Today we’d like to introduce you to Clara Jones.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m a Labor & Delivery nurse from Atlanta, a self-proclaimed foodie, and an advocate of health and fitness. Though I’ve never received any formal culinary training, I grew up watching my mom make traditional Korean dishes. After losing 40lbs and discovering the world of health, I became passionate about making and eating food that is both healthy and delicious.
I’ve been overweight and underweight. I’ve struggled with self-love (still do), altered body image, amenorrhea and disordered eating. This is when I started to share my story, just as a documentation for my own weight loss. I would have never expected my platform to grow to what it is now.
I’m a nurse, so I have nurses, pre-nursing students, nursing students, nurse practitioners, medical students who follow me. This also means that I was once a college student, so I appeal to a lot of people our age who are struggling with self-awareness and identity crises. I’m also a first-generation Korean American, so I have many followers who relate to the hardships of being an immigrant. I also am a feminist, so I appeal to men and women who are passionate about social justice. I’ve also been in a long-distance relationship with a Caucasian guy for three years, so I appeal to those who are also working through cultural differences with their significant others, as well as those who struggle with LDR. I’m married now and purchased a house, so people are interested in that side, too!
You see, I may not have the same religious or political views as everyone around me, but I’m here to be a friend and share my story. I want my community to walk alongside each other in our happiest and loneliest times. Because odds are, we have at least one thing in common, and I think that’s the beauty of the human experience.
Has it been a smooth road?
I think that these days, it’s easy to become another handle and face on social media, but increasingly difficult to stay true to yourself and be authentic. So while I’m still trying to figure this whole thing out, this is how I get myself to stand out among a sea of “influencers” and “social media presences.” It’s also very difficult to maintain these expectations I’ve set for myself and my platform so that my business can thrive, while also setting boundaries so that I can be the best nurse I can be in my professional life. Because my brand is a lifestyle blog, it can become complicated to separate what I share and what I keep private.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
First and foremost, my brand is my story and my personal growth. The act of sharing my story in its highs and lows has brought me to where I am today, with thousands of people walking alongside me in this journey. I decided to monetize the time and energy poured into my blog, Nurse-Clara.com and my Instagram as a small business. Blogging and sharing my time in this way creates free resources for my followers, but as my platform grew and I found myself working with larger brands, I knew it was time to create this side-hustle into an LLC.
This company is run by just me. I taught myself how to photograph via YouTube videos, articles and trial and error. I taught myself marketing in all of its intricacies. I taught myself how to manage my taxes as a self-employed, sole proprietor. I taught myself how to create and maintain a blog. I write my blog posts and newsletters, I analyze algorithms from Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and my website, and I photoshop and create digital content. It is all me – self-taught in my home office late at night after I slept all day after working a night shift.
As easy it is to glorify being busy and stressed, I’m mostly so grateful that I’ve been able to cultivate a community on Instagram because it brings together people from all over the world over shared photos and some captions. Now, with all the different capabilities on the app such as Instagram Story or Live, I’m able to do way more than I could have ever imagined. Meeting individuals with a shared philosophy in life makes it all worth it.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
In the next two years, I will become a Family Nurse Practitioner, and my community will be able to follow me through that journey. It is both humbling and exciting to be able to share my experiences, as I always have for the past eight years. As for the business, I hope to be consistent- it is the most difficult thing when change is the only constant. Social media marketing is growing every day, and it is a struggle to catch up to stay relevant. But as long as I am being my most authentic self and growing with my community, I know that I will be okay. Nurse Clara, LLC is not just about sponsored posts and ads – it is a culmination of my own struggles and experiences as a student, nurse, wife, business owner, consumer, and member of society.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Nurse-Clara.com
- Email: hello@nurse-clara.com
- Instagram: @NurseClara
- Other: www.pinterest.com/clarajonesrn
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