11 July 9 - 15, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), suicide continues to be one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. The rate observed among influencers is nearly double the NIH’s reported national average. And, as online content creation has be- come an increasingly lucrative path, market oversaturation has fueled added stressors of competition and gig instability. “There’s an influx of constant competi- tion,” says Jessica Serna, a veteran influ- encer behind My Curly Adventures. “People don’t realize that it’s not enough just to take good pictures and videos. A lot of times there’s way more going on [behind the scenes] so that you can stand out amongst 100,000 other influencers and creators. I think that’s where the burnout comes – it’s the pressure to stay above in such a competi- tive field.” In videos captured across the country, the Dallas-based Serna is all smiles and full of vibrancy as she and her husband traverse turquoise Caribbean waters and dive deep into the ocean blue. Posting daily, she has amassed an audience of over 300,000 Instagram followers sourcing tips on travel, lifestyle and food. Over on TikTok, her reach extends even further with 571,000 followers. While Serna admits that all that glitters can be gold in the influencer lifestyle, there can also be a dullness when creators face the not-so-glamorous business side of being a creative in order to stand out among a sea of others. “This has been the most stressful job I’ve ever [had],” Serna says. “I go to sleep think- ing about things. I wake up and there’s the pressure of… so many businesses that don’t value your time, or wait two weeks to issue you a paycheck, and then want something the next day, only to ghost you again for an- other three weeks. Or, a paycheck that you were supposed to get three months ago is now taking its time because it got caught up in something corporate.” Late paychecks and the pressure to be perfect are only the tip of the iceberg of what creatives experience. In a recent Youtube confessional titled “being a full time influencer ruined my life,” Dallas creator Ashley Devonna candidly de- tailed what life was really like for her behind the filters, hashtags and sponsorships. After a 4-year hiatus to recover, the Texas Wom- an’s University graduate is back, but now on her own terms. Many others are still stuck in the cycle. Finding community on and offline Balkum cites a lack of community and safe spaces for honest reflection, as well as a shortage of affordable mental health resources, as inspiring him to launch his House of Balkum Foundation, a 501(c)(3) initiative stemming from the inadequacies of the fashion industry, and now offering emergency relief assistance, emotional support, community gatherings and mental health and wellness resources. His upcoming event, Saving the Creatives — dubbed the “church for creatives” — will feature an all-star panel of Dallas’ top talent including Celebrity Stylist KJ Moody, Actor and Model Kamen Casey, Photographer Jamie House and others, to discuss the challenges suffocating the industry, but also to provide solutions and support. “We’re all intertwined in a way, and we all need each other,” Balkum says. “You know, the models need the photographers, and the photographers need the makeup artists, and the makeup artists need the models. At the end of the day, I want cre- atives to understand that they finally have somebody here for them, and that’s looking after them. For all of the creatives that have felt alone, that have struggled in silence – we hear you. You can talk to us and we’ll pro- vide whatever help that we can for you.” Dallas startup RM11 is on a similar mis- sion. The creator first platform was founded by Natasha August and boasts numerous perks that allow creators to own their rela- tionships with their followers, receive fair monetization and build a sustainable busi- ness – and, hopefully, a less stressful one. “Creators are entrepreneurs in every sense of the word,” August says. “They’re building brands, communities, revenue streams and entire businesses around their voice and audience. The more I learned about the creator economy, the more I real- ized how underserved creators really are. They’re expected to be talent, a marketer, customer support, content strategist, com- munity manager and business owner all at once. I saw an opportunity to build some- thing that gave creators more control, better tools and a more supportive way to mone- tize directly from their audience.” Recently, RM11 strategically partnered with both Revive Health Therapy and Creators 4 Mental Health – a major step in its mission to support creator well-being, reduce burnout and build a healthier creator ecosystem through its CreatorCare approach. RM11 creators have access to licensed mental health professionals who specialize in creator-specific stressors, as well as affordable, flexible therapy options, community support and wellness tools to help manage burnout and emotional fatigue. “One of the biggest misconceptions that the general public has is that creating con- tent is easy or not a ‘real job.’ In reality, cre- ators are running small businesses, often by themselves, while also putting their person- ality, image and personal life in front of the public,” August says. “There’s also a miscon- ception that if someone has followers or makes money online, they must be confi- dent, happy or unaffected by negative com- ments and pressure. But creators can experience burnout, isolation, anxiety and emotional exhaustion just like anyone else, sometimes even more intensely because their work is so personal and public.” According to a 2026 study with data from Social Blade, Texas ranks fourth among the nation’s largest hubs for online influencers, accounting for roughly 8% of the most-fol- lowed creators. The state is also home to 1 out of 10 creators ranked in the top 500 of the creator ecosystem. If you want to make it to the top of the creator economy, Dallas is where you come. Therefore, Dallas-based businesses like House of Balkum and RM11 are not only essential but necessary with growing demand. “Being an influencer is easy, but when something’s easy, and you actually want to be successful in it, that’s when it gets harder than people even realize. I’m extremely grateful for it though,” Serna says. “It’s so funny how something can be so simultane- ously amazing and so draining at the same time.” Saving the Creatives will be hosted by The House of Balkum on Sunday, July 12, at 6:00 p.m. at Four Day Weekend, 5601 Sears Street. Tickets are available for $35 on TheHouseof- Balkum.org. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, help is available. You can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or chat via 988lifeline.org for free, confidential support 24/7. RM11 is an organization that aims to support creators in entrepreneurship while offering expanded access to mental health programs. “At the end of the day, I want creatives to understand that they finally have somebody here for them, and that’s looking after them.” SHAUN BALKUM Photo by Art Cash Photo by Tony Li
