Whitney Sutherland is a FIDM Grad and is now FIDM’s Senior Social Media Coordinator. Check out her FIDM Fashion Club Day social media presentation to learn pro tips and tricks!
Tell us a little about yourself and your FIDM experience. How did you decide FIDM was right for you? I’m originally from Raleigh, North Carolina. I decided to attend FIDM right out of high school. I came to that decision because I felt like an outsider in my small hometown. I felt like I wasn’t really reaching my creative potential and hadn’t met my creative tribe. So after speaking with my amazing Admissions Advisor, Shirley McDonald, and visiting FIDM in December 2013, I was able to make the decision to make FIDM my home. I moved here in October 2014 and the whole journey started from there. I got my A.A. degree in Merchandising & Marketing and later got my Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management. It’s been a wild ride ever since. Best decision I’ve ever made in my life, no doubt!
Tell us about your position at FIDM. What is your title and what do you do? What do you love the most about what you do? I started in the social media marketing world at FIDM in 2015. I was originally a Social Ambassador, and the ambassadors are like a club, of sorts, of FIDM students who are an extension of the social media team. Because of that club, I was able to get to know the social media manager at that time, and she brought me on as an intern, then later as an assistant. Over the past 5 years I’ve grown into fully running FIDM’s social media which is extremely gratifying and fun. No day is the same. I walk into the office and I’m constantly inspired, whether it be online or in the classroom by these incredible creative people. The joy of getting to work here for 5 years is to see all of these creatives go on to live their dreams. It’s so inspiring.
What social media tips do you have for our Fashion Clubs who want to promote themselves? Find what you’re passionate about and just run with it. It may not be just one thing. It may be a few things. If you’re in Fashion Club, you’re inevitably creative. So just dive deep into your creative passions and do your best to showcase them online. There are so many new fun ways to showcase creativity, so explore different social media platforms and different apps and then just go nuts. Have fun with it because there are no rules! Showcase who you are as best as you can.
What can we expect to learn at your workshop?! I am going to tell you guys some of my pro tips and juicy secrets for social media content creation. You’ll get to see my favorite apps that allow me to create content that helps FIDM stand out online. So get ready!
Anything else you’d like to share? I’m really excited to chat with you all. I wasn’t in FIDM Fashion Club but I was once in your position of being a young creative really excited to take on the world. I want to encourage you that passion and drive and determination can really get you anywhere. Once you set your goals and you set your sights on something, it’s really possible as long as you just stay the path and keep going. I’m so excited to see you all blossom.
