Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use or believe will add value to my readers. Thank you for supporting my creative journey! Hi, I’m Alissa Beth. You might know me as the "box lady" from the Inside the Photo Box Photography and Photoshop Facebook and the Photo Box Designs Shop on Etsy, or maybe from my work as a portrait and landscape photography via Alissa Beth Photography. Taking photos and digital art has been my passion for over 14 years now, and they’re not going anywhere. But recently, I’ve decided to add a new creative adventure into the mix- focusing on the reality of being a Gen Xer though humor on TikTok and Instagram. I launched My Gen X Life on TikTok on December 15, and it’s been a fun ride so far. At first I had no idea what I was doing. Although I have a Tiktok for Photo Box Designs, I really never gave it much love as I have always concentrated on Facebook and my groups there. This past winter the cardboard box trend exploded on Instagram and Tiktok and I realized that I needed get with the times and start becoming a more active participant on those platforms as well. After dabbling with posting my box shoots and watching some of the posts go viral, I tried posting more lifestyle content and failed miserably. I realized that I was posting outside of my niche and would probably need to start another page geared more towards the Gen-X Lifestyle. So far, the response has been incredible—hitting 10k followers in just the first month felt like a huge accomplishment. But it was not easy! I fully deep dived into tiktok and started to understand the algorithem and what kind of videos worked and what didn't. My first few videos were terrible, I literally had no idea what I was doing. I spent a lot of time looking at other creators videos to see what styles they were using, what kind of "hooks" they utilized, their format, pacing, length and even how they applied their text. This helped me immensely to start to figure out what kind of vibe I wanted to present on my page. Although I’m still in the learning phase, gaining clarity on why I’m doing this has made the process feel more intentional and manageable. Then the ban happened, and I realized I’d been putting all my eggs in one basket. It was a wake-up call that pushed me to diversify and start posting on Instagram. I assumed I could just repost my tiktok content and grow an Instagram in the same fashion. Boy was I wrong!! What worked on Tiktok did NOT work on Instagram and visa versa! It’s been a bit of a learning curve, but growing to 1k followers in the first week felt like a real win as I’ve been learning the ropes of creating short, engaging videos for a totally different audience and completely different platform. While TikTok thrives on quick humor and relatability, with an algorithm that helps you grow rapidly, Instagram offers a more polished, curated experience, taking a slower but steady approach to growth. This whole experience has been and still is a huge learning curve. From figuring out how to film and edit videos that feel authentic, to embracing the trial-and-error process of creating content, I’ve discovered that trying something new at this stage of life is both humbling and exhilarating. And the best part? I have only just begun! Although it is overwhelming because there is so much to learn, I feel invigorated and excited to continue this process and see where it takes me! So what's next? To be clear, I’m not leaving photography. I love the Box Photo community that I have built with the 33,000 people in the Facebook group. Watching photographers learn something new, and my ability as an educator to help them grow has been and still is one of the greatest accomplishments of my career. If anything, this new venture has added another layer to my creative journey. It’s a chance to highlight the fun, colorful sides of life while still staying true to who I am. It also allows me to begin to learn new skills such as video editing and hopefully learning how to add in some visual tricks as I go along. Photography is still my foundation, but My Gen X Life is giving me the freedom to branch out and share more of who I am and what I love in a new way. If you’re curious about the tools that help me bring this content to life, here are the 5 pieces of equipment that I have been using all month from my Amazon storefront and LOVE! As a techie and photographer, I am not new to a good tripod or light, but content creation is a different animal. Instead of using a professional camera or lighting, I am using inexpensive selfie lights and my cell phone. WHY? Because its easy to use! The camera, editing software and apps all live in the space making it portable and quick! The lighting and magnetic phone mounts are easy to pop into my bag so I can create content anywhere! Here are my top favorite items:
This is just the beginning of My Gen X Life, and I’m so excited to see where it takes me. If you’re looking for a little humor, creativity, and a reminder that it’s never too late to try something new, I’d love for you to follow along on TikTok and Instagram. Thanks for being part of this journey with me. Here’s to embracing creativity and living fully at every age! — Alissa Beth Click to go to the Amazon Storefront to shop these products:![]() Follow Me Elsewhere: If you are a photographer and are interested in learning the process of photographing in the box and talking with other creative, like minded people, then consider joining the THRIVING Facebook Page: INSIDE THE PHOTO BOX PHOTOGRAPHY AND PHOTOSHOP. This is the largest Box Photography Page on Facebook, with over 20,000 members learning Box Photography! Isn't that amazing!
Photo Box Designs and the Facebook Group "Inside the Photo Box" also give away a FREE 3 BOX TEMPLATE along with guidelines on how to build the box and edit the photos. Grab your FREE template here: Photo Box Designs Store. Join here: Inside the Photo Box Photography and Photoshop I hope you enjoyed this blog post and found it helpful in your endeavor to create amazing Box Photography Composites!! Follow Us on Facebook and Instagram. All photographs are the property of © Photo Box Designs. Reproductions and downloads without permission is prohibited. However, you are welcome to share this post on your own site or through social media.
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AuthorAlissa Rosenberg is the owner of Photo Box Designs where you can find beautiful photoshop templates for photographers. Archives
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