your craft
WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT FROM YOUR BRAND THIS YEAR ?
Expect to see excellence , higher production, more creative ideas , growth and most importantly expect to see innovation and something that represent what is happening in the world . I wanna make it conscience of reflecting things that are happening to our community in my work so right now there a lot of talks about BLACK LIVES MATTER and empowering black business that is something that I’ve always been interested in doing because I find that a lot of influencers once they get some money. First thing they do is they go buy those high end designer outfits from overseas and yet we have so many African luxury brands that intend to create more jobs for us as South Africans and that will grow our economy which is something that we need right now . I wanna be in a position to empower other people.
WHERE CAN WE GET HOLD OF YOU ?
You can get me on Facebook & Instagram @ Philelag i also have an active You Tube channel which I post videos every single week . My email Address is on my Instagram as well as my You Tube
That was my interview with Philela Godlwana who is an amazing Fashion & Lifestyle influencer. Y’all don’t forget to follow her on social media platforms she produce an amazing content.
Written by : Mpumelelo Chapi
(@chapimpumelelo)
lifestyle Accreditation 