Inside Influence with Kelsey Heinrichs from @kelseyinlondon

Name: Kelsey Heinrichs

Instagram: @kelseyinlondon

Category: Lifestyle, travel, and fashion

This week we caught up with the lovely Kelsey from @kelseyinlondon who is a graphic designer and influencer based in London (but she’s an Aussie, just like us!).

Here, you can learn more about Kelsey, her work and her travels, and what she loves about being an influencer. You’re going to love this one!

How long have you been sharing on Instagram and working as a graphic designer? Do the two roles go hand in hand, and how do you juggle both roles?

I’ve been sharing on Instagram ever since the Valencia filter was grossly overused and hashtags were ironic. I’ve been a graphic designer for a bit longer though, almost 10 years now. I definitely think my design skills cross-over into my social media content - I’m able to take my photos to the next level using my experience in photoshop & illustrator.

Tell us about Creative Gal Gang - what inspired you to start the group and what do you hope to achieve from the community?

I started the group shortly after I moved to London from Brisbane. I found it kinda daunting starting all over again in a new country, and thought it would be amazing to create a community of like-minded female creatives & bloggers where we could share advice and work together - it’s an amazing space for any female freelancer who might feel alone. If you’re in Creative Gal Gang, you’ve instantly got hundreds of colleagues who want to see you succeed.

Your content is absolutely stunning! What is your process for creating beautiful content? How much time is involved in getting the shot ?

Thank you so much! On average I spend 1 day on each photo – which might seem surprising to some but there is a lot of work involved; planning, prepping, prop-buying (my favourite), location scouting, photographing & editing.

What has been your favorite brand campaign or collaboration to work on and why?

The one I’m currently working on with Adobe as it is a dream client of mine and perfectly aligns with my brand. Any campaign where a brand fully trusted my vision had always resulted in something wonderful.

What tips do you have for influencers who are just starting out and are new to receiving requests to collaborate with brands?

It’s so exciting when you start to receive your first requests! Remember to take yourself seriously as a business so others will too. Brand yourself – make yourself a media kit, email signature and invoice template (you can use Canva to do this if you’re not a designer). If you look the part then it doesn’t matter if you’re still figuring things out (I mean, I still am!). Every brand is a new client, so make sure you are serving them and doing your best possible work. If you do this, they’ll come back to work with you again.

What has been your favorite place to travel and why?

Anywhere in Italy - the buildings and views are a dream to photograph. And pizza, of course.

What’s next on your travel bucket list? Do you have any trips that are coming up? Are they for work or fun?

I went to Rome (for fun) and LA (for work) recently. I’m dying to go to Iceland next and see the northern lights.

What are some of your favourite Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration - whether it is fashion, travel, business, food or photography…

Hands down @ taramilktea – every post of hers is a work of art.

You have so many templates on your website and in your Instagram Story highlights - why did you start creating them and why do you think people love them? Has it brought new followers or increased engagement?

I started creating them because I saw it as an opportunity to finally use my graphic design skills and create something where my followers could get to know more about me and vice versa. I think people love them because they’re just a bit of fun. A lot of the templates went viral and initially tripled my following, however having stepped up my content has meant an increase in engagement and followers moving forward.

You’ve got so many projects on the go - so what’s next for your personal brand and your design work? Are you working on any exciting projects we should keep an eye out for?

Definitely this project next month in LA is one of my biggest and most exciting ones to date. Something I’ve been working on for a while now is the release of my blog and Lightroom Presets - I can’t say when this will be up for certain as my client work always comes first, but watch this space 😉