Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristy Tam.
Hi Kristy, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Born in Hong Kong, I moved to Atlanta at a very young age and spent most of my life here. My parents left everything they knew behind, including their careers and family, to create a better life for their children. With their sacrifices and juggling multiple jobs, I was able to pour all my energy into education and I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech in 2016. Ever since I was young, my spirit was always sparked by creativity and spontaneity. However, I went down quite the opposite path as an engineer where I felt my creativity was a bit stifled – it felt like there was a void in my life despite having a successful career. Eventually, it came to a boiling point, and I decided to venture on a journey to find a different way to allow myself to immerse in my passions and find an outlet for my creativity (a way I intuitively knew deep down would spark more joy and a higher sense of fulfillment for me).
I’d move to a new yet familiar city, where I had to start everything from basically zero. While I was in Hong Kong, I began learning photography and immediately fell in love with the process. When I had free time, I would travel to different countries and share the most captivating places, scenery, and (most importantly) the best restaurants with my family and friends. I would tactfully capture these experiences through my camera lens, which led me to start a blog through encouragement and advice from my peers. Although I had never studied a creative/art discipline, photography and content creation was – and still is – my passion. Fortunately, Hong Kong (which happens to be the world’s leading culinary hub) provided me unique opportunities to try a variety of cuisines, from local street foods to some of the finest restaurants in Asia. I decided to take it up professionally through my blog, where I can combine my enthusiasm for food, travel, photography, and content creation. I quickly began to build a small following and found myself partnering up with restaurants and brands for photoshoots and promotions within a short span of a year.
For now, I’m using my platform to interact with restaurants/brands while promoting Asian culture and other things I’m passionate about. This journey has been incredibly exciting and fulfilling and I’m so happy I stepped out of my comfort zone to embrace my true creative nature. My life so far has been such a blessing, and I’m extremely grateful to those around me who have given me so much support and encouragement throughout my journey. I hope to continue following my passions and create interesting and unique content for my audience as I evolve!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Becoming an influencer and food blogger was not a smooth road, especially in such a competitive market – there are thousands of foodies creating content within just Atlanta. Life is always presenting challenges, but the biggest obstacle I had to overcome was learning to believe in myself and staying true to who I am regardless of people’s opinions. Self-doubt and the fear of failure have held me back for years, so it took a lot of courage to start producing my work. However, once I got past my first post, the support from each work really inspired me to create another (and another), which continues to snowball confidence and pride in my work.
I had to understand the underlying reasons to my self-doubting mindset and challenge the limiting thoughts to evolve into a better and more positive, resilient person. The fear and insecurity within me as a child only grew as I became an adult. However, I was able to turn those experiences into power as a result of my journey abroad. I’ve learned that it was okay to make mistakes and encounter failures since those are all experiences that will help strengthen a person’s character and spirit. As I have been telling my peers, treat yourself with compassion and love understanding that you are enough (as we are all on a continuous journey of personal growth). As we get older, we have a stronger sense of self and are more certain of our values. It’s important to surround ourselves with people that have similar values to nurture a more loving and joyful life.
Obstacles are inevitable, but with a little bit of love and faith, any challenge can be overcome. I will be celebrating myself moving forward because I do deserve it, as we all do. A quote from Gay Hendrick in The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level has stuck with me for years, and I will continue to live by it: “I expand in abundance, success, and love every day, as I inspire those around me to do the same.”
So many good and positive things are on the way and I’m ready to receive it!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in content creation, graphic design, and photography. I am proud of creating a brand for myself that people will remember with my creative content style. I am also incredibly proud of the amazing and supportive community I have built within the platform! Most people believe that content creation is easy, but they don’t see the amount of time and effort spent on crafting all the little details together on the finished product.
What sets me apart from others is my authenticity and innate sense of aesthetics. I want to see businesses succeed, and I am here to help them present their values and products inventively (and gain a bigger following). Content creation is more than just capturing beautiful photos/videos, it’s about knowing how to capture people’s attention in a short span of time and attracting a target audience to improve both brand recognition and perceived value.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bonappektea
