Modeling, styling, and content creation are just a couple of things that Rowan University student Joshua Akinsanya specializes in. Akinsanya is anticipating being the next big thing on social media as he continues to build his presence.
Joshua Akinsanya is a senior finance major with an economics minor at Rowan, and the director of the Beauty in Distress organization. He showcases his work on B.I.D.’s social media pages. He is no stranger to editing either, as he applies that skill to his Instagram account.
“I’m trying to become sort of like an influencer on social media, I’ve been making TikTok and Instagram Reels. I focus on fashion I would say, I do a lot of days in the life of a college student, ‘get ready with me’s’ and fits I would wear on campus videos,” Akinsanya said.
He attracts a lot of attention; his comments section is often full of support from friends and family. This has motivated him to create more content and think of how to build a bigger following.
Akinsanya also aspires towards freelance modeling, where he can work for companies he likes and model in their clothes. His love for fashion and his creative abilities have changed his life tremendously and opened up a lot of possible futures for him.
He currently gravitates towards streetwear and athletic style, inspired by his childhood and friends. He values them deeply and tries to work that into his creative output.
“My friend group growing up, like my high school friend group, always liked taking pictures and posting them. I have the same twenty-person friend group from high school and we’re always supporting each other whenever someone does something big in their lives,” Akinsanya said.
The road to a social media presence is not smooth. For Akinsanya it can be difficult to find that outreach when you’re not the newest thing anymore. When he first started in early January, that is when he experienced the most love and gained the most followers. However, now that it has been several months since he started taking his account seriously, his following has remained stagnant. This hasn’t stopped him from creating, in fact, it’s only empowered him to try to solve this problem.
He’s already modeled for several clothing brands, such as boohooMAN, Minimal, and Young and Reckless. As a Rowan student, he’s been able to work his way towards actively being involved with these brands, partially because Rowan has given him an outlet to create.
“Honestly Rowan did it all for me because being on a college campus and having to get up every day and do something every day, seeing people every day, it makes me want to do better every day. You’re always surrounded by people, so content-wise there’s so much to do like interviewing people, showcasing someone else’s outfit,” Akinsanya said. “This is the place for everyone to start their own niche, so this is me starting mine.”
Networking has been the biggest aid for Akinsanya as well because one of the reasons he gets these collaborations is through talking with everyone. His biggest piece of advice about networking is keeping consistent interactions with the people you meet, the more that is kept up, the more one would want to help you out. People that he has met before because he’s been so open with everyone, have reached out to him with new opportunities that give him more experience and a bigger portfolio.
For people who may be unsure of themselves or their ability to succeed, Akinsanya urges them to put themselves first.
“Do it for you, don’t do it for anybody else. If you think you did a great job on this one project, and you don’t get the type of recognition that you wanted to get, it doesn’t mean you didn’t do a good job,” Akinsanya said. “If you’re putting in the work and being consistent with it, you don’t need anyone else’s recognition to know that you’re getting to where you need to be.”
You can support his work on his Instagram @josh.akiii.
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