Inspiring Creator Series: Cee Tay

Cee Tay doesn’t just create lifestyle content, she sets the standard. Based in Singapore, her work is consistently inspiring, evolving with every post while staying true to her signature style.

Cee first made her mark with photography and if you have ever seen her flatlays and vignettes, you’ll know exactly what we mean. Her work is pure peachy perfection: beautifully styled, effortlessly aesthetic and always a visual treat.

Cee has been inspiring fellow creators as part of the Creatively Squared community for years, so we were thrilled when she joined our official creator team too. Since then, she’s added big names like Tiger Beer, Suntory and Philadelphia to her growing portfolio.

What’s especially exciting is how she’s evolved her style over time, shifting her focus to more UGC (user-generated content) while keeping her signature aesthetic intact. Her videos are fun, on-trend and packed with personality, relatable storytelling meets scroll-stopping visuals. Plus, she generously shares creative tutorials to help other aspiring UGC creators level up their skills.

Cee’s journey is a brilliant reminder that with creativity and adaptability, you can keep growing and thriving, no matter the format. She even brings us along on her travels, serving up lifestyle inspo wherever she goes.

If you’re not already following her, you’re seriously missing out. Let’s take a closer look at Cee and her creative evolution.

Meet Cee

How did your journey to photography start? Have you always been a content creator?

Hey everyone, my name is Cee. I’m from sunny Singapore, born and raised here.

I started in photography when I was probably 17 or 18, after getting my first DSLR for blogging (ahh, those were the days!). At first, I was pretty reluctant to post on Instagram, but eventually, I began sharing simple flatlays (it’s actually so interesting to look back and see how my style has evolved over the years). I was really fortunate to work with a few international clients and local brands early on, which gave me a lot of encouragement and helped build up a portfolio together with experience.

I knew content creation was what I loved, and it’s still what I find the most fun! Over time, my focus has shifted a bit, and now I’m more involved in social media management and UGC creation.

What are some things people might not know about you?

• I enjoy baking and trying new recipes, even though they may not turn out to be the best.
• I can’t resist a good DIY project, especially if it's working on a prop (even if it doesn’t always turn out the way I planned!).
• This is probably more of a hobby but I love making candles in my free time; it helps me unwind and also sparks my creativity, which I think translates into my work.

What equipment do you currently use to produce your content?

I shoot with my iPhone 14 Pro Max, Fujifilm X-T30 and Canon G7X Mark III (for personal use). For proper photography and videography editing work I use Photoshop, Lightroom and Final Cut Pro.

For personal projects, CapCut was a good free option back then! Right now, I’m using VN editor, which doesn’t have all the features, but it’s good enough for editing on the go. Speaking of on the go, I highly recommend getting one of those suction mounts for your phone. It helps as you can film outside more discreetly as well.

What is your favourite lighting to use?

Natural lighting! Natural lighting is free, and I recommend that to anyone who is just starting out without investing too much into lights and other equipment.

Right now, after years of relying on natural light, I’ve finally gotten a couple of studio lights for my home studio. But I’ll always fall back to natural lighting when I can.

What are your three favourite props to use?

Flowers - I have so many faux flowers in different colours and styles just lying around. They help fill up empty spaces in a shot very well.

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‍Jewellery - Something we probably already own. These tiny but mighty props not only help fill up negative spaces, but if they’re cute, they’ll probably catch the viewer’s attention!

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Coffee cups - If you’re creating lifestyle UGC content, and this may sound silly, but a coffee cup! Bonus points if you find a cute one that you get to reuse. This way, you won’t have to spend $7 each time you need coffee as a prop.

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What is your best advice to share with aspiring UGC creators?

Keep practicing your craft and focus on creating content that truly resonates with you and not just what’s trending.

I know it can feel tough to “stand out” with so many creators out there, but the most powerful thing you can do is keep showing up as your authentic self. Eventually, you’ll discover your own filming and editing style, which will be uniquely yours and what clients look for! :)

Your UGC videos are beautiful, any technical tips for creatives wanting to produce this type of content?

Thank you! I promise it’s not all on the equipment, a lot of times, the content on my Instagram was created with only an iPhone 14 Pro Max. So I’m going to stop anyone who goes out there thinking they have to start off by getting an expensive camera, lighting, editing software - you really don’t!

My real honest tip would be firstly, assess the equipment around you and see what can you make do with just to get started. Lighting is fairly important in getting a crisp, sharp image, so don’t shoot on an overcast day. Shoot at when the light is the strongest at your location, I can’t give an exact timing as this may depend on the season and hemisphere you’re in.

AND a tripod! A stable video helps a lot, whether it’s with editing or even doing transitions.

‍How do you keep learning and evolving your skills?

I learn so much from creators I see on social media. There aren’t any that I particularly follow to learn from but whenever I see an interesting reel without a tutorial posted, I try to figure my way around editing that way!

What is next for you?

This year, I definitely want to keep creating more content not just for myself, but for a variety of clients. Alongside UGC, I’m also hoping to branch out more into social media management and grow my skills in that space.

Longer term, I’d love to work with more lifestyle and creative brands to take on bigger projects (but it would also be nice to have a team of creatives to work with). I’ve also been exploring the idea of launching some digital resources to help other creators—so who knows, that might be coming soon!

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A big thank you to Cee for sharing her creative story with us! We’ve admired her work for years, so we’re thrilled to feature her as part of our inspiring creator series.Want a dose of aesthetically engaging UGC? Follow along with Cee’s journey over at @ardaisy_ and get inspired to explore UGC creation for yourself!

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