What happens when a hobby meets social media
Meet Unboxed influencer Irmantas Gintalas (@itshumanelement)! Irmantas has a truly distinctive Instagram profile. And it might just give you the inspiration you need to finally go on that weekend getaway you’ve been dreaming about. Starting a hobby that would help him unwind after a busy day led him to not only explore new forms of self creativity, but also revealed a new way to earn from doing what you love.
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself, Irmantas!
Firstly, not all of my audience might know that I’m a 5th year medicine student. That was my main job for a long time. We study a lot and it consumes a lot of our free time. So, I started taking pictures as a hobby and to clear my head after long hours of studying. At first, it was just a hobby but as I got more and more into this, I started learning from world famous photographers’ tutorials and workshops. Obviously, I wanted to be seen so I paid attention to my Instagram account, tried a lot of tips and tricks in order to get more likes and followers. That’s how it all started. Now I could describe myself as landscape/outdoor photographer and I want to get more into travel/adventure photography. I also shoot weddings!
2. Creativity: what sparks yours?
Just being outdoors and doing activities I like. Instagram takes time and effort, you always think of photos you want to upload, texts you want to write. Sometimes the worry starts to pile up when I can’t come up with anything creative. So, I just take my time and go fishing or camping. Creativity then comes right back to me.
3. Your favorite collaboration: which one comes to mind first?
Oh, I know this one straight away! I loved the collaboration with Sip Sap [a Lithuanian brand which produces drinks from birch sap]. It’s a product from nature and that fits my feed perfectly. Taking shots in nature was nothing but pleasure.
4. What’s your take on the fact that some think making a living from social media is a far-fetched dream?
That is a very good question. I wrote a post about how much work I must put in to get a good shot. People today see so many stories of successful influencers or photographers that they think that it’s a nice and easy job. You can look at someone’s photos and think that they went to the spot, took a shot and uploaded it. But behind every photo or post you see, someone had to put in a lot of work and effort, and spent a few years doing that until they started earning money. So, making a living from social media is possible — but it’s hard work.
5. How do you stay on top of your Instagram game & what would your best advice to other instagramers be?
I’ve only started doing it recently, but I can see the difference already. Planning my posts in advance. Every Sunday I take time to plan which photos I’m going to upload. I choose a photo, hashtags and write a text. This helps me to maintain the quality of my content.
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And judging by how much Irmantas’ follower base is growing every single day, he’s definitely doing something right. But going by the quality of his content, his success is really no surprise. His pictures look like they’d be equally at home in one of those “top places to visit” coffee table books. If you are a fan of beautiful nature landscapes, you’re in luck! You can check out Irmantas’s Instagram profile.
