NC State alum Anthony O. Gomes is an up-and-coming social media content creator, and his mission is to inspire people to grow while staying true to themselves and embracing their roots. Taking on the roles of photographer, artist, stylist and influencer, Gomes is passionate about the arts and inspires those who view his work.
“At the end of the day, that’s who you are as a person,” Gomes said. “Embrace your heritage and celebrate your roots.”
Gomes has a large presence on Instagram and on Pinterest, as part of Pinterest’s creator fund. His posts consist of unique projects that tie his passions for the arts and South Asian culture together. This includes painting, dancing, thrifting, DIY, photography and fashion.
Gomes is most popularly known for his work in Desi royalcore, and he collaborates with other influencers, platforms and different companies, like collaborating with Instagram for a Diwali campaign last year.
On June 24, Gomes became the first South Asian representative for Pinterest at Vidcon. He’s also been involved with the American cosmetics company Anastasia Beverly Hills for their new eyebrow product.
Gomes has come a long way to achieve his vision and goals. He graduated from NC State in 2018 with a degree in science, technology and society and a minor in biology. He was also involved in many organizations around campus related to the arts and South Asian culture.
“Growing up, I was always an artsy kid,” Gomes said. “I was always painting, I was always involved in something creative. When I came to college, I didn’t take as many painting classes, but I was part of NCSU Nazaare — the bollywood fusion team of NC State, and I became captain my senior year. I was super involved in the Desi community creatively, and kept my creativity going.”
After graduating, Gomes dipped his toes into the corporate world to see where his interests aligned.
“I went into tech sales right after college and did that for a few months,” Gomes said. “Then, I was a financial analyst for a year. It was great, because I got to learn a lot of technical skills and experience the corporate world.”
Despite his success, Gomes started to realize the corporate environment wasn’t meant for him during the pandemic. He knew he wanted something else that incorporated creativity and stemmed back to his passion for art. Shortly after, he started attracting a small following on social media.
“Once I started posting consistent and quality content, that’s when I started gaining an audience, and my success grew from there,” Gomes said.
Gomes found success by diving into his passions, and day by day, his presence continues to grow. Check out some of the inspiring projects Gomes has worked on via his Pinterest and Instagram.
