Laura Jade Stone, Annie Tarasova, Life With Three’s Rachel Barwick, Madeline Joy Relph, Elise Cook, Kirsty Cane… South Australia seems to be delivering an endless influx of talent when it comes to Instagram content creators – and right up there among them is Em.Peachy‘s Emily Smith.
With a feed paying homage to South Australia’s rolling hills and untouched coastlines (when she’s not travelling abroad), Em’s depictions have us seeing the state in a whole new light. And yes, flights are being booked.
As Emily’s IG journey has us dreaming of our next sojourn, we pull her aside for our latest Fast 50 to talk making the switch from food Instablogger to travel, the value of not basing your sole existence around Instagram, and facing self pressures.
Missed the last articles in the 50 Questions series? Click the links to read interviews with Rebecca Laurey, Damoy Antwerp’s Florence Cools, and Anne Johannsen.
1. Age? 24
2. Height? 167 cm
3. Best beauty product of all time? SALT WATER!
4. Five beauty products you can’t live without? INIKA Light Reflect Cream, Endota Lengthening Mineral Mascara, Lancome Le Sourcil Pro Gel, Dollar Hippy Club “Knot a Care” hair oil, Coconut oil
5. Hair “done” or messy? I’m literally the worst at cute hairstyles… so probably messy
6. Favourite fragrance? I’m a sucker for any natural oil/herbal extract – rosemary oil is an all-time favourite
7. Favourite item of clothing? Tough! It always changes, but at the moment probably a little vintage Fendi bag I found online
8. Favourite fashion brand? I buy a lot of my clothing from vintage stores but I do love For Love and Lemons, Sir The Label, and Zimmermann (biased because I work there!)
9. Gym or exercising outdoors? Outdoors, hands down. I can never seem to switch my mind off in a hot and stuffy gym
10. Healthy eating or treating yourself? Healthy eating 80% of the time, treating myself 20% 😎
11. Can you cook? Yes! It’s one of my favourite ways to wind down. Nothing beats cooking dinner with a glass of wine and blasting your favourite music
12. Favourite food to indulge in? At the moment it’s dumpling noodle soup
13. First thing you pick from the mini-bar? Any kind of crispy, salty delicious treat
14. Favourite hobby? Throwing extravagant dinner parties for no reason
15. A strange fact about you that followers might not know? I don’t know how to ride a bike 🙁 It’s my own fault. Don’t feel sorry for me
16. Biggest fear? Blood tests – I hate veins!!!!
17. Blog or YouTube? I personally enjoy blogging more, but I prefer watching other people’s Youtube videos than reading blogs
18. Iphone or camera? Both, depending on what’s being captured! I tend to use a camera more though
19. Type of camera? Canon 6D
20. Lightroom or VSCO? Lightroom usually, but VSCO for final touches sometimes
21. Favourite filter? I don’t have one!
22. Favourite way to edit pics? I find it always changes, but I usually love accentuating warm colours and hues with a little grain here and there depending on my mood 😉
23. 9-5 job or full-time influencer? Both! I’m a very indecisive person and get bored of routines very quickly, so any way of combining working a “regular” job and also blogging/photographing is my ideal situation
24. How did you first get your start in Instablogging? I actually started my account with a good friend back in 2013 – we’d both just gone vegan and started doing the whole “taking photos of meals and creating really over-the-top breakfasts” thing… But over time, we both lost interest in doing that kind of thing and she stopped using instagram. I also started travelling fair bit so I decided to change things around and posted some travel snaps in between the food photos. People seemed to really enjoy this so I continued to post more and more travel-focused content, and now here I am!
25. How much time goes into a normal picture found on your Instagram account? Probably about an hour or so – sometimes more, sometimes less
26. What’s your top Instagram tip? Make sure you don’t base your sole existence around Instagram. When you go somewhere or do something, really be present and experience the moment fully. Plus, this authenticity is usually noticeable in people’s feeds. It’s always nicer seeing photos of someone truly enjoying themselves and with a genuine, well thought out caption rather than a completely staged/posed photo and a shallow caption (although there’s a time and place for everything. Certainly nothing wrong with posing!)
27. Who takes your pics? Either myself or the friends I’m with at the time
28. Career highlight since being an influencer? The places that I’ve had the opportunity to see, the people I’ve met, and the countless things I’ve learned about myself, life and the world. I’ll always be so grateful for that. Having the opportunity to stay in some beautiful Riads in Morocco was a huge highlight also
29. Career lowlight since being an influencer? Facing the pressures I put on myself to be successful
30. Best campaign you’ve ever worked on? Probably working with Topdeck, doing some overseas tours with them and writing a few blog posts!
31. Worst thing that’s happened to you on a photo shoot? Having my bag and laptop stolen from our car while shooting photos in a field by the Golden Gate Bridge. Ugh
32. The best gift you’ve ever received as an influencer? Some little lace-up brogues – I wear them seriously everywhere
33. Last thing you googled? “When is Mother’s Day…” 😅
34. Favourite film? I don’t think I could possibly pick a favourite but I really love ‘Lost in Translation’, ‘Given’ and ‘Clueless’ (forever in my heart)
35. Favourite book? ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho
36. Living in the city or living by the beach? By the beach, always and forever
37. Favourite travel destination? I’ll always love Oahu, I’ll be going back for the third year in a row next month! Japan, London and Morocco are also up there with some of my favourite destinations
38. Most Instagram-worthy spot? Definitely not uncommon knowledge but basically anywhere in Hawaii
39. Top three essentials to pack when traveling? Moisturiser, reusable cutlery, candy
40. Going out clubbing or quiet dinner with friends? Both! In the same night!
41. Partner or single? Partner 💛
42. Siblings? One brother, four years older
43. What city are you currently living in? Adelaide, South Australia
44. Celebrity/influencer crush? Absolutely in love with @Matildadjerf – not only beautiful on the outside but also such a great and positive role model!
45. Pets? One very spoiled little kitty named Figaro
46. What is your best asset? I’m a Capricorn so naturally I’m always the one organising things – so probably my ability to gather people together and host/plan fun events!
47. Biggest misconception about you and your job? People assuming I get to travel endlessly without paying a cent!
48. Top five Instagram accounts to follow? @isabelsasse – I’ve never seen such beautiful, natural photography, @estherarchives – selling 90’s and 2000’s vintage designer pieces!!, @biased.astrology.memes – need I say more? Hilarious, @sukiicat – a sweet little kitty who gets to travel the world and pose adorably in front of beautiful scenery, @dreamy_moons – my best friend’s art company
49. Favourite quote you live by? “One just needs a little alertness to see and find out: Life is really a great cosmic laughter”, Osho
50. Top career tip? Always do what you love. Staying true to yourself is always going to benefit you in the end.
All images: Em Peachy
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