Rising Stars: Meet Akeisha Land

Today we’d like to introduce you to Akeisha Land. 

Hi Akeisha, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started out as anybody would with a personal Instagram page. As my family grew, I started posting more photos of my littles; brands took quite the liking to Greyson and started reaching out and asking if they could send us items for me to photograph her in; both to share on my page as well as for them to share with their own followers. As I began posting Greyson more, the page literally blew up and went “viral”. So, once I figured out who the real “star of the show” was, so to speak, I changed my page handle to her name @greyson_land and it became a page more for kids’ fashion finds. As she grew, so did our page and following. As she’s gotten older though and more involved in her own extracurriculars and school, and because I’ve always wanted her to have a normal childhood, I’ve started to transition the page back to things our family values. Which expands far beyond kids’ fashion finds. 

Our page had another “viral” moment when a photo of Greyson and I went all over the net because people said I looked like Meghan Markle. I personally don’t see the resemblance, but definitely take it as a compliment! Like I said, since then, I’ve been starting to transition our page away from just kids fashion finds and more fitting of where we are as a family and our values and things we love; which is our faith, functional finds, fashion still of course, fitness and health, and all things funny! 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would say for the most part it’s been a “smooth road”. But I think that’s also because of my attitude towards our page. I think if I took it as personally as some do, I would have likely walked away from it years ago. The amount of times I’ve been mom-shamed are countless, the number of names I’ve been called are astronomical, and the many comments and DM’s I’ve received from trolls and “keyboard gangsters” as I like to call them, are too many to count. 

I will say there have been multiple times I’ve had to take extended breaks from it for my own mental health. I think social media can be draining on anybody, and when social media and content creation is your job, it can really wear on you mentally. Especially with me being diagnosed with anxiety. Even without an anxiety diagnosis, I think social media and some of its effects can be negative. 

But the good far outweighs the bad. The community we have grown is amazing. Even though I haven’t met them, I feel like our followers have become friends. Greyson and Tristan have tons of IG aunties, cousins, and grannies! ☺️ 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As I was looking at your drop-down of which profession to choose, if you’d have asked me 10 years ago, I would have never chosen “artist/creative”. But that’s exactly what I’m doing as a brand content creator and Instagram influencer. 

I use my creativity to come up with content for the various campaigns I work on for brands. I got my bachelor’s and MBA in college with a focus in Marketing, and here I am finally using portions of what I learned some 20 years later. 

For that, I am so proud. For the longest time after I graduated with my Masters, I still didn’t really know what my passion was. I held various positions, and while I enjoyed them, I didn’t feel passionate about them. 

It wasn’t until having kids that I started to realize my passion for photography and for creating. 

I think what sets my content apart from others is my authenticity and ability to be vulnerable and real. So many people have either commented or DM-ed me telling me how something I wrote and shared really touched and resonated with them because they too were dealing with a similar situation. So many people just post the “perfect” parts instead of sharing the real and raw. I like to share it all. And I think that’s what makes me different and why we’ve built such an amazing community. 

How do you define success?
Success for me may be different than what others would consider being successful. For me, success is knowing my family feels loved and cared for. Knowing that my kids are thriving. Being present in my family’s lives even when I have a million distractions. Knowing when to take breaks for my own mental health because of my anxiety. Seeking professional help so I could work on becoming the best version of myself. Not being afraid to admit my faults. Being a good wife, mother, and friend. And knowing that if someone were to describe me, part of their description would speak on my love for the Lord. To me, that’s what success looks like. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: Instagram.com/greyson_land

Image Credits
@a.d.photographykc
@hannahdeerphotography