Art influencer and SESP junior Juliet Rofé can thank the gummy bear chandelier from popular children’s show iCarly for her social media fame. With nearly 700,000 subscribers on YouTube and almost 50,000 subscribers on TikTok, Rofé found her passion for art influencing by showcasing family friend Kevin Champeny’s mosaic art.

Six years ago, Rofé’s father decided to help Champeny make art his full time job, but Champeny was left without a social media manager when the original manager quit after a year. After some initial convincing, Rofé’s father agreed to let her take over the role. Rofé was immediately successful advertising Champeny’s art, creating her own accounts, where she pretends to eat the art, often made of substances that appear like candy.

Six years after Rofé began working with Champeny, she calls the business her “entire life,” and has decided to pursue a career in art influencing.

This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.

The Daily: What does it feel like to go from zero to 10,000 or gain lots of followers at a time?

Rofé: Over the years I have experienced the fickle, oscillating world of social media. When I started posting the YouTube videos and they got a lot of attention, it was shocking, but a large part of me was reluctant to feel like this could last because most things on social media are in the moment. It’s very much what is trending today in this moment, in this hour. I kind of have to go into it with that mentality because otherwise it’s very, very easy to get disappointed.

The Daily: Can you tell me about your relationship with Kevin? What has it been like to work with him over the past five years?

Rofé: I’m not sure I could see myself working with a lot of artists in my life, except Kevin. He has a patience that I don’t think I’ll ever understand and such a wonderful commitment and dedication and passion for his work which I admire every single day. Working with him inspires me to continue working in the art world because he makes a world that can be very shallow and very views-based feel like there’s a greater purpose because he’s just such a good person himself. I do what I do because I love working with him as an individual.

The Daily: What kinds of lessons have you learned along the way about social media?

Rofé: Post anything and everything. The worst thing you can do is be too hard on yourself and try to aim for perfection because that completely hinders any sort of progress. Constantly trying new things — even if you think they’re stupid or silly — is the most important thing you can do to understand your audience and the growing trends there.

The Daily: Are there any times where work becomes overwhelming when you’re trying to balance it with school and your social life?

Rofé: At times, it can be overwhelming, and at other times, it can be very liberating. It’s a lot of extra work that I have to do outside of my workload and socializing. On the other hand, it’s such a world-expander. Whenever I feel kind of trapped in the small bubble of college, I turn to my work, and I think there’s a world outside of the classroom. Even if I don’t do well on whatever exam or essay I have coming up, that’s not really what matters in my life. What matters is this greater impact and purpose that I can have in the world.

The Daily: What are your future goals with the account or with your career?

Rofé: I’d like to continue to do this post-grad. I think that I’d also like to get into lifestyle influencing, in addition to art influencing, and expand my niche a little bit. I can definitely see this as a full-time career, both managing Kevin and the art business as well as being an art influencer.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @lmschroeder_

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