Here on Rose’s Supposes, I’m all for making life a little bit rosier. I was recently watching the Instagram stories of Caroline Kay (an actress/singer/songwriter with an INCREDIBLE EP out called Notes which I highly recommend…) who spoke about the importance of supporting one another’s creative endeavours in an industry that is often deemed highly competitive. She mentioned the idea of people promoting their peers with #FriendToFollow on social media. What a great idea! 👏🏼
This got me thinking about the people I follow on social media who I’m certain have a positive impact on my day to day life through their posts. A huge number of us use social media so often now that you really have to filter what’s coming towards you if you want to be seeing positive content. I’ve recently made a huge effort to ensure that I’m following people who produce content that adds to my life, rather than feeding in negative energy that I could do without.
It’s so easy to focus on your own social media presence and your own content, but some of the most innovate creative projects emerge when people choose to join their platforms and use them in a positive way. The theatre community in London seems to be going from strength to strength, with a huge rise in charity events and fundraisers. These include West End Bake Off in aid of Acting For Others and the already thriving West End Does series- their first concert, The Magic of Animation at Cadogan Hall, not only wowed audiences with a star-studded line up, but was also in association with the Make A Wish foundation. Events like these are so important in maintaining this sense of community in the West End and it seems we are gradually catching up with Broadway who arguably have a much more established sense of community between shows and with their collective audiences. I’m so happy to see this change and can’t wait to see where it leads.
SO, I was inspired by Caroline to join the #FriendToFollow bandwagon and share some people who make the internet (and the real world!) a little bit rosier. Whilst I don’t have the privilege of calling these people friends of mine as I don’t know them personally and still have a very humble platform here on my new blog, I can’t see how steering even a few people over to some positive influencers could possibly be a bad thing. So, from my stagey little corner of the internet to you, here are some cracking individuals who I’d recommend you get following. They are not only INSANELY talented, creative individuals, but use their platforms in a refreshingly uplifting way.
1) Carrie Hope Fletcher
Carrie is a very well known figure in the industry, having established herself as not only an extremely talented performer, but a hugely successful author and vlogger too. She is the perfect example of not allowing yourself to be pigeon-holed, and by embracing her multitude of talents has become a respected individual in several creative fields. That’s pretty badass. Carrie undoubtedly lives up to her middle name by tirelessly providing a positive and encouraging platform for her followers that is ever Hopeful. Having admired her career for several years now, I have loved watching her become a leading figure in promoting kindness and positivity online.
*Great for* Authenticity, body positivity and origami dragons (no, really!)
2) Lin Manuel Miranda
Lin’s good morning and good night tweets have helped me personally on countless occasions. I’m constantly sending them to do friend who isn’t on Twitter as they honestly make such a difference to my day. We all know from In the Heights and Hamilton that Lin has a way with words. It’s kind of his thing. But these little snippets of genius is like a getting a glimpse inside that wonderful brain of his. So, if you’re looking to feel inspired and uplifted, give him a follow. I’m certainly following Old Man Miranda all the way.
*Great for* Daily motivation, energy boosts and classic old school home videos.
3) Lesli Margherita
If you haven’t come across Lesli before, I’m pretty excited for you. She won an Olivier Award for her role in Zorro the Musical and played Mrs Wormwood in Matilda on Broadway for 2 years, so she’s a basically a multitalented superstar. She’s established herself as “Auntie Lesli” to theatre kids everywhere and, if you’re looking for some motivation, check out her “Here is what I know” posts that’s pinned at the top of her Twitter. She consistently reminds people to be unapologetic for who they are and recognise their worth. She is the Queen of “keeping it real” and embraces the not-so-glamorous elements of the industry. Did I mention she’s also a Star Wars mega fan? Yeah. She’s like, seriously cool.
*Great for* Self-confidence, relatable audition struggles and hilarious NYC anecdotes
4) Sierra Boggess
My, oh my. This lady. Sierra has been a huge inspiration to me for several years now. Not only is she one of the most talented sopranos out there, she brings so much positive energy and she just shines. Her signature phrase is “You are enough! You are SO enough! It’s unbelievable how enough you are!” How great is that? You can even subscribe to her blog at sierraboggess.com to read exclusive posts based around her word of the month. Sierra’s goodness recently came to the forefront when she announced she would no longer be taking part in the BBC Proms concert of West Side Story this summer, saying “if I were to do this concert, it would once again deny Latina’s the opportunity to sing this score, as well as semi the IMPORTANCE of seeing themselves represented on stage.” Turning down such an iconic role to acknowledge the bigger picture and highlight the need for diverse casting (ESPECIALLY in this show), is just one of the many reasons Sierra is an inspiration to so many. She’s also a huge Barbra Streisand fan so it’s safe to say we’re on the same wavelength.
*Great for* Mindfulness, focus and all of the cat pictures.
5) Caroline Kay
There’s no way I could have written this post without the inspiration from Caroline’s Instagram but I also know that, had the idea come from somewhere else, she would definitely still have featured amongst my favourite positive influencers on social media. She recently proved this to a huge degree with her support for the Repeal the 8th campaign. I will admit that I had no idea what this was before Caroline explained it on her social media a few months ago and was consistently spreading awareness of the issue right up until the day of the vote. She’s extremely active on all her social media channels and I urge you to watch her Instagram stories of you need a giggle. She’s also got her own EP out called Notes which showcases what a talent she is as a songwriter as well as a performer. I honestly can’t wait to see what’s next for her.
*Great for* Iconic Irish humour, songwriting sneak peaks and the snack combo of dreams
#FriendToFollow
I also couldn’t write this post without properly taking part in #FriendToFollow so head over to my Twitter, @OliviaDowden where I’ve posted about why you should follow my gorgeous friend Ellie’s blog; Noise of London. She gets to know Londoners through their love of music and is cooler than I’ll ever be. Go show her some love. (She also has a super artsy Instagram account at @eleanor_dalton) ✨
Even if you don’t check out the influencers I’ve mentioned above, I urge you to consider using whatever platform you have to celebrate your friends and their achievements. It goes such a long way in making the world a bit nicer.
If you do use #FriendToFollow, feel free to tag me in your posts! I would love to discover some new creatives out there who are crushing it 💪🏼
Olivia Rose 🌹
Rose's Supposes 