Welcome to our first Creator Spotlight! We are so excited to introduce you to Spencer. Spencer is a Dupe OG with a passion for photography, content creation, and adventure. We can't wait for you to meet her!
Name: Spencer Wirkkala
Age: 24
Area of expertise: Lifestyle / Film Photography / Fashion
Where did you grow up? Tell us a little about your background.
I grew up in a very small town out in the Pacific Northwest. Fashion & Social Media wasn’t at all the norm, almost even seemed looked down upon from the other locals. But once I got started, it really unlocked an outlet for me to share my creative side that I otherwise kept more personal. It also unlocked doors I didn’t even know were possible. Not only have I since done paid promotions with amazing companies, but I’ve collaborated on designing new products, worked in house with company’s social media teams, and more!
How did you get into social media/content creation?
I first really got my start in the creator scene around high school. I worked with local small businesses, typically within the fashion realm, here and there, but most of my content consisted of backyard photo shoots (which is hilarious to look back on). I played Division One Soccer in college, but this was before the NCAA passed the NIL deal so I wasn’t allowed to work with companies which slowed me down for a long period of time. Getting back into it post grad seemed overwhelming and I struggled to find the right path to reach the companies I wanted to work with. But since getting involved with Dupe, I have seen a surge of new opportunities come my way from brands that have found my content within the site. It has inspired me in more ways than one & I feel more motivated than ever to just keep creating!
Check out her Dupe profile!
What has post-grad looked like for you?
Since college, I’ve gone into a career in Venue Design & Project Development, where I’ve helped businesses both in expansion & even launch sister companies! The skills I learned early on working with social media have really given me an advantage in present day life. Whether it’s photoshop software or digital design, it’s very cool how interrogated everything is in today's world.
What projects are you currently working on?
My life has moved really fast this past year: I recently moved across the state and basically dove head first in to a part of Washington’s Wine Country. My boyfriend & I have started renovating an old A-Frame with its own vineyard and just the most amazing views so I’ve been able to work with new companies and launch projects within that. I am also currently working with Fielding Hills Winery on a new project that is set to launch at the end of this year.
These days I have found myself reaching for my film camera over my iPhone more & more, which has also opened a lot of doors for collaboration. It started as me bringing my camera to friends/families special events to almost a full time side business. I’m set to shoot for a country artist this summer during Watershed Music Festival and I have even been in talks with a company looking to create a new film camera!
Sometimes it feels weird to pat yourself on the back, but within speaking with you + answering these questions I can’t help but feel overjoyed and extremely thankful for this chapter in my life.
What are your favorite things to capture through photos?
All the little moments. I love how much emphasis our generation shows when it comes to the art of noticing! All the stuff that makes up our lives and the lives around us. I try to capture that simple sense of just living through my content, especially because that’s the type of content I most enjoy seeing from others. It’s so easy to compare yourself to others nowadays through social media, but that’s why I love scrolling through Dupe so much! It’s refreshing to just see organic content over the overstimulation of other stuff out there.
Whenever you are feeling stuck creatively, what are some ways you keep moving?
Creativity is one of the things I hold most dearly in my life, so when I feel like I’m in a rut or not myself I open up my list of things I know will always help me refill my cup.
Here are some of my favorites:
A Paint by Number: it’s basically a therapy session within a painting! I grab my easel & I go somewhere completely alone outside. The best part is you are just following the color guide, you don’t feel the pressure to create something completely new and perfect. I throw on a podcast or some music and just paint .. allowing my mind to wander and work through whatever it may need in that moment then bam it’s a couple hours later I feel refreshed and I have seemingly made something beautiful.
I read poetry. Poetry helps me feel connected. Whether that’s to the author over a shared feeling or a new view they’ve opened my world up to. It’s a good reminder we are all in this whole life thing together and that sometimes it’s not as big (or as little) as it seems.
Hiking. This one always makes me giggle because you either love it or you hate it there’s no in between. I grew up next to some of the most beautiful hikes in all of Washington and in doing them I found the same feeling that both painting and poetry brought me. There’s a starting point but you take it at your own pace, your mind has time to wander, and there’s always something beautiful at the end.
What’s your go-to gas station snack haul?
The gas station in my town was basically also the best restaurant in town, so I wouldn’t leave without a pound of jojos + their homemade ranch (just so unbelievably good shoutout the Shell in Granite Falls). Throw in a Coke Zero + some Rips and I’m set!
What is your random obsession topic?
Oh my too many to choose from …but I could probably write an entire book on all of the climbing documentaries National Geographic has made. The lifestyle, the risk, the culture; it's all very fascinating to me.
Want to connect with Spencer?
Check out her latest project at Fielding Hills
Take a peak at Lone Point Cellars -- her boyfriend's family winery
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