Anna Sitar on building her own corner of the Internet

Let’s go back to when you first started your career as a content creator. What was the transition like from posting TikTok videos for fun to suddenly getting millions of views on each video?

It happened during Covid, so we were in this limbo. It’s not that I didn’t understand what was happening at first, but it didn’t feel as real until the world [opened] back up again and I went out in public. The first time I got a brand deal and made money from it felt surreal. When I started TikTok, I wasn’t thinking about growing a channel. I was thinking about building this keepsake of things that I loved — a safe place on the Internet where everybody felt included, and everybody felt like a part of this adventure I was on that was simply life. TikTok gave me the chance to share all of these experiences with a community of people. 

It was an interesting transition because it felt so sudden. I remember the day I got verified on TikTok. Three months later, my channel quadrupled in size, and this was now a full-time career. I knew grad school was coming back in person in the fall. We were going to be part-time in the spring and full-time in the fall. I remember there was [definitely] a moment [where] I was thinking, do I go back to school, or do I just pursue this one career? I didn’t want to quit grad school because I knew it was a passion of mine that I would never live down if I didn’t complete it. The transition was easier because I was still in school and because it was a passion for such a long time. Even as I was growing, it was really something that I [loved] to do, so it didn’t feel like work, which is why I think it works so well for me. 

It sounds like you didn’t really have any set goals when you started on social media, since you weren’t looking to do social media as a career at that point. Looking back at your journey, do you feel like your goals have evolved as you’ve grown?

Absolutely. I see more opportunity in it now than I did before. The social media space was still a little bit of a gray zone when I was first starting. [You would hear] about a couple of viral people. Everyone knew the Viners and YouTubers who had made it, but we weren’t seeing TikTok creators yet other than the D’Amelios, Addison Rae, and other bigger names who had [that unexpected] trajectory. At first, I didn’t know where the opportunity and potential [were] with social media, but I started to see how well it fit with the career I wanted in film and entertainment. I’m able to use my social media as a stepping stone for the next big thing, and to show the behind the scenes of other things I want [to] achieve in life. 

I get asked about the longevity of my career all the time. On my flight home yesterday, a dad asked me what I was going to be doing in ten years. He was very [unsure] of me. I told him, honestly, I hope I’m still making videos, but I hope I have other things I’m making videos about. I hope that I’m directing my first film, and I’m on set making videos about getting ready with me to go to set. I hope we evolve beyond this corner of the Internet. I love that I have a lifestyle. In my opinion, my channel fits that lifestyle category. First off, you never know what you’re going to get. One day, I’m riding a unicycle. The next day, I’m talking about breakups. My favorite part is that there is no single category that I fit into. I definitely think that [social media] fits into my lifestyle, and I’m excited [to see] where it’s going to go. My number one goal, which has always been consistent, is to build a safe corner of the Internet where everyone is welcome. I want to have this space where everyone feels creative, feels inspired, and feels this pull to be themselves. I’m just so happy they’re there.

What are some of the most important things you’ve learned or become more aware of from your career as a content creator?

One thing that I learned — and didn’t realize at first — was the value of privacy. I’m very open on my channels, especially with my relationship [and] different things coming into [my] life. I didn’t know how to separate what I [wanted] to share from the moments I wanted to just live and enjoy. [During] my first two years of content creation, I posted five to eight times a day every single day. [I took] no days off, no vacations, and no weekend breaks. I had something to talk about and post about [all the time during] those two years, which [was] my greatest time of growth and when I was most [excited] about my work. Even as I’m coming up on this new chapter in my life, [I’m still establishing] that [balance] and figuring out what I want to make videos about and what I want to experience and enjoy in my own time. I’m still learning how to recognize when things are better kept [as] my own mental keepsakes, such as the pictures I take and films I make [that I don’t share]. The nights that you don’t see [are] some of my favorite memories now.

I feel like it’s always a balance, especially with content creation. When you’re sharing so much of your life, it’s hard to figure out what to keep private and what to share with the world, because those two worlds blend together so much. 

Exactly. It’s always tough. For so long, [I was] filming everything. Putting the phone down and living [in the present] is something that I’ve been working on.