Student Blog

4min read

Nisrina Aulianda, better known as Firllynn, is a first-semester APU student from Indonesia who is majoring in CSM with a social media platform of close to 100k followers where she shares self-improvement, education, and values-based content.

What is her process for content creation?

I interviewed her to get to know her as a content creator and about her personal ambitions going forward. The first question I asked was how she labels her content. She describes her posts as part of the self-improvement genre as well as education. Education as in how to learn English effectively, how to study abroad, and a few of her opinions on issues relevant to adolescent life. I was interested in why this content genre appealed to her, and she answered that it was because she wanted her audience to understand the difference between good and bad. What does she mean?

An example of this is her video about taking care of your appearance. This is a video I personally watched in my own time to get a feel of her content. This video resonated with me as I agree with her points that taking care of your appearance is not just a shallow habit. If you present yourself in a certain way and make the best first impression, it will not only grow your confidence but also influence your reputation (in school or otherwise). This demonstrates how she is able to combine the self-improvement and education genres in her content seamlessly.

She explained that TikTok was not her initial platform in her content creator journey. At first, she tried her hand at YouTube, where she would review skincare and makeup content. Then, later on, she decided to stop for two years during COVID-19, where she was able to reflect on the type of content she wanted to put out. This was when she decided to change the platform to TikTok as it is easier to access and edit as a one-woman show.

Then, I asked about the challenges and benefits of having a platform to share her content. She mentions that, unfortunately, she did get criticism and hate comments. But she learned to grow thick skin and look through those comments by cherishing the blessings of having a platform. Through her platform, she got to know a lot of other content creators and exchanged ideas with them. They shared a mutual passion for sharing things they know or have learned from their experiences, hoping it would be useful for their audience.

Moving forward as an APU international student

Moreover, she informed me the reason why she chose APU to fulfil her dream of studying abroad. She answers that APU was the best option because it is culturally diverse, has the major she wished to immerse herself in, and is very accessible because of its scholarships.

Finally, I asked her how she adapted her content now that she was in APU. She expressed how she was excited to be able to create content about studying abroad and her new experiences in Beppu. Both her audience and she clearly enjoy this new environment. Her ambition is to take it slow with her platform, even if she does plan to push out larger projects. Above all, she wants to have fun with what she’s doing and show her life in APU to the fullest. Moreover, she plans to join clubs and extracurriculars. We ended the interview with her full confidence in how APU fits her best: the environment, academics, and the diversity in people. They challenge her and enrich the balance in her student life.

To me, her story and how she decided to share her life is incredibly inspiring. As I grew more familiar with her content, I understood the challenges she went through to reach where she is now. The way she faces any hurdles and shares them with gracious honesty is very admirable and something to look forward to in every video she posts.

ZERA AMARI

Hello, everyone! I’m Zera from Indonesia. I am in my 2nd year of APS, majoring in CSM. I’m still relatively new to APU student life so that will motivate me to experience more things and make new friends! Of course, I won’t forget to write about it for you all!