- We launched that, Taza. And people were like, "You're robbing me, "you're coming for all my money!" I was like crying on my delete app out of the app store. But we pivoted, and then in our first year, we made $2.5 million. - You are an expert at creating the perfect photo dump, and you've worked with brands like Rare Beauty, 818, Bumble, what motivates you to do that? - I was constantly trying to figure out how I could make my own money, so I could be in control of my destiny. Like your man doesn't have to be more successful than you, but it'd be possible to have the success that you've had if social media didn't exist. - My sister passed when she was 17, and that is a beautiful thing of social media. I was able to connect with so many people 'cause I was able to be vulnerable. - So when everyone was starting to post these reels, was there ever a part of you that was like, "I need to start talking to camera?" - Yeah, trust. - Someone that's out there. - Do you have a framework for taking the perfect Instagram photo when your husband has such a good partnership? Why? And how does it work? Where do you see the brand going from here? - I will say like. - Hi, angels. Did you know that's describing to our channel is free? And it's the simplest way that you can support our show and help us grow. If you do this, we can bring you even more of the content and the guests that you love. All you have to do is just hit the subscribe button below. So please, if you wouldn't mind, subscribe to the channel and thank you. (upbeat music) In case you missed it, you're allowed to be hot, smart and rich, so let's get into it. (upbeat music) - Tessa Varten, are you ready to get hot smart rich? - I'm so ready. - Because you are probably one of the most creative people that I've had on the show. - How do you find creative inspiration? - Gosh, it's changed so much over the years. I'm very aware of what I'm consuming. Obviously social media is one thing, but before that I'm very into vintage movies, old magazines, going to record stores, bookstores, just things that are tangible that I can have around me all the time. And I think especially now that social media is what it is, I have to be very, very careful of that. I probably have the lowest screen time of anyone on my whole team, which is crazy. Even my husband, I'm very, I have to protect my, I don't know, what's inspiring me, otherwise I get overwhelmed. Things that just make me feel something, that's always what I'm looking for. People just would say, I don't have a creative bone in my body. And I was like, yes, you do. It's even just the way you live your life. It's like these simple things that that kind of became my thesis of everything. The reason I wanted to play in a band was to inspire people to feel that feeling or the reason I started photography was to inspire people to want to take photos. And then like, no, that's why I do what I do is really to like get, give people that feeling. - I love that and I can relate so much because even just being on my honeymoon, being in Africa, being out of this world made me feel so inspired again, even though I felt a little guilty being away. - But you need to let that go. - Yeah. - Okay. - You had to learn that? - Yes, but I honestly like, I crave that. Because I think this is what happens in your life. You're like, in your young 20s, you have all these hobbies. You're really good at things. Everything you've worked for in your life, you're starting to figure out who you are, what you're good at, and then you find the thing you're really, really good at. So it becomes your job, hopefully, you know? And then you're like, okay, wait. Now I don't have like these hobbies or these things that are, you know, I'm not as complex and interesting. And you have to like make sure you're still doing that as you get older, otherwise I think you, you get bored of like what you're doing. You're not as, and I don't know. I don't have as much guilt anymore. I've let that go. I can like, step away and feel good about it. - Okay, can we get really specific about a few things that you are an expert at first? - I would love to know. (laughing) - Taking the perfect Instagram photo and then creating the perfect dumb. Like, I am talking about your Easter photo dumb. It was perfection. Do you have a framework for taking the perfect Instagram photo and then crafting that perfect photo dumb? - Yeah, I mean, I'm always thinking about the first photo first. It's not necessarily that that's what I'm taking, but when I'm taking all the images, I'm like, what's gonna really like hit the heartstrings and make you feel something? Like is there a moment that you can capture or like something more than just like a hot stare? Like is there something you can make someone feel? And that's usually kind of like the first photo that leads whatever the story is that you're telling. And then I really focus on like just the little details, whether it's like, you know, your accessories or something that's like fun versus something that's serious. I think it's like mixing all that together. But you know, I've been through so many different eras of Instagram. Like I've done it all from like, I mean, I missed the days where you just post one really good photo. Like, that was a great era. Because I would send an entire day to get that one photo and I would work really hard. And you know, we just don't do that anymore. People don't, it doesn't hit anymore like it used to. I can, don't get me wrong. But you said storytelling. So do you think about when you're putting something out, you have a story that you're crafting in your head that you want your audience to go on? Or is it a story that like you feel like you want to portray to the world? Like how do you think about when you press pose? Is it for you or is it for the audience? It's so for me. I mean, I was a photographer first and foremost. I love like capturing moments and like, I've never deleted an Instagram post. Like you can go all the way back to day one. - Wait, can I show you? - Something? - Oh no, did you? - Yes. - These are your first few, what's something that you wish existed from this 2010, 2012 era that doesn't currently exist today? - So funny, my little brother. Okay, I think like, there was just more of a carefree energy. And you know, I think we've come back to that a little bit. Like it went from this to like very serious like, you know, photography and people being like street style, fashion, you know, all that era. This was like a hundred years ago. But and now we're kind of getting back to this. I think people are missing kind of that imperfectness without it being like there's still an artistic taste here. It's not just like, I think we got a little sloppy and a little lazy at one point where we were just taking photo like a bad food plate and people like, this is so cool and effortless. I'm like, let's put a little more effort back in. - So is that how you look at social media when you see something? You relate to the things that like you either are inspired by or you want to be in. Like how do you consume the media that you are? - Well, storytelling for me has always been like what's so fun. I've all, like even back when we go to like the early days of Instagram, I was very into like props and things that would make you feel more than just like this is my outfit. But it's like, where is this outfit going? Who's in it, why are they doing it? Or like, you know, those kinds of things. And I think people love to connect to images that they like either wish they could see themselves in or they're like, wow, that's like so fun. Or you know, like even when I'm taking photos of like my Easter day, it's like, I don't share all of them because a lot of them, I'm like, that's personal for me. So like I'm capturing so much more of the story so in my head I'm like connecting those dots, you know? - We talk so much about the negative side of social media, but I would say that like you've been able to benefit off of this incredible opportunity that social media has presented itself. Do you think that it would be possible to have had the career and the success that you've had if social media didn't exist? - Yes, I know I would have been successful at something else without social media. Because I literally, since I was, I don't know, eight, I started a business, I started like a candy shop. I started like knocking doors and selling cards. I started like art classes for the people in my neighborhood. Like I just loved starting things and figuring out how to make money, how to teach people how to like, I don't know, I just know that what would have been in my yet realm, but I don't know that I would have had the success I've had without social media, no, because I think the reach is just, we've never had that in the generation before had no clue what that would even be like. And now it's even the past 10 years, it's out of control. - You have a really interesting family dynamic because you come from a family of entrepreneurs and I come from a totally different front group where like when we wanted to do a creative pursuit, our family is where like no, there's no business there, there's no opportunities doing that. You have to go to like this specific school and do this and I have a friend who finally has actually made her way back into photography and into production. She works at like a jeweler brand that we're probably both wearing today as like the head of production, but it was a really long way to get there because there was a lot of people telling her no when she was a child of like really wanting to pursue photography. You also just mentioned something about having this mindset of being successful. So can you take us back to like who you were as that like eight, nine, 10 year old, your environment, like the things that really helped you get to where you are and maybe the things that almost like motivated you so that you did become your potential. - You know, I one grew up with five siblings. So a big full house. My parents were both extremely creative and worked extremely hard. My mom started an interior design business when I was two. And so I just watched her like be so passionate and work so hard. I mean, and I'm not joking to this day, my mom still sleeps.
three hours a night because that's how hard she's working. I will never be her. I cannot keep up. I don't even know that I want to be at this point. But she like, she, I'm like, I think you need to sleep. She's like, no, I'm good. I, I need to do this. And this is what I'm good at. Like, okay, I'm not getting in the way. But it was just like so inspiring to watch her and my dad also to support her. Like he put his career a little bit on the side so that she could, you know, thrive. And she was doing so amazing. And then I had a grandma who, you know, my grandparents had no money their whole lives. And then in, I think when my grandma was about in her 50s, she, she was a painter her whole life. And her kids sold, started like making prints of her art and selling it. And it like went viral. She became like this famous watercolor artist. And in her 70s started making like millions of dollars. And it was just like crazy. So I watched like all these different people start these different careers. And I thought, you know, okay, there's so much value in having ideas and being like passionate. And I really, so I was constantly trying to start different things to figure out, you know, how I could make my own money. I don't know why that was actually at the core of what I wanted to do. But I just felt like I could, you know, being control of my destiny if that was how I was handling my things. And then my mom had a really unique way of parenting where it was like, if you had an idea, she would say, okay, well, what is it? And then you would explain and she'd be like, well, how are you going to do it? And you'd have to like, kind of know. So I wanted to be a fashion as I know she's like, so what are the steps? So I had to go like research the steps, you know, there was like, I'm googling around. And then I got into Parsons in New York City. And she's like, I was 16. And she's like, do you want to go to like night school and move to New York? And I was like, well, yeah. And she's like, so figure out how to pay for it and how you're going to do it. And then she let me go live in the dorms and do that when I was 16. And I like was in control of that. And then I was like, wow, I guess I can actually be in control of doing whatever it is that I want to do. So I really had such amazing parenting. I do have to say, like, it's not like all my siblings are entrepreneurs are, you know, we're all doing kind of our different creative things. But I do think like having parents that really look do in the eye. And so like, I believe in what it is you want to do. And I'm going to and like helping me realize that I'm in control of figuring out how to do it was impactful to who I enter that being around female entrepreneurs. I feel like was very rare back then almost. The way that they talked about money and talked about financial freedom. How do you think that influenced you versus like the people that are listening to this that maybe saw like their dots have more of the financial control in their families? Yeah, I mean, especially in I grew up in Utah, which is like, you know, most moms just don't work. That was not the norm. So it was constantly brought up to me that my mom was like an anomaly and unique in my grandparents and my, you know, everyone in my life. I was just like, Oh, okay, this is unique. But I think there's like something really unique to partnership, right? So like I watched so many men support women in this amazing beautiful way, which, you know, is not the norm. And it's can be done. Let's just first say that. Like, I think there's, you know, your man doesn't have to be more successful for you than you, like, and you can find someone you can marry someone that, you know, supports your ideas and the things you want to do. But like that also comes with other hardships. Like when you get pregnant, you have kids. There's a lot of pressure on you as a woman and you have to be able to like balance all of that and you get no breaks. And it's, it's a lot. So I think it's not necessarily like always as glorified as it like needs to be. But I think it's a beautiful, amazing thing. Talking about parenting a little bit, how do you think about raising a family in the age of social media, especially when both you and your husband are involved in social media? Well, I'm taking notes and I'm trying to figure it out. I honestly don't know it is so scary and so stressful. I have, you know, people on my team who have kids that are, you know, in their teens. And I'm like overwhelmed with what I'm hearing, even just attention spans. You know, we're very, very careful about how we're even on our phones in front of our kids, right? Because like the second your kids asking for you and you're like one second and you're just collude to your device. Like I get the ik of myself. I have to put my phone in a drawer on the weekend. I put it in a drawer. I actually don't look at my phone for at least six hours. I'm very like strict about those things, but that is even just for me. That's like my mental health, but also just the example I'm setting. I don't really know my rules yet or like I don't know. I'm trying to navigate that. So if anyone has tips, I'm, I'm ready and available to hear. Well, I feel like the reason it's so exciting to have people like you and the chairs, because I've noticed this what I would call a crater evolution curve, where you start off doing social media, maybe you're single or maybe like you, you were living in a 250 square foot apartment with your boyfriend. And then as a creator, your life evolves, you end up doing well for yourself. You're able to have a bigger place like you have children and the relationship that you have with your customer, which is like your follow or your community, it evolves and changes. And what I've seen is like, there's been dips. There's even like a huge kind of conversation right now about I'm following anyone that gets married or has a baby. And as someone that successfully been able to manage this curve and actually like not see that dip, how do you explain the relationship that you've had with your community as you have evolved as a person, as a founder, as a mother, as a partner? Oh, that's deep. I'm like, I always want to be relatable to everybody. Like that is in my core. I still feel like the scrappy girl living in the apartment. Like even today, like building a business, it's hard for me to get away from it. And I have certain guilt about like sharing too much. You know, I really like to keep things at bay, we'll say. But I think like as long as you're sharing something that's like authentically true and valuable, like people will stick with you, there are, I know, for a fact, like I'm like, I'm so much more boring than I was a few years ago. Like I have kids, I have other priorities now. I'm also like my main business is running my business. Like I don't have as much time to be creative and to be offering as much value, but I think like as long as you keep the count like the your standard at a certain point, like you don't have to be posting as much and doing as much as long as like what you're putting out is actually a value and like authentic to who you are. Has there ever been like a really hard moment to share, go through publicly? I guess when I lost my sister, I mean social media was a thing, but I mean it was very early days and I did find it healing in a way to be able to connect with people, but this was like pre-instagram stories, like it was pre, I don't even think you could send messages. So it was anything like a post in a comment. It was very just like different interaction, but you know, I was 19. When my sister passed, she was 17. We were like doing the music thing. We were, you know, social media was just barely happening. That is a beautiful thing of social media. I was able to like connect with so many people. I never would have connected with it. I ended up, you know, going to New York, sleep with on someone's couch that I had DN, like I think message or maybe I wrote on their page. I don't even know how to trust me, like the things that I did, but because they were like interested in my story and then I was like, oh, I'm coming to New York and then like just the opportunities that became because of something like hard that I went through. I think we're so interesting because I was able to be vulnerable, but I mean, they're just hard things every day that I'm not sharing, but I think that's like a personal choice. Like some people build their brand around sharing everything and I'm grateful for those people I find it fascinating, but you have to kind of protect your inner piece too. You have this relationship with your audience as a tastemaker and thought leader in photography and in creativity that like people don't necessarily need that from you or not that they don't want it, but I think you are like one of the people that has been able to like ride that wave when everyone was like, be posting reels. You're like, no, I'm gonna keep posting my photo and I was like, you're laughing because it's true. Yeah, but I think it says a lot about your values, morals and principles and like when the whole world is telling you to go one way, you can find it in yourself to be like, I'm actually gonna stay here. Yeah. I do think it's hard like, you know, these algorithms, they change. They come out. You're like, how am I gonna keep up and ask someone that's been doing this for 10 years? I will say like, it comes back around. Like don't freak out, don't panic. Don't change your whole brand and identity just because like someone on the internet is preaching to you and telling you that you have to to keep up. I do think like people create their own algorithm. Like you can find people that will be interested in the way you're talking and the way you're doing content, whatever that is. Like there are just so many creators that are coming up and doing things different and changing the way the algorithm is working like in their favor. So I think like that is true. Like you don't have to panic and chase the trends. Like if you just stick to your core values, like people will feel that. And I think that's like probably the most important thing. When it was happening though, like everyone starting to post these reels, was there ever a part of you that was like, I guess I need to start like talking?
to camera? Yeah, trust. I've done some of it's out there. Um, you know, like it's so funny because I've started doing these videos where I'm like walking around with a mic, talking at events, or whatever. And I'm more like comedic. And people are like, well, the pinchers grow as a personality. And I'm like, yes, I do. I'm like actually kind of funny, some brands. But like when I have to be like, it's almost because that is like a production. I love like the storytelling. I love the art of it. But like when it's coming down to like me telling you about my makeup, it's just not hitting. It's, to me, it's not feeling creative enough. So it's not authentic for me. So like, I've tried it, I dabble. I'm still learning. And I know that. And I'm okay with that. Like you don't have to be good at all the things, you know? When you're dealing with big decisions, change, involvement, risk, as a founder, as a creative, as an entrepreneur, how do you decide what's the right thing to do? I like came to this decision long ago in my career that there are no wrong decisions. You make the decision and then you make it the right one, you know? And I think there's a lot of fear around like, like for example, when we launched the app, we weren't necessarily sitting down and saying, okay, we're going to be the next, you know, cool app in the tech space. And we're going to do all this up. We were thinking about it in just a completely different way. And if I had never looked at like App Store reviews, I would have thought we were crushing it because it was so positive on social media. I was like, okay, we launched the app, like people are loving it. Then I got to the App Store reviews, people are like, you're robbing me, you're like, coming from my money. And like, I was like, wait, I'm so confused. Like we were thinking about it, not in like a subscription way. We were thinking about it, like we're building this world and you're being a part of this brand and coming at it from more of like the photographer space that I had come from. Anyway, I was like crying like, delete the app out of the App Store. Then we like pivoted and we learned. And I just feel like every decision, even if it's the wrong one, like it'll help you get to the right one. And there's like almost zero fear in making the wrong decision anymore because you know, you get decision fatigue. Like you, I have to make so many decisions a day. You have to like be able to just trust yourself and be like, this is the right one. And if it's not, when you figure it out, everything can be fixed. Everything can be like pivoted. I don't know. I'm just like not really afraid to make a decision anymore. When you launched the app, like your first launch, you had backlash as you just talked about and you considered doing the app, but instead you went back to the community and you pivoted. But can you take me back to that moment of like how you actually felt and how you were able to like change the course of the direction and not just be like, it's over. I've made the worst decision ever and everyone hates me and my life is over and it's never going to work again. I mean, it's true. Like, I've been there. I've been there, but I'm kind of like, I guess I'm mostly through that, but I don't know that it can, it's heavy. The social media commenting can hurt. But I think if I go back, like my husband, I'm lucky. Like he's very grounded and very forward thinking. Like even before we ever launched, his motto was like, done is better than perfect because I could sit and noodle on something all day. And he's like, no, we got to get it out. We got to move. Otherwise, we're going to be too late. And I'm like, okay, so it's like a really healthy balance to have someone like that in your life. And when we did launch and had that backlash, we were like, okay, like let's just zoom out and take and look bigger picture because sometimes it's so hard when you're, you could focus on one comment and like, thank you. I don't know. You're hideous, but like user number 97. Yeah. Thank you. And I believe it as well. I don't even know you. Why do I care? But like you really have to think bigger picture. And it was so, I'm so glad we did because we were able to say like, okay, like what business are we actually trying to build? Like we were just kids trying to make money to be honest. We weren't like writing a business plan. But then we, it really made us do that. And we were able to say like, okay, if we were to like change the subscription, make it more attainable, like obviously we can have different tiers. We weren't even quite thinking about it like that. And then, you know, to look at a year later, I think we made like in our first full year of the app, we made $2.5 million and we were like, oh, okay, like we have a business here. Like we, there's something that we're doing that's right and connecting with people. And you can always kind of pivot in business. That's just is what you have to be able to do and you have to be able to adapt quickly. And I think it's like a really important lesson to learn early on. So as someone who is trying to make money, like just move out of their 250 square-foot apartment, for someone that's not familiar with 35-year-old Tessa almost. How would you describe now the mission that you are on, both with Tessa, the personal brand and Tessa, the tech company that's making millions of dollars a year? I think like truly, and it goes back to like that childhood story. I know it sounds kind of corny, but I literally in my very first blog, which was called brain litter, my motto was the art of life. And it always has kind of been my personal motto and the brand's motto and still is at this day, like really helping people find their inner creative and like figure out like the way they're living their life and their decisions they're making it. Like that is your art. It's all part of, you know, this expression that you're living. And I'm personally like on that journey always trying to figure out how to like live that life for myself, but also give that to other people. And through, you know, the app, it's not, we're not just here to help you out at a photo or like make a cool video. It's deeper than that. And I think it's about making you feel creative every single day and being inspired to want to create. And in a world where now we have AI and all these different things, like we we zag the other way. You know, we're building a photo booth. We build experiences for our users and like helping people connect with other creatives. And I think like just as much as being like this tech online business we're focused on building like the offline personal connecting experience that, you know, people are craving. And I think that's like what I'm personally craving to in my life. So it's kind of fun because they go together. Can we take a moment to talk about the least glamorous, but most important part of building a business, your systems. I see so many founders and CEOs in my ecosystem who are building incredible businesses, but their back end is just chaotic. To the point where deals will literally go cold because no one is keeping track of where things are at. So if that's your business, you really ought to think about switching to our sponsor pipe drive. A simple and smart CRM for small and medium-sized businesses. That's easy to use because it's all centered around a visual pipeline. So you can see every deal what stage it's in and what needs to happen next. Angels, if your ambition is big, like I know it is, your systems need to match. Head to pipedrive.com/hsr to get started with a 30 day free trial. No credit card or payment needed. A hundred thousand companies are already using it. So why not join them? That's pipedrive.com/hsr. With all this AI, like connection, you said you're craving that just like in-person experience. Do you feel like the world that we live in, it's possible to live in the old school way that we once did or like do you have to also keep in mind like what's going on with AI, what's going on with those trends as you are building the experiences that like you are missing for yourself? For me, I mean, I'm always going to be aware of all the different ways creating is happening. I think it's healthy and I think it doesn't mean that we have to be a part of it. I think like, you know, of course, I'm always going to look at like how can I make creating easier, more attainable, fun, and also amazing for our user. And for me personally, I'm a creator myself. Like I still want to like use that app and be fast and like be the most creative person that I can. So it's not necessarily a bad thing to have to like adapt to these new ways. I'm like open to it, but I think I will always think about the person using it first and what like they want. And I never want to like, you know, I curate that experience as a creator myself. Like I want you to feel like that is a curated experience, not like a robot's just doing something for you. So I don't know, you know, I'm learning every day, but you know, do you use AI to help you create? I mean, I guess like if I'm trying, like if I'm trying something new, like I'm learning, I feel like, you know, I went to art school, I was a photographer. I started in film and then I like learned all the ins and outs of Photoshop in lightroom and like, you know, back in the day when those came out, people were like so scared. But I think it's important to like know and learn what they're doing. I don't know. We're not like in some rush to try and be like every other AI app that's out there. I think we like, we're watching, we're seeing what people are doing. And you know, we'd love to have like a really strong perspective on it, but yeah. So you and your husband started this when you were living in New York City in a 250 square foot apartment, but this was not your guys' first rodeo together. I think a lot of people don't know that. Like you had multiple failed businesses before this. What were some of the other things that you dobbled in that didn't work? And why do you think that this one specifically took off the way that it did? We're still dobbling. I think like when we first moved to New York, we we were just obsessed with the idea of brand. And that was almost like our love language. We were like, oh, we, we would dream about building brands together forever. We playing a band together. We also had a blog. I'm not going to say the name in case.
'cause it's still up, I don't want anyone to find it. But we just found this amazing connection over building things together. And we even designed these socks. We were like, I don't know. Okay, it's almost like it doesn't make sense to say now, but I'm so glad we never launched. We never launched the socks, but they were these fashion socks. So I'm saying, we were doing this denim jacket brand. We had sunglasses brand. We've had our prints. We've done so many different things. This one that it was different, though, because it was truly like a baby of both of our passions. I was a photographer. I went to our school. I was like obsessed with curating and aesthetics and everything, and he was in tech and built apps. And so it was like, we combined both of our truest passions. And I mean, even before that, I wrote a book called Insta Style. That was like sold at Barnes & Noble and Target. And was it a white cover? It was an Instagram grid. Oh my god, I get that from my sister. Christmas one year. Oh, I'm tired. That's so cute. Oh my gosh. No, I still get messages. People like this book tell me so much. I'm like, wow, thank you. I mean, I was new to the space and I wrote a book about it, but I truly felt like there's so much knowledge and no one's talking about it. And I felt like anyone could do it. I wanted people to feel that. So I just was like ready to share all the information. As a photographer myself, I was like, here is how I'm creating this aesthetic. And no other photographer was. Everyone was like, gatekeeping all their knowledge. And I was like, you're going to grow the more you share, you know? I could just do that. My biggest pet peeve is when I'm like, what are your camera settings? And like, no comment. No comment. Like, even still to this day there are so many photographers. I'm like, please, we're just, we're all in this together, you know? So I really did feel that passionately. And then I started with selling Lightroom presets. I was catering towards the pro photographer because that's who I thought I was talking to. And just the amount of people that were like, this is way too complex. And like, I just want to be able to do it quick and on my phone. And I really looked at the space and I was like, oh, the space is heinous. It's just like black and white apps built by a bunch of dudes. There's nothing catering to one like this, all these women who were coming up in the space and freaking killing it. And then also that felt like it's fun as the act of creating. Everything was like very serious and very techy. So we, I just knew like there was something to be done. And it took like a year and a half and to build. And then yeah, we launched. But at the time that you guys were doing it, was it at the time that other creators were like selling their presets on Lightroom? Or was this like pre-that? I mean, when we started building it, yeah, by the time we had launched for sure. Like I would say, I was like one of the first to begin that the preset selling era. And so that's kind of how I knew there was like major interest and that there were like people like looking. And that is why we were building the way we were. We weren't saying like, we're going to be like $1.99, you know, in the month or whatever it was in the app store, we're going to be like releasing guides in like locations of where you can go shoot and all this stuff. But people were just like apps are supposed to be free and you're like, well, it was, you know, it's Steve Jobsfall. Apps were free for a minute. Like now it's not the case, but you were a paper wall pusher because you were like, I am actually going to bring you something of value and you have to pay for it, which I think as a creator, there is a line, I think, when you are used to offering so much for free. Yeah. When you have to put a price tag in front of something for the first time, it is a really uncomfortable experience. And most of us will go through that. And even forget the word creator. Like think about when you're coming up in your career and you do these free internships. And it's like you're doing it for experience, right? And I hate to say it, but like we all did that as millennials. Like we had to put in the work. But when you finally are like, this is my value. You have to pay for it. There is that immediate reaction from the audience, which is like, wait, I'm so used to getting stuff for free from you. Yeah. Did that take you a long time to be comfortable? It's like, this is the value that you're getting from me, whether it's on my personal brand side or on Teza the app. Like you have to pay for that. Yeah, I would say in the beginning, it was extremely uncomfortable. And I also still said this day. I'm like, I'll just do, I mean, I'll send you a code. I already had Heidi's test it. I know. Yeah. I mean, you get to a point where you can't, how long can you do that for? You know, like I, I've been giving away everything for free for years. And it does get to a point where you're like, I have to either turn this into a business. I have to make money or I have to go get a job doing it, whatever it's going to be. So someone else is going to do it if you're not. So you might as well just do it and get over it. And the people who don't want to pay, they're not going to pay. But you're not like forcing anyone, you know? It is interesting, though, because I think most photo editing apps generally struggle to have a presence or a brand, whereas Tessa app has 2.3 million followers, which is actually more than your personal account. Was it intentional to like put a bunch of the attention and resourcing behind building Tessa to be like a bigger brand than even your personal brand? Because I can tell you to be vulnerable for a second, that was totally the intention with HSR HSR is double the amount of followers that I have personally. And like when I was building this, I was like, actually don't want to be an influencer. I want to be an entrepreneur. And so it's more important for me as I'm making these little silly TikToks to like brand it. Like I have a media company already, even though all I have is these little TikToks, but it grew HSR so much more than even my personal brand name. Like I think people really only know who I am as of very recently, whereas I think they've been hearing about this HSR thing for a little bit of time. So I was very excited to have you on to ask you that question, because you're actually one of the few entrepreneurs that has a brand with more followers than yourself. Yeah. I mean, definitely very intentional and always was from the beginning. I was never like necessarily on social media for like my personal brand. I was, you know, sharing so much information, helping other, like I was kind of the influencer for influencers. I was like, you guys can all be influencers like, let's go. I was like trying to code help people do that. I don't know why. I just, I truly felt like this was so healthy and I wanted people to do it. And I remember like, I have like an investor, like somebody was like trying to, you know, want it to invest. So we took the meeting and they were like just so concerned about me, the me of it all. And my name being a part of it. And I was like, no, trust me, like most people don't even know that I'm a person. And then I ticked out, came out, but I posted a tick talk that went viral of me and my husband and how we built the app. And literally thousands of comments of people saying like, I had no idea Tesla was a person that I was like, I did it. But really, it was because I think so many people felt like it created so much value for them that they were talking about it as if it was their own app. And I, that was like, they were doing the marketing and like all of that for us. And they felt like so attached to it because we had that built it almost together, you know, like they were giving me insight and telling me what they wanted. And I was like building it for them. And so we had such an incredible community of people that were just voicing all of this for us. And still to this day, like even the Tesla social media, like for our app is very much run like as if it's like your big sister or your friend. It's like from that person perspective, not even just like a giant brand, but like it still feels personal, even though it's like so many different creators, so many different aesthetics, like different things, it's still coming from like that mindset of a creator. So yeah, very intentional, but when you were thinking of naming the company, were there any other names in the running of the Tesla, I mean, yeah, I, it's kind of so weird that it is called. I mean, my true, my real name is Tessa. My friend used to call me Tessa. I was like a nickname. Okay. And did you want to say the same name twice? No, Tessa. Tessa. Yeah. And then Tessa was the nickname. So when I had like my blog and stuff, I was like, oh, Tessa is cool. It's like not a real word and it's, you know, kind of like an alter ego or I wasn't even thinking of it as like necessarily a name. It was kind of like this like brand and my husband, we were going to create like this men's brand, this woman's brand, it was Tessa when Tessa, like we have like all these ideas. Anyway, so funny. Can't change it now. But it was strange. Did you change it? I almost think it really like led to some of its success because everything else was very like snap seat, like just like names that felt like a tech company. And ours was like, Tessa and I had a face and it was like, what is this? And so it almost helped us like stand out in a really unique way. And I think if you are entering a space, like especially now the photo video space is like so crowded when we launched it was not that way. Like how can you like show up in a really different way than everyone else in your space? Like there's room to mix it off and I think it's important. What do you think about the Tessa customer who initially was buying everything back in the day. And then who is the Tessa customer now? Who is that person? I mean, it's so it's quite a wide range. You know, we have everyone from like the millennials who have been with us for a really long time to Gen Z and like how, you know, they're creating in a totally new and different way. So we're like constantly thinking in both of those brains and then so many brands are using Tessa. Like to run their entire like social media accounts and how their brands are showing up on the internet. Any time I go to an event, you know, the person comes up to me like everything goes through Tessa and I'm like, oh my gosh. So I'm really like so many different people are using it in different ways and we're really talking to all of them. Have you ever had a really large fan girl moment where someone's come up to you and you're like, I had no idea that you use this to build your business. Whether it's a creator or a brand. - Well, I have kind of more of a funny story. - Yeah.
I was at Lollapalooza in Chicago and a cop started walking up to me and I'm like, "Oh my God, I was like, what did I do? I'm like, I'm like so, I'm like sweating." And he's like, "I just have to tell you." And I was like, "Okay." And he's like, "I'm a huge fan of your app. I use it on all my social media. Like, I'm a photographer on this." And he starts pulling it up and I was just like, "I look at one. I'm just like, we're catering to women, especially at this time." I was like 90% female using the app. And this like, hot male cop is coming up to me, like showing me his tese feet I was dead. I was like, you know what? Success. Like, the fact that you are a user, I'm done. I love that you use that as your fangirl moment over like working with Selena Gomez 818. Bumble. Lots of fun moments, but it is true. It's like those little, like, people that you wouldn't expect who are like extremely creative that have this whole online persona. I just find fascinating. But you have worked with these brands like Rare Beauty, 818, Bumble, Hourglass, Summer Fridays. What is the craziest story of how one of those partnerships came to be? Well, it's actually always so mind-blowing because these brands reach out. They're like, you know, we're huge fans of the app or everyone's using the app that submits all their content. Like, 818 was like, everyone that sends in their content for 818 is like, has the tese in the metadata. So we're always like, oh, that's so great to know. But like with Selena, it was really interesting because we worked with their team that she has to approve all of it. And I'm like, so so you're telling me Selena is like sitting down approving what I'm creating. They were like, yeah. And then they were like, she's may or may not be coming to the event. But it was like, so is she or is she, you know? And then where I was like, she's not coming. And then we come to the event. And she's like, just there and so casual and so nice. And then telling me all about how much she loves the new Prisa and everything. So I'm like, it's just really, you know, everyone's just people also running their own brands. And especially like women, they're just out there just crashing it. And it was really cool to like see that she's that invested in such a massive brand, you know? But I think we almost take that for granted. But a lot of the times people don't actually see the celebrities that are truly involved in their brands. Yeah. For most of the brands that you work with, would you say that that's the norm or that's the anomaly? When there's like a celebrity face attached to it? Like are most of them as involved as slanagomuses? I don't know. No, I would say that's like, I mean, it's probably 50, 50, right? But like you, you even have people like, Kim Kay who still added their own content, you know, they don't just have content. I think people just think someone's like, people even ask me like, you still post your own content. Like, who else is going to post it? Like, what are you talking about? But I think people care. Like a lot of people do really still care about what they're putting out there. So yeah. My husband always gives me a really hard time because my favorite part of my day is answering my community's DMs. Like, it's legitimately the thing that keeps me going like, well, it's how you know what's going on. What people are like, there's no way you cannot. And by the way, it's like, I do get the odd one that's really hateful and really mean. And like, yeah, that sucks to read. And his whole thing was, well, I'm around a lot of celebrities. And what they do is they have their publicists basically like read the comments and then give you 90% of like a summary of what's going on. And they leave the bad ones. And I tried that for a really long time. And I felt so disconnected from the community. Like, literally my favorite part of my day is like, at nighttime, I go into my DMs. I answer probably like five or 10 of them. Do you still do that? Absolutely. Yes. I look at every day. I think I mean, I try. But like, I think it's the only way you really know how people are connecting with what you're doing. It's like, it's basically the data, you know, I'm glad I never DMed you. But I do have a funny story to tell you. So we were actually both at a happy hour for intrepid investment thinking. Oh my gosh. Wow. Okay. Yeah. So there was probably like five women in the room. And I was in this weird place in my career where like I had just been working with these celebrities. I was kind of leaving. But like, didn't really know what I was doing. And I was like posting online, but also doing SPVs. And like, I just didn't really have anything to come up to you and say. And so I remember just like seeing you and thinking it was the coolest thing ever. And then I didn't end up shooting my shot with you. I have never DMed you. But I've been a fan. And I remember being in that room with you just being like, wow, this is so cool. This creator entrepreneur is at this investment banking event. And obviously you decided to not take money. And that's been like a really big part of the grow story. But did you ever consider potentially bringing in other investors? Well, first of all, I wish you said hi because I hate that. And like, especially we were like literally one of you. Yeah. You should have definitely shot that. I was probably like, who was she? So she's so pretty. I can't. But yeah, I think we went down that path at one point, we were like struggling, you know, because we really built our business to be profitable. Like, that was the goal from the get. We weren't like trying to show scale as fast as we could or anything. It was like, we want to like make money and we want to have it, you know, for our life. And then we realized like, oh, this some people built businesses to sell. And then like, you know, this is how you throw like major events. If you have like investment and you can hire more people. Like, it was just I was truly a child when I started the company. Like, I don't think I had a true understanding of how business worked. It could work. I don't think it all day. I'll have to be the same. And so we did go down that path. But ultimately, like, I just realized still to this day, I feel this way, but I feel like I still know best what is best for our company. And I don't need somebody to kind of like wing in on those decisions. Because I think a lot of the things that we do, people would say, that's not a good idea. And that doesn't make sense. But it does. And it always like pans out. Even these things like collapse or, you know, building a photo booth and building these experiences for brands. Like, I think in the beginning, people would have said that's just like a waste of time and a waste of money. But now that's almost become like a significant part of our business. I don't know. I, you know, I still will see. I'll never say never. We'll say that. But what was your first impression when you met a venture capitalist or an investment banker? Well, first of all, it's always just so many men. And they look at you like, like, it's, but yeah, they always are, I feel like you would like know how to command a room and take people seriously. So I will take notes from you after. But it did take me a minute to learn how to like what that flow is. Honestly, I, people didn't take me seriously at first. But I'm very tall. So people have to listen no matter what. So that usually does work to my advantage. Even though you decided not to take money, do you still get impressed when you see someone in the news that's raised a bunch of money for their company? Be honest. Well, I think there's too much emphasis on it, sometimes. Of course, I think it's amazing. I have so many friends who have started incredible businesses. They had to raise money in order to, you know, scale and do things at a certain level. And like I totally understand that it's a different business than the business that I've had to build. So of course, but I don't think there's ever like enough emphasis on like people like building a business to be profitable or like how long they've been doing that or things like that. Like the headline is always like they raise this much money. And that's like the golden standard. But I would love your perspective on that. I don't know. I agree with you a thousand percent. And it was interesting because even when I took money from Stephen, people were like, oh, why are you doing that? And like, do you need the money? And I was like, they are a strategic part of our business. Like our business has 10 acts. And so we've been a part of flight story and full transparency. Like the people we are able to hire, the blueprint that we can use. Like it was such a strategic move that it allowed us to do things that like we truly like my sister was at the head of finance for a jewelry brand before this. Like I was building brands for celebrities and was like in consumer and dobbling with investing. But like we had no media experience. We had no long form media experience. And so having a team beside us that like allows us to fail and allows us to learn from their past failures. Not even on our show has allowed us to grow at a pace that we just wouldn't have been able to do in the past. So for me, whenever someone comes to me and they're like, I really want to raise money. My question is always like for what? And from Hill. Because if you can't answer those two questions, it's probably not the best thing, especially if you're bringing someone in that's like going to tell you all of these things that you're like, you don't even understand my business, which I feel like your business is such a unique. It was such a unique thing. And it was almost hard to put in a box of like, where could this go? And I feel like there's so many places that it still could go. So I guess my next question to you would be like as someone who has the flexibility because you've chosen to bootstrap like, where do you see the brand going from here? Lots of places. You know, I truly do think of Tesla as like a world and all that comes with it. Like, I mean, we, it almost sounds silly, but it's like, we think of it like a restaurant. Like, I'm like, how is it hitting all of your senses? Like, when you walk past that window of like, in New York, of a cool restaurant, the candle is lit, just right. And you hear the music and you can smell like what they're cooking. And you're like, I got to get in there. I don't know what's happening, but I got to go inside because it's going to make me feel this certain way. Like, that's how I think about Tesla. So it's everything from like, I think just working with creatives of all kinds. You know, we've kind of like spent so much time in this niche, but like now we're expanding in such bigger and different ways. And then truly leaning into these in-person experiences that most people are leaning away from. Like, that is, you know, kind of our special sauce. And I think, yeah, like, I think what you were saying earlier about being so strategic with those, you know, who you're taking money from. And like, that can, that actually can't be so helpful, but you have to
also be ready for that because maybe someone, either someone's going to really get it and believe in your idea or they're going to shoot your idea down and they might mess it up. So you really have to know, you know, who you're letting into your business, okay? Most people are making a rent or mortgage payment every month and getting nothing back for it. I hate to say it, but if that's you, you are not being as smart as you could be with your money because that money is leaving your bank account regardless. What our sponsor bill lets you benefit from making that big payment every single month. It doesn't matter if you rent or if you own every housing payment earns you points that you can put towards flights, hotels, liffrides, Amazon.com purchases, fitness classes, gift cards, so many things that HSR girls know and love. 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All meals are perfectly portioned, so much so that you even get a pup-tainer and a scoop for easy storing and serving. And through the Ollie app, you can track your dog's health too. If you want this level of health for your puppy, head to Ollie.com/hsr and tell them all about your cute little dog and if you enter HSR at checkout, you'll get 70% off your welcome kit when you subscribe. Plus, Ollie's obsession guarantee means that if you're not completely obsessed like you are with my show, you'll get your money back. It seems like you and your husband have such a good partnership to be able to handle this together, but you guys have failed together, one together, made babies together. So how do you guys keep it together? Well we have a Friday lunch, every Friday, but it's true, like we never miss it, we have to have lunch on Friday. It's like I have to look at you and I and have no one else talking to me and we can talk about anything from like, if it's romance to like the business, whatever it is, it's like just not one-on-one time and a lunch is so much different than like a date night dinner because it's less serious, like I don't know how to explain it and you could stay, you could, you know, be there for three hours if you have to, like whatever it is, there's just something special about it. But my husband is also very good at saying like this, we're done, like you're closing your laptop, we're not working anymore because I could just like kind of work forever and I think setting those boundaries is like really healthy and helpful, especially when you been together forever, like it does, and with kids, I tell ya, there's no time anymore for the two of you, so you have to make it, you have to find it. Would you say that you're like the maker and he's more of the manager, have you heard of that? Yeah, but no, we're like both so in each other's business, I don't know, it's so interesting, like definitely in certain things, but like there's nothing that doesn't cross over like and we almost have to approve and see everything that each other's doing, that's really interesting. Well, that was actually going to be one of my questions because most people that start a business together after so much time, they don't call themselves co CEOs, like one of them usually becomes the CEO, one of them becomes the creative director and one of my burning questions to ask you because a lot of people that have come on this show as the creative or as the maker, they don't have the CEO title after a while and like they kind of let someone come in and it's like running the business and they're more of the creative director, you've kept this CEO title and you share it with your husband, why and how does it work? I'm like, maybe we shouldn't, but no, I think the why is because we still truly believe and love what we're doing, like we, I don't know, I don't think anyone could do it better at this point and after spending much time, we've looked into that, I'll say that much and I still feel like we know what we're doing so we're sticking with it and it works because I think we both like, he's definitely more operational than I am and I'm more visionary, but there's no world where like he consumes more social media than me, he knows more about like, if we get, I have to approve, we approve every ad that goes out obviously and he's that he comes up with better coffee, he comes up with better ideas than I do, which no one would expect. Like I'm the content creator, but I'm more like in the fields and he's very like the bow on top. Right. I don't know, it just is an interesting flow, but it really, it really works. Does he get involved in like the Teza personal brand? Work that you do? Yeah, I mean, he still takes my photos when I, when I beg, but you know, it's definitely like a 5% of his time, yeah. How do you now as someone who's like primarily running a business? Think about what gets you out of bed and gets you excited about building the Teza personal brand? Because I think once your business gets to a certain size, you're like, this could totally be my focus, but I still have to put effort and attention and things into this. So like what gets you excited about having both creative outlets? Well, one, I love like still being the, like a user to the product that I am making because it's so helpful. Like I will be out and about events or like the reason I go to events because I'm like, how are we take it? What are we doing girls? Like let's child. Like what do you need? How can I be of service? Like I'm always trying to think of like, what's the next thing I'm going to create? So being in this place is so helpful. Being a user of that, I'm always like, oh, well, we can make this experience so much better. So like it is so nice to kind of be blending those two worlds. And I think most of the apps that we're competing with or who are copying us or whatever, like they don't have a creator helping them. And that, well, don't go higher one because I know I'm just going to, but it is like it is kind of a secret weapon. And I honestly just, I would probably be doing it regardless. I truly love creating content, taking photos like capturing storytelling, all of that. So, yeah. So a brand deal comes in like the wine brand you just did. What motivates you to do that? Like is it that they're giving you creative freedom? You want to share that with your audience? Like what is it about taking time away from every single thing that you have going on to be like, I'm actually going to do this for this brand. I think like one, it's still flexing that creative muscle for me as like trying to, you know, be a photographer and like think creatively, think outside the box because even when you're just doing it for yourself, it is so fulfilling. It's so much more fun, obviously, but then when you have a brief and you have to like stick to guidelines, it's really, really hard. But I do believe like a lot of brands, you know, I talk with a lot of founders of brands and those are the brands I'm like excited to work with because I'm like, okay, I see you have a vision, like I kind of want to help you bring it to life. And like sometimes those are the ones that turn into longer partnerships or like these, you know, things like rare hourglass where we're helping bring something to life in a different way. So definitely paying attention to that. And then, you know, sometimes I like to have multiple like incomes happening at once. And I don't think I'm going to be a content creator forever. I think like, you know, I've been doing it a really, really, really long time. When you're pregnant, you don't always want to create content. Like there are just eras where you're like, this isn't my era and then you're like, this isn't my era. So like, it's okay to have those eras. I have, you know, a company on the side I can run over here, but like, I think while it's still working, I like to keep it, keep the engine going. I think that people like you and I have a really unique perspective to give a message to brands that are listening to this. And I made a very controversial video that has been spun out on LinkedIn so much where I was like, the three frames in a story set is not working. I can tell you that as a creator and I can tell you that as an investor, like, it is actually causing people to skip through all of your messaging. And I'm actually really happy. I post it. I think it has half a million views now. And I've had a lot of brands reach out to me and be like, how do you suggest that we then work with creators or influencers because that's the playbook that we were given. I'm not sure who waited up, but like, it's just what we were passed along. So if there was one rule that you could switch with the unique position that you have that every brand could listen to to do better creator, influencers or deals, what would it be? Well, I think I would just have a call as a creator and say, I mean, it's actually really simple because they already know what's worth it. The proof is in the pudding. They could show you what works for them. I don't think there's like, I know it's like hard when you're working with so many different creators as a brand, but I think if you could like invest more in the creator you're working with and say, show me what's going to work and tell me and like, really listen to them. Like, the post is going to do much better. It's probably going to go more viral, like the benefit will just be so much deeper and feel more organic. Oh, what would you say? Mine would be the three story frames. No, but like you're saying to get rid of this. Yeah. I would say that what would you say to? I would say to the brand, like we need to have an organic partnership over the span of a month long where there's going to be certain posts that go out, but like this three right after one another, like when you're talking about a lip product, like how if you were to organically post a lip product, you would post probably one story and be like, there you go. And then you might post it again of like, oh, what's in my bag.
you're maybe at the end of the month, you do an empty, like that is what people actually want. And it's funny because I made a decision like I don't really ever, maybe I post five to 10 like stand out PR packages a month when they're delivered to me because I think the packaging's great or I think that like there's been amazing startups that listen to this show that send me something and I'm like they can actually use my influence in this now, but I like to save my product. What's the word I'm looking for like affirmation to when I've actually used the product? - Yeah. - But I still think it's so interesting that like we feel the pressure as craters. Like as soon as you get the package, it's like you have to post it, but we don't even know if we like it. - So yeah. - Or how could we talk to our audience in an organic way? So I do think that that relationship is shifting a lot and we as the creator entrepreneurs that see both sides have that unique ability to like share with the other brands that just don't seem to be giving that, given that insight. - Yeah. - Yeah. - Do you think that we as these like nimble, scrappy entrepreneurs have a unique advantage even over these big brands that have these huge budgets because of how we get these insights directly from our customer? - Yeah, I think a thousand percent. I think sometimes there's just so much money being wasted and like not enough thought being put behind things. I mean, I have worked with big mega brands. I'm like, you're actually ruining the products by doing it this way because they're not, but they're not even taking the time to look at it and there's too many people. So like, yeah, you know, sometimes too many people. I'm like, we only have 20 people. That's why we can get things out quickly and like, you know, iterate past, but. - Speaking of the data, is there the data behind the most widely used filter on Teza? - Uh-huh. - Yeah, of course. - You sure? - Yeah. It's always, part of it, you have to take with a grain of salt because it's the order that they're in, you know? So like, vintage is first. And vintage was the first love of the internet. So people love that filter. So still much and they still love it. And we have considered like taking it away, but people would lose it. And they, it's used millions of times a day. You have to kind of look at like, okay, what are the premium users? People that are paying that have been around for a while. Even still vintage ends up in there, even though that's like a free filter. So it's really interesting. But even still to this day, people come up to me on the street, like I just love vintage, can't live without it. It's almost like the original cocoa. 'Cause now people love cocoa, but like, vintage was that before her. - So for someone like me, I have taste, but sometimes where it's like the restaurant you were describing, I'm the owner of the restaurant. I know who to hire to pick the best candle. I know who to hire to put up the best stripes. I know who to hire to curate the music. I know the chef that I'm gonna put in because I have the vision, but like, I can't pick out the curtains. I can't pick out the candle. Do you know the difference of what I'm saying? And so sometimes for me with social, I feel like, well, I actually don't know how to take the perfect flat layer, like what filter to put on top of this image. But if there was data that I could see as to like what's trending or like what people are liking or saving the most, like I would actually use that as a way to inform the way I'm gonna edit my photos. - Yes. - Do you anticipate ever releasing that to the public? - Yeah, like we do do kind of like recaps and things. And then even we'll share, you know, the tags of the week. And so you're kind of seeing like what people are using the most and how they're creating. Like that's a lot of our social posting is happening, but it would be interesting to share that in app we've thought about that, like how many times something was saved with that week or that month or something like that would be interesting. 'Cause I think the numbers are mind blowing. And so you might be like, I'm gonna consider using that. But one thing we're really trying to work on is like there's so much in the app that you can do. But like, you know, how do you get to all that faster? 'Cause a lot of times people just use like what's first presented to them which makes sense, you know? - Can we do a little experiment? Are you gonna make me edit your photo? - Yes. - I knew it. - Okay, so this is just a recent photo. - So cute. - I felt like it was very colorful and there was a lot of different things going on that we're gonna put them before and then we're actually gonna put the after in the episodes so people can see. - Okay. Well, I mean, you're aesthetic. Like, what are we going for? Like, are we moody? Are we what's-- - I'm not sure. - You're not sure. - So here's my problem, Tessa. I'm an ADHD multi-hyphenate ambidextrous creative entrepreneur. I wake up every day and I'm like, who am I today? So like, I would say the biggest struggle with like the brand is that people are like, and who are you in this moment? Whereas, I don't think I have a specific aesthetic. - I think you do. - Okay, well, maybe you can share a little bit more about what you think it is. - I'm gonna, I'm gonna have Sass. I'm gonna give it a break down. I think I like, or at least I see what it is. Like, where it could go. - Okay. But I mean, your crushing is kind of what I'm saying. - Oh yeah. - It's more clear than you think. - Perfect. Okay, I've been working with cloths, so I don't know how it's going. I think it's making some improvements, but I was like, I need to get the queen of creativity and image and taste in here and see what she thinks. - I know, because this is a very fun image. Like, you could go like, really fun. You could go filming or you could go like, moody, you could go chic. Like, I don't know, I don't know. So. - Let's go, whatever you think the brand images that I'm creating, like you do that one. - Okay, okay. - Yeah. - Okay. - I like it. This is why I feel like you would be the best party guest because people are just like, "Tes, I need your help." - I mean, I love to help. So I'm here for the girls. Like, you know, what can I say? - How long does it take you to edit a photo? - I mean, I'm either quicker. I'm taking a really long time 'cause I'm trying different things. I'm trying to plan something new, you know? - Okay. - Some things aren't requiring that. Like, Easter, I knew exactly how I was gonna edit the second. I put it in, for example. But like, yesterday I went to an event. I'm like, we could go like, really chic and classy. We could go like, really fun and punchy. So, you know, I don't know. - So you think about editing your photos as a photo, not as your grid? - Okay, I don't think about my grid anymore, which is crazy. My, I used to be like hyper focused on my grid and like, making sure it was all cohesive. But I am all aesthetics now, essentially. And I can make them all work together in different ways 'cause, you know, that's how my brain works. Also, so I've released my grid, I will say. Which is kinda cool. - But it's so interesting because I would still look at you and thank you have a cohesive grid. - I don't even think about the grid, I'll be honest. I mean, I think about it. I wish I could like, spend more time on it. But like, I don't make sure everything's going together. - Okay. - There's no time for that. - Okay. - And I don't think anyone's really, I don't go and look at other people's grids. Unless you're like, new, like it's someone new, coming the first time you're looking at those top nine or, you know, 20, but you're not going deeper than that. - But see, the way that I think about Instagram, and I think it's actually important for people with their personal brand, which is just important. Nowadays, it's your magazine cover. - Well, for sure. I mean, I'm thinking about the grid in terms of like, aesthetics, it all has to like be gorgeous and go together, but I'm not like, I guess I'm thinking I'm like, 2018 grid, and that was like, psychotic. So, I'm more sorry about that. - Okay. - Because I think that like, when I was working with Quad on my personal brand, when before I started making some changes, it was like, your grid is basically saying, look at my achievements, like this is like, there was nothing about who you were. And like, you have a business that you can put all of that on. Your personal grid needs to show like, what do you do? Who are you? What is your energy? Like, what are people gonna expect from you? And I had never really asked myself those questions. And so it was actually very helpful to do that exercise and Quad roasted my grid. And was like, this is embarrassing. Like, that is the word that they used. But I think it was a good reminder that it's like, this is the way that the world sees you. They go to your grid and they make an assumption about you, whether it's right or whether it's wrong. - Yeah. - So there does need to be some emphasis on it. - Yeah, I mean, I'm definitely trust. I'm thinking about every photo of the first, that's what I'm saying. Like, I'm storytelling and thinking about the first photo. Like, what, someone's gonna click on and why. I'm thinking about all of that. But as far as like colors go or like spacing, I released that. Come back, great thing. But I do think it is your website essentially. So whatever you want, people to know it, they gotta know it right when they come. - Cat. - I agree with that. - Cat. - Quad is right, right? Okay, well, let's do this stuff. - Okay, well, okay. I gotta get back to it. I'm doing a little HSL. I gotta change some like tones. This is so cool watching you do this. - I mean, it is strange lighting in this McDonald's. Is that where we're in? - Where am I, Donald? - What is this for for fun? - Well, so I got a Spotify. Actually, you just bought me a billboard for the podcast. - Stop. - Yeah. - Yeah, congrats. - Thank you. And so we went and saw it two days ago. And we actually just posted it today. This I did not put in the dump because I couldn't edit it in time. But I just thought it was fun. I loved a Diet Coke. We just went to McDonald's after. And I was like, this just does show my personality where it's like this professional business podcast. But we're going to McDonald's in like Gucci 2010 sign glasses and getting four Diet Cokes for my team. - No, I love it. - Right? - It's so cute. I mean, I could say you're not at this all day. It's a lot of pressure when someone else is picture, you know? - I gotta get the skin tone right. - Yeah. - I gotta take out some of the blue. - Okay. - Oh, so you're not even doing a filter over top. You're like edit. - I am. And then I'm also, you know. I think HSL is the most undervalued, like, tool, 'kay. 'Cause, like,
For example, these are just two blue in the background. So I'm going in, I'm clicking the blue, I'm taking out the saturation of that a little. Okay, you know what I thought? Because your phone is also kind of almost editing for you. It's like thinking at it, it's making something better or worse. Okay. And so you kind of have to either undo that or like actually even make it feel more like the reality that you were living in. Okay, you know? That's my first, okay. So this is all things I did not know. Sometimes I do a few versions, you know? Okay, she's like-- And then do you copy the presets ever over to another photo? Always, yeah. Okay. That's usually like my, I sit with one photo for a while, paste it on a few, see if it's like working and make my final edit and then paste it. And how do you organize your photos? Albums, but I mean they've ruined it. You can't search your albums anymore. You can only search like collections. See, I even find editing such a crazy process because let's say someone takes 100 photos of me, which is not that crazy to get one good one. Not at all. So let's just be honest. It's like 400 photos. You get one good one, right? And then you favorite, let's say eight. Then you have to go in, you have to edit all of them. Then like you need to switch around the presets. And now you have 50 different photos and no way to organize which one you actually wanted to choose. I usually, like once I saved all the ones with the edits that I like, then I just put them in Instagram and start like rearranging and that's kind of how I, I don't know. Oh, that. But you can also favorite within Teza. So like, good like, you know, okay, you know, you're on the, you know, a lot of people don't know. I'm a subscriber girl. Yeah. Okay, this would be like, if I was just doing a subtle chill, chill edit, but like I could go harder. Love, you know. Yeah, because it's, it can go with everything. Like you took away all of the really intense colors. Like it was almost like, I, if I were editing that for me, I would go like, fill me and make it like, a little more like speedy profile. Yeah. Yeah, I see this. Okay, okay. Teza, rapid fire. Okay, are you ready? I'm ready. What is the last thing you put on your credit card? I bought my husband a piece of art for which is the prior new house. You got a new house? Yeah, pretty good day. Oh, wait, congratulations. Have you moved? No, hopefully the summer. Oh my God, this is an Eddie building in. No, but we're doing like renovations. It's been a whole situation. So we're very excited, but it's like been a long time coming. Oh my God. Okay, I was about to ask what's the last most expensive thing you put on your credit card, but would that be it? It would be the house. Well, I don't do. I put it on a credit card out of it. But yeah, the house was, yeah. You can only pick one Teza filter to the use for the rest of your life. I mean, I'm just going to have to go with of what everyone else would say, but Coco. I think Coco just always works. Is that your most used? My personal most used. I always mix it with like a film effect. So I'm like mixing it on top of other things, but it's always kind of at the base. Yeah. I would say it's very iconic even the way you edit your photos. Like even my husband who like doesn't know this stuff was looking at your photos today and zooming in. He's like, oh, you can really tell that there's something going on here. Thank you. What is the first app you open in the morning? Instagram. You're an Instagram girl. I'm an Instagram girl, through and through. Oh yeah. Do you like TikTok? I do like it. I can't consume it for very long. Okay. My brain just, I got a protect. Yeah. I mean, if it was your video that came up. Yeah. You know what? What's the filter? Everyone's going to be using this summer. Well, it's coming out and about a month. So what's it called? Can you say? It is not named yet. I usually name it once it's kind of finalized. So how do you go through the naming process? It's sometimes it's inspired by what it's going to be used on or what the experience is that we're like shooting the campaign about or anything like that. But if it's something that's going, for example, film effect, a lot of times they're inspired by an actual film or certain things. So we'll take inspo from that. It's kind of a wide range of inspo. You can name our next one. I'll call you. Love that. I'll put on my creative hat. OK, you can only take one of these for the rest of your life. Travel photos or home photos? Home photos. Did I really? I don't know. That came out quick. But I think I-- I think I would change to travel photos. I don't know why I said home photos. I actually have no idea why I said that first. I think right now I'm so home obsessed. All I'm thinking about is home, home, home. This new house, like I just can't stop. But no. Amazing travel photos. I do these things every day called H.S.R. Love Notes, which is basically a way to retrain my toxic brain. OK. So it's like an affirmation. So as an example, it would be like, your voice has value. Your haters don't pay your bills. My opinion matters. If you could only say one, H.S.R. Love note to yourself for the rest of your life, what would it be? It's kind of been, I guess, maybe the same forever, but feel the fear and do it anyway. We just grew up saying that in my house. And it's always been like the way I've gotten over the fear of trying to do something new. And putting myself out there or whatever it is. So I feel like that. OK, last one, if you could title this season of your life, what would it be called? The art of chaos, I think. I love-- of course, it had art, and then I'm obsessed. Well, you know, the art of life. And now it's just like the art of chaos, but it's still-- you know. I love it. Tess of Artin, thank you so much for coming on H.S.R. Where can people find you? And how can H.S.R. help you? Oh, my gosh, well, you're helping me already. But you can find me on Instagram, Tess of Artin. You can find the app, which is just @tezza. You can find the app in the app store. Tess of
[email protected]. You can find all the goods, all the things. OK, and we have one final thing for you as an early birthday gift. So happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Tess of. Oh, my God, learning a picture of this is so cute. Isn't the cake so cute? For guys, like, what filter would this go on? Oh, I would do, like, a little class-o, which is in the film. Looks like, right. Let's take a little video of you blowing it out. OK, ready? Perfection. And we made it match your shirt. Oh, it flew. Perfect. Oh, my God. You have to take it home with your family. It's so nice. Thank you so much for coming on. Oh, thanks for having us the best time. I have to tell you something before you go. It is your time to own the room. There's something special that we've been putting together after these incredible conversations in season two. So you can learn what these women are doing when they walk in and own the room. We've packaged up all of these learnings, and we are going to be releasing it. But to gain access, you have to sign up to the newsletter. So you're going to visit HSR on theroom.com to sign up and get access so that you can own the room.
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