Nina Maria

High fashion memes? Trinket girl-core? #SpiritualTikTok? If you’ve ever wondered what it all means, Nina Maria’s here to decode the internet’s weirdest corners. As a cultural strategist, she helps brands stay plugged into what’s culturally relevant, tuning into the world of the ‘chronically’ online. Nina now channels trend TikToks, video essays and inspiration found at a Peckham car boot into ideas for clients. Here, she reflects on her move from editorial to strategy, the harsh realities of starting out as a freelancer, and how herbal tea and a solid research method can go a long way.

What I do

How would you describe what you do?
I research culture for brands and develop strategies based on it to make products and brand visions culturally relevant.

What are the main influences and inspirations behind your work?
I love watching trend analysis TikToks. The Digital Fairy and Rukiat, in particular, post great ones – I love those. Otherwise, I love video essays and Peckham car boot, they're visually stimulating in different ways!

Would you say you need any specific training for what you do?
Research skills are incredibly helpful. I learned a lot in university through research seminars and tutorials, but that was more about academia, obviously. It took some time to translate that into what I do now, but essentially, it’s beneficial to know how to research, tell a story and filter information efficiently.

What’s been your favourite project to work on from the past year, and why?
That’s a hard one. I did something about Mickey Mouse and the history of Disney Channel, which was really fun.

Nina's workspace - “curated chaos!”, complete with laptops, trinkets and half-drunk herbal tea mugs

What does a normal day-to-day usually look like for you?
I work from home, so I'm by myself a lot. I get up early and try to go for a walk, and then I get started on my client work. When I am busy, I am at the desk all day. When I have less busy days or weeks, I try and check out exhibitions I haven’t seen yet or meet friends for a coffee. But really, I mostly just work on my desk and leave the house for walk and coffee breaks.

How I got here

What was your journey like when you were first starting out?
The first word that comes to my mind is rocky. I did a BA in Fashion Promotion, which ended up being heavily graphic design-focused. I graduated from that course not knowing what to do. At the same time, I got swept up in the dream of becoming a fashion journalist, as I was reading a lot of fashion newspaper journalism at the time. I was also really into Natasha Stagg’s writing – she really inspired me.

I then went on to intern and write for very little money, eventually starting my MA in Fashion Journalism at Central Saint Martins. During that time, I freelanced a lot, which helped me hone my skills, but it also set realistic expectations on how little that can pay.

When I finished that degree, I knew it wouldn’t be viable to live off freelance writing. The year after my MA was brokest and probably also the most depressed year of my life. I was writing all these articles, but I could barely afford to exist or to eat in London. I think that’s when I realised that my future didn't purely lie in editorial.

Whilst I was at CSM, there was someone on my course who worked in strategy, who opened my eyes to that world. After the MA, I also started pitching myself to agencies to do cultural research, but it took over a year until I got a substantial amount of work.

Nina's editorial work for The Digi Fairy

How did you go about landing your first few jobs, clients and/or commissions?
I cold-emailed a lot of people. I started reaching out to people to get to know them, build a network and relationships. A lot of getting work is about word of mouth, I would say. However, all of that took time.

What has been your biggest challenge along the way?
Money easily. At the start, I had to take a lot of day jobs, as work was very inconsistent. There were moments when it felt like I had a double life, as I was very ashamed at taking a day job – which is not the right approach at all. I felt very alone.

Nobody speaks about how they actually made the beginning work, so I felt very inadequate when it took me a lot of time to get the ground running. Now, however, I feel the need to be honest about how specifically hard that time was, as I want others to know that it’s ok to take time and for nothing to happen quickly.

How important are social media and self-promotion to your work?
Very. I am very conflicted about the overall social media thing, but I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t started posting my takes on culture on Instagram back then.

Nina's trend analysis about Sandy Liang

What are three things that you’ve found useful to your work or career, and why?
The first reference I can think of is probably The Cutting Room Floor podcast, as it had real people with real jobs as guests. I learnt a lot from there. I also love The Language of Things by Deyan Sudjic. Natasha Stagg’s Sleeveless left a giant impact on me.

What have been your greatest learnings with making money and supporting yourself as a creative?
Know your financial worth and be confident in charging it. Don’t go loads below your rate. And learn how to do your own taxes! It saves money.

Advice

What’s the best career-related advice you’ve ever received?
It’s all about interpersonal relationships. You need to build them.