I Rejected My First Brand Deal

Here's why...

Hey friends,

Greetings from Bangalore, India!

I have a week off from university, so I'll be heading to Munnar's rainforests. Hope to continue my exploration of this area and film a lot of content. It's been a few months since my last visit to a wild space, and I'm super excited to be among the towering trees again!

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Last week, a brand reached out, asking if I'd be open to collaborating.

To give people context, over this past year, I've gained some minor fame on Instagram. I've been posting videos sharing insights from the natural world, and that seems to be gaining traction.

Seeing these videos, a brand making gear for adventure sports reached out, asking if we wanted to do a barter collaboration. The deal? They would send me a 

Now, I won't lie; I was pretty tempted. Getting free gear? Who wouldn't be tempted? It looked like all the work I'd put into building in public was finally paying off, and I was seeing some returns. 

So I got on call with someone from their team, and went through the terms of the deal. They would send me the gear I wanted (a rucksack, apparel, etc) which I had to then feature in a reel.

It was only a few hours after that call that it truly began to hit me. I would be basically using my personal brand, which I have worked so hard to build, to promote someone else's products simply because I was getting it for free. I was not getting paid, and I had no idea what the quality was like (quality is EXTREMELY important for outdoor gear). They were sending me gear that I could, fortunately, afford to buy myself so that I could market their stuff to my hard-earned audience. 

Only when I began seeing it in this light that I realised how carefully you need to scrutinise brand deals. More importantly, it is important to have the ability to resist immediate temptations to look at the broader picture. 

I did a broader deep dive into seeing how influencers go about brand deals, and it really boils down to studying the details and seeing what best aligns with your values. Perhaps there is a broader life lesson to learn from this. 

Looking forward to better brand deals in the years to come!

Postcard

Took this while walking around my university. There is an animal hiding in this photo. Find it!

Favourite Quote

“The question is not what you look at, but what you see.” - Henry David Thoreau

Have a creative, wild and inspiring week!

If you’re new, welcome to The Owlet! My name is Ishan Shanavas, and I am an Artist, Photographer, Writer and Student of the Natural World.

Here I talk about my work, along with curating the most interesting ideas on the internet. I confine them to topics like Nature, Culture, Photography, and Art but often fall prey to other genres.

I would greatly appreciate it if you shared my newsletter and work with your friends. It really helps me out :)