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Marj Maroket on Adapting to the Times & Maintaining Work-Life Balance

Marj Maroket on Adapting to the Times & Maintaining Work-Life Balance

Marj Maroket’s journey toward becoming a full-time content creator certainly didn’t happen overnight

 

 

The heydays of YouTube are behind us. With the rise of short-form video and streaming platforms like TikTok, creatives have learned to adapt. While at the time, it would take hours to film and edit footage to secure publish-worthy content, now we have the smartphone, an app and a time limit. We have an abundance of bite-sized content—from trendy videos and challenges to tutorials—from a wealth of creators across different generations. For Marj Maroket, corporate gal-turned-content creator, this transition provided a much-needed reprieve from the extensive process of churning out organic content, thereby limiting what she could post on her platforms.

 

In an exclusive one-on-one with Wonder, she reveals, “Actually, I’m kinda happy I didn’t have a hard time adapting to short-form videos just because, when I was doing YouTube, I thought it was way too time-consuming to film and edit. It would take me hours, sometimes a whole day to do it. TikTok really is better because I get to edit super fast using my phone lang. I don’t need an editing software or a super fancy camera.” 

 

With TikTok’s time limit—40, 60, 90 or 120 seconds—Marj is able to be more succinct with her beauty reviews. “I’m a super talkative person, that’s why my YouTube videos are long. With TikTok, because there’s a time limit of three minutes, I’m able to be more concise with my reviews when I do videos. It forces me to get straight to the point,” notes Marj.

 

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Beauty has always been a part of Marj’s life. From high school to university, she was a cheerleader who had to do her own plakado makeup for performances. She educated herself with the abundance of videos on YouTube, then eventually enrolled in makeup school while juggling a full-time corporate job. At the onset of the pandemic, she started a YouTube account, which served as a creative outlet. Currently, she’s living out her dream—years in the making—as a full-time content creator. 

 

Marj narrates, “For a few years, my love for beauty was there, but it was very lowkey…I didn’t get to apply what I learned in makeup school because I just got busy. It got reignited in 2020 when I decided to start my YouTube channel during the pandemic, then I did TikTok. Fast forward to today, I’m now a full-time content creator.” 

 

“It’s what I’ve been wanting to do for the longest time; my friends and my family know that…I’m very grateful, very happy that I get to do what I love for a living,” she adds.

 

Like any job, being a content creator comes with its unique set of challenges, like maintaining a work-life balance when this kind of creative work bleeds on to other aspects of life. Setting boundaries has helped the 28-year-old beauty gal to get to this state of equilibrium. She reveals, “You have to have boundaries; I learned that just recently. The difference between this [kind of work] and having a 9-to-6 job is that after 6PM, my mind shuts off from work. With content creation, I feel like even after 6PM or any time of the day, I always think of stuff to put out. My brain is still [on] work mode. But then again, [I’m] not complaining because I really like what I’m doing.”

 

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Beauty brands have also noticed the appeal of Marj Maroket across markets—from consumers of masstige to luxury products—giving her an edge in a very saturated realm of TikTok creators. She also champions kayumanggi skin, along with her fellow morena/moreno beauty gals and guys. She briefly notes, “When we were younger, [we had] the papaya soap era. I’m happy that there [are] more of us now [advocating for brown skin]. It’s one of the things I champion, but I’m not the only one who’s doing that.”

 

The local beauty landscape has grown exponentially in the past few years. In October alone, homegrown brand Issy & Co. released a groundbreaking 48-piece makeup collection designed to compliment the wide range of Filipino skin tones and undertones. Marj notes, “I really love how Issy & Co. does their campaigns, so well-thought-of. When we think of edgy branding, we think of them. I love that!” She also looks to beauty brands that have been changing the game for years like Vice Cosmetics, Sunnies Face, Happy Skin and Blk Cosmetics, and those that just popped up in the pandemic like Clocheflame and GRWM Cosmetics. 

 

Marj notes, “Filipino brands have really improved this year, especially this month with all the releases, so I’m really happy about that. These brands have made quality beauty products accessible and affordable for us Filipinos…Everyone just keeps stepping up. It’s very exciting!” 

 

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The very fluid realm of beauty is ever-evolving, with trends constantly resurfacing or evolving. For Marj, she enjoys the challenges this presents. She notes, “Honestly, that’s why I love makeup; trends are ever-changing or are coming back or evolving.” 

 

Marj Maroket’s journey toward becoming a full-time content creator certainly didn’t happen overnight, with years spent in spaces that sharpened her skills and character. If it’s not happening for you now, enjoy the season you’re in, and remember that when you put your whole heart into something and keep showing up, you’ll be surprised how life can turn out. 

 

 

Starring and Glam by Marj Maroket

Photography Favour Ajah

Creative Direction Alexandra Lara

Art Matthew Ian Fetalver

Interview, Story and Fashion Direction Elisa Aquino

Styling Clarisse Furio

Hair Valerie Corpuz

Location B&B Studios

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