Arnelle Lozada is an LA/SF based Content Producer & Marketing Professional who specializes in producing compelling visuals and branded content. Having worked with brands like Urban Decay, Hudson Jeans, Pendleton, and Go Pro, both as a Content Producer and as a blogger, she created This BeautifulLife, her blog dedicated to travel, tech, and (good) taste dedicated to millennial women looking to change the world. Because she's not just blogging about fashion. In fact, what she wants is to tell beautiful stories that steer clear of fluff. Thought-provoking is her forté.
Her work with Humanity Unified, an organization dedicated to helping communities to rise out of poverty through education, food security projects, and economic opportunities, is one way she's doing just that. She also runs ExperiencExperiment, an ongoing project that curates unique experiences for high-visibility influencers.
We checked in with Arnelle to find out how she juggles such a crazy schedule and what "social good" really means to her.
How did you get started? If we were to peak into your professional background what would we find?
I dabbled into a bit of everything before I really found my place. I worked in Product Development and Design in the corporate fashion industry for a while, it lost its luster rather quickly. I worked in Post Production in the entertainment/television industry for a while after that, it lost its luster even quicker. I loved and appreciated aspects of both industries but wanted something else for myself, so I went for the fusion of the two: content production in the fashion industry. That led to content production with a number of reputable brands. I then birthed my blog early last year, and the rest is history. My blogging, content production, and storytelling are where my truest passions lie.
You’re involved in multiple projects. Can you tell us a bit about wearing many hats and how one platform has let you to the other?
I'm learning a ton about time management, prioritizing, and ridding of all the "fluff" work that tends to drain your time, energy, and resources. I feel like you can definitely be involved in multiple projects so long as you're passionate about them all, so none of them fall to the wayside or get shelved. My blogging and professional Content Production often go hand in hand; I think that's the angle I take with pretty much all of my projects. Not only do I sincerely enjoy blogging and writing, but I have a serious passion for photography and cinematography, and that comes through in both my blog and my content work. Often times my Content Production has allowed me to build relationships with big brands who then like to work with me as a blogger because they see that I enjoy being in front of the camera and talking about products just as much as I love being behind the camera and shooting them. Concurrently, my blogging also catches the attention of businesses who need more branding and compelling visuals to support their sites and social media, so they reach out to me as a Content Producer as well. I feel so blessed because think I have the best of both worlds. And then both led me to the lovely people at Humanity Unified when they needed a shooter to produce content for their site, and that marked the beginning of a very personally fulfilling relationship.
When you are creating content, who are you thinking about? Who is The Beautiful Life girl?
I'm thinking about the strong millennial women with big dreams and ambitions, who want to impact the world. They're stylish and beautiful, but that's not all there is to them. They've got brains, they've got substance, and they've got big hearts. Definitely confident, a little geeky, and a little awkward - but striving to become completely comfortable in their amazing, awkward skin at the same time. Just like me. :)
What lessons have you learned while traveling? Can you tell us about a travel moment that changed your relationship to work?
Mark Twain said it best, "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on those accounts. Broad, wholesome, and charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." I literally can't say it any better! Traveling fills the void in the human spirit, and as much as it reminds me of my belief in personal/individual purpose and the gravity that that notion carries, it also reminds me that the universe and the world are so boundless, and I feel so small in the depths of it all. It's humbling. We are small, but very important parts, of something bigger than all of us ... that's the feeling that traveling instills in me.
"Bloggers need one another to stay relevant."
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Your work with Humanity Unified is inspiring. Why was it important to you to add humanitarian to the scope of your work?
I've always wanted to do it, I've always known it would be the most personally fulfilling type of work for me. Giving, giving back, spreading love and joy - I feel like these are things we are programmed to do as human beings, and we are here to be each other's support systems. Sadly, we often tear one another down, but that's because life's hardships reprogram us to be defensive and bitter to protect ourselves. But I wholeheartedly believe that at the core of it all we are wired for love, for compassion, for affection, and for connection. It's how we thrive. In my opinion, humanitarian work brings about all of these things in abundance.
You work in a highly competitive sphere. How do you feel about “competing" with other women? What do you think of the idea that “girls compete, women empower?”
I don't feel like I'm in competition with other women at all, for a number of reasons. One, everybody has their own unique style of storytelling, just as I do. Different people will connect with you no matter what your style, and there's a listener for every type of storyteller. Two, I've always felt that women should support and empower one another (this answers the second question), because I firmly believe our biggest contribution in this life will always be what we've done for others, not what we've done for ourselves. And three, bloggers need one another to stay relevant. It's because of the bloggers that have done amazing things and garnered massive followings that the rest of us even have a shot at something like this. Five years ago there was no such thing as "influencer" marketing, and the only people who had real influence in pop culture were celebrities. This day and age, so many people are self-made, and it's a beautiful thing. You can start a blog about almost anything and someone will find it, read it, and enjoy it, even if it's only 10 people. But if you're blogging for the right reasons and your blog is suited to fulfilling your purpose in this life, it won't matter how many readers you have, only how deeply you impact the ones you do have.
"We are small, but very important parts, of something bigger than all of us."
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Where would you like to see your work go from here? What’s happening in 2016?
A new destination every month, new human connections to be made, new stories to be told. All while fully supporting the brands who want to support me on this journey.
What does working for the social good mean to you?
It means working to positively impact and inspire those who are directly (and indirectly) affected by you. It means working for the greater good, and for a purpose that is beneficial to the world and to mankind.