The positive role model we need – Sharan Velauthan BY MAHIKA PANDITHA If you haven’t already seen or heard of him, you must immediately go to his Instagram and check out his posts (read all the captions too!) His name is Sharan Velauthan and he is currently studying a Master’s in Commerce, majoring in marketing at RMIT Melbourne. If you’ve heard of Cosplay Clean Up Global, he is its Co-founder! Sharan wants to make the world a better place, one person at a time and later on, build his mum a house and buy her a car (we’re not crying, you’re crying! So cute!) Sharan is a content creator and has some of the most uplifting messages out there for anyone who needs to hear them. A fun fact about him is that if you get dad jokes, you will get him! Sharan’s feed practically exudes honesty and positivity, and that is what makes him so special. His guilty pleasures are Nutella and also Maliban biscuits! I had the pleasure of interviewing him earlier this week and here is what he had to say. What is your favourite part of being a content creator and why do you think it is an important platform? I think it’s important because individuals can relate to content creators a lot more than, let’s say, celebrities. Getting that “Sharan you made my day” motivates me to do more. What’s different about me is that I am VERY open about what I go through. I don’t do it to seek attention; it’s not even remotely true. I do it in order to show people that it is okay not to be okay. But I also show my successes to show that despite everything, you can still make it. Tell us about the Me vs. Me series on your Instagram? I have been going to the gym for a while now. But after coming to Melbourne, I was going through a state of depression and had suicidal tendencies. I devoted myself to the gym again, which was my anchor or my church. It holds me together and away from the world for a couple of hours. Me vs. Me is to show people that your biggest opponent is you. The biggest reason for success is you. Me vs. Me does not have to be in terms of the gym, it can be anything that grounds you and helps you focus and be better. Why do you think positivity is important? In a world where you can be anything, be kind. With everything going on around the world, it’s important to spread positivity now more than ever. Being kind to yourself, enough to get yourself out of toxic situations and relationships, being kind to your environment by being more mindful about how you throw and what you eat and participating in clean-ups, being kind to your friends, family, and loved ones and making their day by small gestures such as just saying “hey you are amazing” – all these add up to a ripple effect of positivity. If I am kind to someone, I can only hope they are kind to someone else in return. What is your favourite quote to live by and why? That’s a tough one! But here are a few and why; “People are only in your life for seasons” – Logic This is important to me since I was always focusing on loving and giving when my cup was empty. This is a reminder to focus on myself first so I can be the best version of myself for everyone else. “Take a deep breath, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again” – Frank Sinatra One of my favourite artists, this quote by Frank Sinatra reminds me to take failure head-on; if you are scared of failure and taking risks, you will never know what is out there for you. “You’re not restricted...THEY are restricted because they can’t have you” – Josh Farr I met Josh in Melbourne, and this is what he told me when I was feeling down about being an international student and local firms were not giving me a job. It completely changed my mindset. Two lines changed my mindset, that’s how powerful storytelling is. What do you think about the impact of social media on today’s youth? It really depends. I feel like there are a lot of “fake” personas out there. When you meet some content creators in person, they aren’t the same and that’s a shame. We need to be relatable and inspire our youth to be themselves, now more than ever. We need to inspire our youth to learn to give back. We have a beautiful country and beautiful people and culture within it. It’s time we gave back. If you had the chance to change one thing in the world, what would it be? End physical and mental abuse. My mum has gone through both, and it’s my number one priority to empower men and women out there who have gone through mental and physical abuse. Talk to us about CCU, we want to know it all! Cosplay Clean Up Global or CCU is a global awareness movement. It is to combine superheroes and beach clean-ups together to inspire an individual to be an #everydaysuperhero. With five events within four months, this is not one-time fad. We have had two events in Melbourne, one in Sri Lanka, one in Malaysia, and one in Bali. Lauren (my Co-founder) and I are activists who want to use our knowledge, passion, connections, and superpowers to make the world a better place. CCU will not stop. We will keep going global and keep inspiring people to be more mindful. We cannot afford business as usual. As a very positive person, with World Mental Health Day a few weeks back, what is your message to anyone struggling? I have been suicidal twice, I experience panic attacks from time to time, and when I do I can’t breathe and I feel like I am dying. I am anxious a lot of the time. But here is my message to you: Do not be afraid of reaching out. We need to break this stigma that society has created. Sometimes, you just need to be heard. Surround yourself with people who are open to hear you out no matter what. It is okay to not be okay. If you want to chat to a person who will not judge you and help you to the best of their ability, hit me up on Instagram – @sharan_velauthan. Do you have any advice for aspiring content creators? BE YOU! It’s SOCIAL media! Talk to people, engage with other content creators, comment, like, go for events, do what others are not, do what others are doing better! Mainly, keep it real and stay updated. Social media is changing everyday, do not be afraid to try new things!