Within the past several years, the media has grown to be a part of our everyday lives. Whether it is work-related, entertainment, informing ourselves with what’s happening around the world, or connecting with family members from across the globe. It is no doubt that the internet and social media platforms will stay for several generations to come. Therefore many millennials, including Gen-Z’s are taking action and following the route of creating online content to share with the internet. Hence the very successful YouTube, TikTok stars we know today. Everyday millions of people make time to go on their phones and get their dose of entertainment. Whether it’s 10 minutes, 30 minutes or even several hours of binge-watching, the media is for everyone. There is always something for someone to watch, it’s wide-reaching and only developing smarter.
For this week’s Feminine Fire, we have a special writer. An actual writer. She’s an author, a brand ambassador, an influencer for several companies, a former class president, a mental health activist and an absolute dear friend of mine for over a decade now.
Meet Julia Kotaev, 22.
I absolutely adore anything and everything marketing, advertising, and PR related. I'd say all three of these fields intersect. Whichever skill you learn in one is transferable to other fields, strategies, concepts, etc. and my interest to learn more about it grows daily.
Throughout my experiences, I've realized I love connecting with others, and I do this through events, social media, and writing.
I've been a brand ambassador and participated in influencer campaigns for a plethora of companies, such as: Victoria's Secret Pink, Keurig, Rag & Bone, GrubHub, Duncan Hines, Tinder, Hallmark, and more.
I have written articles for several different outlets, published a poetry book, and have assisted in hosting events for companies as well as attending several.
In high school, I began to put myself out there and get involved with multiple extracurricular activities. I ended up becoming class president and I joke about how that's when I "peaked," but really, that's the moment I realized a lot of my passions. I had a ton of responsibilities and it made me realize I thrived off being busy and having to fulfill objectives.
I wanted to bring my own ideas to the table and that's one thing that hasn't changed today. I'm always looking to bring my own creativity and strategies to everything I do. It was such an amazing experience seeing who connected to my words. People would come up with their own interpretations of my poems and personal meanings. I realized how powerful expressing yourself to the world can be and that's something I aim to always do no matter what project it is.
I try to see what other people are doing not only in the fields I want to go into, but in life as well. I know we’re told it's not good to compare ourselves, but it helps me want to do more and be better.
I love the communications field because it leaves an imprint on society such as, industries, agencies, individuals and several other forms of media and writing from years ago. Which is one of the reasons why I love the communications field because it leaves an imprint on society. Moreso, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear we need media to connect.
Right now I'm in the steps of launching my own mental health-related "passion project." It's called Vivacity, and it's a page and platform aimed to make it easier for people to get into therapy. My passions lie in connecting with others, but it's been hard throughout the years because of my personal mental health struggles. I want to bridge the gap for those wanting to get mental health help but not knowing what options are available. I spend a lot of time thinking about what my "life purpose" is and I truly believe this project is it. I want to help people. Whether it is in five or twenty years, I'm not sure where I'll be or what I'll be doing. But for certain, I will be doing something I love.
