It’s not every day you encounter a bigger creator who exudes genuine humility, but once in a while, you come across someone who truly leaves a lasting impression. One such individual is Quinn Hardy, known as „QuinnickleShow“ on TikTok. Our chief editor, Chiara-Marie Hauser, recently sat down with Quinn to discuss his videos, his writing, and the pressures of speaking out in today’s challenging times.
First up, Quinn, tell me a bit about yourself, who are you, where are you from, and what do you do?
My name is Quinn Hardy. I am from a small suburb in Orlando, Florida called Winter Springs. For the past almost 4 years now, I have been making social media content + working as a social media consultant for YouTuber Jacksepticeye. I have a love for playing (American) football, volleyball, reading at a cafe, playing with my dog Maple, and hiking absurdly long distances in incredibly hot weather.
Do you remember what your first ever TikTok video was? How did this all start and what was the first video that reached a bigger audience?
Honestly, I am not sure what my first TikTok video was. Online it says that it was a Captain America skit of some kind, but my memory I have no recollection of that. Regardless, it all started a month or so after COVID hit. I was stuck in my room with nothing to do, so I made videos for fun (and to fight off boredom). The videos that first started reaching larger audiences were clothing transitions. It took me weeks to work out the kinks of lighting, editing, camera angle… but once I locked it down, people seemed to enjoy the videos! It’s funny, I once made a TikTok asking people to follow me because I wanted to solve a Rubik’s Cube on TikTok Live, and you need 1k followers to do it. In my phone somewhere there is a video of me crying because I gained 100ish followers in a day. I like to look back on that video every now and then as a reminder to be appreciative of where I’m at and how far I’ve come.
Talk me through the creation of a video, what’s the process behind it, and how much time lies between the first idea and the final upload?
It’s really dependent on the type of video I make. A little dance or transition typically is made spur of the moment. I find an audio I think is fun and go from there. It usually takes no more than 5-10 minutes. When I make „trying products“, GRWM, or book reviews, it takes a bit more time. There’s recording, then tweaking certain parts, then editing, and finally I send it around to my family and friends for opinions on whether it’s ACTUALLY funny and I’m not just laughing at my own jokes. Those take anywhere from 1-3 hours, depending on the depth of editing. They’re honestly my favorite to make… any chance to throw in a „your mom“ joke and I’ll jump at it.
Where do you take your inspiration from? I can imagine it must be quite hard to find inspiration when you know you have to upload something?
I don’t know if there’s any specific places I take inspiration from. When I first started, I used to focus solely on trends and following in the footsteps of others. Now that I have carved my own foothold, I just throw videos at the wall and see what sticks. That is where I find enjoyment. For a little while early on, I was so focused on pleasing others that I came to resent making videos. There was no enjoyment because my belief was pleasing others was more important than internal satisfaction. I’ve taken a much healthier approach now. I make what I want, and if there’s a particular trend that calls to me, I’ll make a video. Why not, right! As long as I’m prideful in what I’ve done. In terms of fashion, I take my inspiration from old advertisements. As an advertising major in college, I fell in love with classic ads from the „golden era“ of advertising, and everyone in them is always so fashionable.
TikTok has been used as a medium for politics and for speaking out on conflicts lately. How do you, as somebody who probably has followers from all kinds of backgrounds, deal with this? Is there a pressure to speak out? And if so, how do you manage to find a balance when positioning yourself?
There is a pressure to speak out, and rightfully so. Content creators (and celebrities alike) have been placed in a position of influence. A place where you stand at the podium. Where people are waiting to hear what you have to say… and the important part is you can help to guide them. I am not here to educate everyone in the same way I don’t expect everyone to educate me. But to point people in the right direction, point them in a way that can do good, that is my obligation. In the words of Orson Welles, I owe the profit I make to the people I make it from.
There isn’t a „balance“ when you position yourself. It is not a difficult choice to see, understand, and position yourself on the side of humanity. Women should have full autonomy when it comes to decisions about their bodies. Oppression, whether it is in the form of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, islamophobia, xenophobia, genocide… any form… is the abandonment of human nature. To bring another quote in, „we hate whom we hurt, and we mistrust whom we betray“.
You also post your writing and as a writer myself, it always feels personal to me to share my own writing, no matter how long I’ve been doing it, is it like that for you too? Is sharing your writing more personal than your other content and also, once again, where do you draw your writing inspiration from?
It definitely is personal for me as well. I feel that I am painting a piece of the world I’m in for an external audience, and there is a bit of anxiety that comes with it. Thus far the reception has been positive, which fills my heart. A video of me doing this or that for 10 million views means almost nothing in comparison to the satisfaction of people telling me they resonate with what I’ve written.
The inspiration for me is very personal, so I won’t share too much on that, but… it is a universal experience to go through romance and heartbreak. To watch love fade away with new experiences. To wish to forget about someone, but to see their influence in how you talk or where you go or how your outlook on the world has changed. I just take my own experiences alongside what I’ve seen in others, and bundle it into words. I have so much love for the people I’ve been blessed to experience, I always will, and I hope that shines through what I’ve written.
What’s a message you’d like to share with our younger readers who dream of doing content creation as well?
I’ve tormented myself with how others view me, and grappled with the urge to change everyone’s mind. Some people simply exist to be negative. They derive happiness from watching others in despair, and finding a community that will join them in it. As strong as you think you may be, it is hard to handle tens of thousands of people telling you that you don’t deserve to be alive, they’re repulsed by you, that you look like you would do awful things… all based on a 15 second video you made. My advice (while a bit basic in some eyes) would be to take care of you. You are all you are guaranteed, and without the proper self-love and care, you risk losing yourself along the way. You risk pandering to the wrong people for the wrong reasons because of a need for acceptance. We all need some form of it. It’s innate in humans. Accept yourself before allowing an audience to. Nobody else can provide the kind of holistic relief you receive from accepting the person in the mirror.
We thank Quinn Hardy for his time and can’t wait to see where his path will take him!
