A common point of agreement among interviewees and editors during this project was the dislike for the word influencer. None of us seem to agree with such a forced concept. It seemed kind of empty, more like a shell filled with unreal expectations to hide behind. Because what does it really mean to be an influencer and who has the power to influence us all? But most importantly, wouldn’t it be better to be inspired rather than influenced.
Influence seems to me like something that takes away a big chunk of our power of choice. Our will, that beautiful characteristic that allows us to make not only good choices but also mistakes that we will learn upon. Choices, good or bad are what ultimately make us who we are today, so why are we searching for people to take away one of the most beautiful and precious things we have.
In my opinion as an editor, as a human, and as a soul, there are no influencers in this world. There are only people. Very inspiring people, people with a lot of things to say, people with dreams, people who support others, people that maybe not know how to support others yet, people that encourage and many people who might not even be aware of all the power they have hiding inside.
TO BE INFLUENCED, OR RATHER, TO BE INSPIRED?
We all come across a lot of people every day and though small interactions like a smile, words or a kind hand to help out in times of need, we are able to create a positive memory, influence and even change people’s lives. You might not know it, but a shy smile might be saving someone’s life, or at least making their day a little bit brighter…
On the other hand, hateful words might be causing more damage than you will ever have imagined. Damage, that if you might have been aware of being creating you might have very deep regrets about. Words and small actions don’t go away with the wind, they stay. They edify or destroy. Creating a new reality, adding light or darkness to that sometimes lonely path we all walk along.
GIVE YOUR BEST
Words and actions have an impact, cutting like a dagger or sewing open wounds because at the end of the day we are all influencers. We all influence people, and if that influence is positive or negative is at the end of the day our choice.
We can give that negative energy we might be receiving to that same person, we could try to dump it in somebody else, or we could grab all that crap and transform it into something positive and change that otherwise never-ending vicious circle. We all have a lot of power yet many of us are unaware of that same power we hold.
PERSONALITIES IN KOREA
We are all influencers and because of that today we wanted to introduce you to a couple of personalities here in Korea that you might already know about, introducing them to you through a new perspective. Not from a shiny and unreachable pedestal, but as people. People who alike with you and me, make daily choices to influence others around them.
People who might make a positive influence, as well as sometimes mistakes, people who like you and me, have aspirations, dreams, and their own reality. People with lovely memories and wonderful and interesting lives but also their own struggles. We wanted to give you a more human approach to them, to their dreams, and their ideals, because at the end of the day, we are all people, and we all have things to say.
AMY ALEHA
The thing that stroke me the most when interviewing Amy was her warm and sincere smile that got me sold from on our first handshake. She started telling me the story about how she first came to Korea around 2004, a time in which things like Facebook or video calling, now part of our daily norm, where then phone cards and letters to her family and loved ones.
Brave, positive, and full of expectation she arrived with a mind as open as her heart. Ready to go along with whatever the future might have for her. The K-wave might have been far from a reality at that time, but she seemed to have an even better connection with Korea that she calls the “K-butterflies”. K-butterflies the name for the feeling she got on her stomach when she first landed in Korea, a hunch that seemed to be letting her know she had arrived exactly to where she should be.
From there onwards, she decided to follow her instinct and accept things as they came, being brave enough to do even those things that scared her, “ Sometimes I cried, but I did them anyway”. Challenging herself to do her best, her braveness brought her to where she is now, but when asked about the future, she stays real and humble. In her opinion, she is far from done with growing. “There is always room to grow and discover who you are because who you are and will be, does not have an answer, it is a lifelong question”.
You can read the rest of the article and the other personalities here:
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