over 10 years of being an "Content Creator" taught me financially

okay so I don't feel like I've spoken to you guys about this before but I'm going to open up on how I feel what I think about my journey as a content creator an influencer in the past what this is 2025 12 like 13 years now I want to say officially I became a full-time influencer 2028 2018 what in 2018 um but I was creating content like my YouTube channel I've had since 2012 so 2025 is going to make it 13 years since I've been creating oh 7 years since 2018 where I've become fulltime I've seen a lot of course like a lot of us old's we've seen a lot of things come and go a lot of people stop and come back or just stop in general like we've seen a lot okay so in general I'm super grateful to be where I am because of social media I'm able to live in Dubai because of social media I was able to quit my 9 to5 as a dental assistant because of social media I've met a lot of people because of social media I've received a lot of things because of social media I've been open to a lot of opportuni ities because of social media I I've been able to hone in and craft my life and I am super grateful for that if I had to do it all over again would I do it yes I would have honestly but honestly in this field in this realm right now how oversaturated and just how just so much social media is I feel like I would want to to not tap into it if I was starting now when I started in 2012 yeah it was a hobby it was fun it was you know something you do when you come from work or at 2012 I graduate high school when you come from school you know just something to do to educate the people on things that you've experiences that you've been through or that you have or just like allowing them to go through the process and the journey with you because being on social media or especially YouTube at that time wasn't about being an expert in your field it was literally about you having a curated audience to go through the Journey with you and you know everybody is learning off of everything that's what it was but overall um it's still a great way for people to connect it's still a great way for people to show their craft and you know just show leave a little piece of them in on the internet you feel me so if you really want to be one of those the ones that like okay I want to make true money off of social media I'm sorry but you just have to hop on the trends and not everybody is like that not everybody wants to hop on a trend I remember when pranking first came and I was like absolutely not I'm not going to sit here and fake prank first of all it started it started out fun right it started out legit where people were really secretly recording somebody else and pranking them but then it became such a cash grab to where you know people would literally make whole Productions and fake a prank it and it was so obvious I stayed in my in my field you know I stayed in my lane and the thing about me is I've always stayed in my lane lane whether it has benefited me or not I have always stayed in my lane and that's one thing I want to advise a lot of creators out there just to I'm not saying stay in a lane as like box you in not at all do whatever you feel is true to yourself that's literally what I mean by standing in your lane because you could be the authentic you and it still brings in a lot of money more than somebody who you think is just falling on the trend and it's really not generating any funds they really don't know the business aspect behind it you know but at the same time if you're getting into this whole social media thing please definitely be authentic to yourself because you guys don't understand the mental struggle the mental frustration the mental battle you have to go through to try to divide yourself your true self from your platform self and I don't see how people were able to do it because I'm someone who has always been what you see is what you get I can't fake the funk I'm not a good actor so I rather not say anything than to come and try to betray something I'm not but there are people who would literally literally put up a whole facade for you and y'all just eating it up and I'm like okay I don't see how a lot of people literally can have one life in private and have a totally different life in public what you know me as what you see me as in public is what I am truly in private so if I'm not the want to hop on a trend because you know that it doesn't sit right with me or it's not it's just something I don't want to do cuz you could you know that could happen just because you're in the field that doesn't mean you have to go with every single thing that is going on it's like it's like you're at a job right and everybody at the job is stealing toilet paper does that mean you have to steal toilet paper as well absolutely not that activity doesn't sit right with you so guess what you're not going to do it same with this field just because a trend is created that doesn't mean every single creator has to hop on that Trend that's why I had to step back a little bit to see what I truly wanted to do for my platforms you know the views on YouTube do I want to continue to do this do I want to continue to do this like I knew for me vlogging was not it I'm at an age where vlogging is not it I'm sorry it's not it I don't want to sit and broadcast my personal life on the web for your entertainment at one point when it was a hobby you know it was totally fine but when people really get involved in your life they really get involved and it's quite scary how involved people can get in your life it's just it's just weird it's weird all I want to say is stay in your lane as in do what's true to you do what is peaceful at mind for you and don't think you have to hop on everything in order for you to make a quick but because that's not the case like you can make money any way as possible you just have to have a brighter broader mindset and look at one thing five 10 different ways but I feel like a lot of people are looking at one thing one way because one person made it work for them let that person have it let that person do what they do you know they created it it's fine but having a lot of copycats that everybody's looking the same sounding the same wearing the same thing it's just annoying you feel me where is the individualism that we once had on the platforms I want to say overall I feel like I never fell for the influencer Trap and I have some points on why I say the influencer Trap because you could see a lot of people who have a who have way bigger base than I do when I like and I've been here for for a minute that's definitely partly because of me because there are some things listen gaining followers is not hard if you know the um formula it's not hard at all it's just I don't want to do that you feel me so a lot of times I step away to where all right this like I said this doesn't this doesn't feel like me I intentionally don't befriend some other creators on purpose I met many creators in real life and there's a reason why I don't not initiate but continue of friendship there are some people who are of course are mad cool right there are people who you know you just say hi and bye but to a point where I'm trying to either be in their video or be on their post or you know be close to them all the time no because at the end of the day I'm about genuine friendship you know like my friends my close friends have nine to five none of them does social media some most of them barely even post that's just the type of people I really want in my life all the time I don't want people around me who could pick up a camera anytime and just record me like that's weird a lot of times in my intimate times with my loved ones around me there's no recording there's no creating content there's none of that when it's time to create content it's time to create content but a lot of the times it's not even about that and I love that life and when I realize there are a lot of creators that don't have that auen authentic life that literally have nothing else in their mind but to pick up the phone pick up the camera and Vlog or try to catch um The Zing or try to catch you know the hot moment in order for drama to be created or in it and something spicy to happen you know for their contents to run it's it's weird to me like why are we living this life why do I feel like I have to walk on X shells around you in order for me to enjoy your presence you know why is that or why do I have feel like I have to hold my tongue to what is said around you because who knows what you're going to say to another content creator or somebody else and boom it's on the blogs or it's on a forum or something like that it doesn't make any sense to me yeah I've never faked my life for views I've never tried to do anything extreme for views and I've always showed up very authentic and very me the entire time I'm on this platform and this is why honestly I am still glad GL that I am not to like a high number when it comes to YouTube a lot of people Miss misinterpret misinterpret why misinterpret misinterpret a lot of people misinterpret having high numbers on these social platforms mean you have a higher quality of life which is not always the case it's literally just you having more pressure on you to create the perfect images the perfect video you know the per content it has nothing to do with higher quality of life yeah you may I'm going to say may cuz not everybody know how to make money you may be able to get more money or you know have a higher income but it doesn't really equate to higher quality of life and my purpose because this is the only life I have has always been to have the highest quality of life there is it does not have to look like what the next person's quality of life look like or not quality but just life look like it does not have to mean that I have to have a certain this and this and this by it this age this age this age it doesn't mean any of that it literally means me being content with myself and who I am and the people around me 24 hours a day 24/7 I don't want to feel like I have to be next to a person just so I can have their cloud or have their light shine shine on me or shine on my content in order for me to progress in this genre absolutely not another thing overc consumption so a previous video I spoke about my low buy no buy for 2024 and like I said it was never really about my spending habits because I feel like I do have a very healthy spending habit when it comes to stuff because I don't like a lot of clutter and stuff with this whole overc conception Thing theme that has occurred especially I want to say during Co where it's it's nothing but buying it just I don't it's not for me you know I will come and give you my advice on what I like what I don't like if I decide to purchase but I cannot come here every week with something new just for me to show you guys it doesn't make any sense to me so I never really fell into the whole over reception theme when it comes to what social media is now like the Amazon links a lot of the times to be honest I be very oblivious with what's going on in the influencer scene I remember one time I posted something this was post 2020 and someone was like girl what's the Amazon link I'm looking like huh y'all could just go type it out that's what I was thinking but I didn't know people were really having like Affiliates via Amazon and stuff like that and I'm looking like that is too much just type I'm so old school to where like just type it in and just purchase your product whether I get a kickback or not it's fine like I ain't worried about that because my real income was coming from Brand Partnerships and y'all know me if I'm partnering with a brand then I actually enjoy their stuff it wasn't you know just for the fake of it just for the funk over time as the years gone by and then I've just seen people just accumulate stuff just to accumulate I'm not saying don't buy yes do buy I still purchase I purchase things that I like I'm not purchasing things just to sit you know I will P purchase good quality makeup good quality not saying expensive just good quality items that I will purchase and I could trust and I could repurchase over and over again but buying the little trinklets that makes absolutely no sense that would just create clutter in my home would annoy me so I feel like like as an influencer not going into the whole oh uh overc conception thing is one of the traps that I feel like new influencers coming up are trying to tap into because they know that's what's going to help them jump start their career and their views on the socials oh traveling that's another thing a lot of influencers definitely got caught up into the whole traveling thing whereas if you you ain't traveling you an influencer if you're not in exotic place this and this and this time this time you're not an influencer I love to travel right so I've always traveled I ain't going to lie a lot back in 2021 I think I traveled every month 2020 I think 2020 and 2021 I traveled every month the entire year if anything I probably didn't travel one month or two months that entire enre year so I definitely knew it was a part of the job but then I had to step back and like um I enjoy knowing that I've been to these places but when I'm actually there I can't really enjoy to the fullest because I'm working because this is a job I have to pull out my camera and this is going back to what I was talking about before I have to pull out my camera to show this and and pose this and then do this and I honestly don't like doing that I don't want to be sitting at dinner and you know take a picture of my food at the right lighting you have all these bright lights in this dark place and everybody's just looking like I hate that you know I want to enjoy the moment I want to soak it up I ain't saying I'm not saying I'm not going to take a picture I'm not going to say I'm not going to video but do it y'all know when creators do it to a precise way it has to be perfect like it's a whole job and it it was get an annoying so yeah the past year literally have been to different places traveled and I haven't well I posted probably one two no I only posted one yeah and that was when I took a trip to Thailand with my mom other than that and then my sister I met up with her in friends earlier that year she tagged me in that uh Carousel but that's it other than that and I've been to I think like six six different places which I really wasn't even trying to to travel like that this that year 2024 but yeah I just find the beauty of not having to try to perfect everything in order for me to create content for yall enjoyment so yeah so I purposely don't go on these girl trips y I can't I can't the amount of fakeness on these trips it it makes me throw up to be honest I can't I can't I can't because now you have to act like you like these people you have to act like these are the bestest people that you've ever met and there are a lot of girls that are just Petty for no reason I I learned my lesson the first and last all girls group trip that I went on when I was in college it was a disaster and from then on that was back in I think 20 2015 is 15 16ish yeah I think spring break of 2016 something like that I learned no the amount of attitudes the amount of girls that don't understand group work or group planning those who are very very stuck in themselves and don't like compromising it was ridiculous so every time I see uh well I don't watch Vlogs With group chips I don't watch any of that but like if I will see like Clips here and there of a group girl a group of girls that go on a trip all I can say is shaking my head cuz I know that trip had dro I've seen I wasn't on the trip but I've seen group of girls just literally going back and forth and I wasn't even on the trip and it was in person I'm like y'all came on this trip and y'all arguing like this it it's not a good feeling so I'm very much into very small groups yes I will go on a trip with one other girlfriend two Max but I got to really know y'all it it's not no randoms getting together for a Content trip is I don't have the energy I don't have the the fakeness to go through with that like we got to be very close or we have to have been friends for a while or I like I've had to know you known you for a while in order for me to participate because it ain't it like these brand trips that be occurring I know there's a lot of drama and to me that's not luxury that's not quality of life I would like to go somewhere where I'm able to fully be myself I don't have to fake I don't have to pretend that I like you yes meeting new people is great but I don't think meeting new people on a trip with a whole bunch of other girls is the best absolutely not you cannot be on a trip with more than 10 girls with 10 different personalities because it is a Content trip a lot of them are I'm pretty sure very self-absorbed because of the numbers you know how people are what they're big in numbers they think they this they think they that and it's just be so silly I've never to a point where I seen my numbers on social media and be like yeah I'm I'm the is because of my numbers God will can humble y'all real quick and hack that account or delete that account so I never understood how content creators really put their value to their number it's very distasteful when I do meet girls that are like that it's like why are you like this the next person who has no followers you're not better than them it really make me standoffish when it comes to befriending other content creators because I can't I can't have that mindset where I am better than somebody else just because my numbers on social media is higher than somebody else's or just because somebody knows me more than another person like it doesn't make any sense to me prime example right I went on it wasn't an all girls trip but I went on a brand trip once I'm pretty sure if y'all been following me y'all probably know anyways the island we went on like I was with some influencers that had way more higher numbers than I do you feel me half a million and up 200k and up at that point I think I had between 150 to I don't know yeah I think I hit the 200k mark but it was it's you know it was going between the one 9s and the 200 like on and off I had under I want to say under 200 and some other people had over right we were in a group we were walking like we were doing our tour you know just the tour of the island and stuff like that and a car drove by and literally I had a blue top on a blue swimsuit top on and just like a white cover up like almost like this you know a white oversized shirt and a car drove by and was like I follow you you in the blue top everybody's looking around looking around I'm thinking nothing of it because I have some you know big name bangers in my group you feel me and I'm looking around and that was the only one with the blue top I was like that's crazy because these other people around me that have bigger numbers but yet in a totally different country that I've never been in somebody was able to point me out out of all of them so when that event happened not I was always thinking of this but it solidified it even more to me that your numbers don't mean anything it means something to Brands you know because they're just they see you as their Cash Cow which is you know which is fine cuz that's your job but when you take your number and your status to a point to where you feel like you are better than the other than the next person next to you that's where I feel like Humanity starts his downfall because nobody should ever think no matter how much money you have no matter how many people know you or not nobody should ever think they're better than the next person cuz there's some people that has way less numbers like me than others and get recognized more like I've got recognized in Nigeria randomly and like I said I had some other people around me who had higher numbers or who were Nigerian around me but yeah they recognize me I'm not even Nigerian I'm not even African I'm Haitian you feel me I've been recognized here in Dubai randomly so I don't like when people put their numbers as their personality and a lot of times being on these group trips where you have a lot of girls who are very self-absorbed just going off of their numbers are on this group trip like it's going to my luxury my vision of luxury when it comes to my life is really being able to do what I want to do when I want to do it you know so being on a group trip where you're told to go here to eat you know time to go take pictures time to go to this time to go to that I really don't like that I would rather just curate my own and you know pick the quality of restaurant quality of activities that I would like to do in a smaller more intimate group than just follow a herd of sheep on during the trip so I'm totally fine with the numbers I have all right I guess the end the conclusion for this was I don't even want that on my worst enemy to be honest to live a life that you don't truly love live a life that you are breaking down mentally every day just to try to keep up I feel like this video is really for me to open up about my experience in social media and how I want to really present to the girls who are getting into this field or who are already in this field who feel some type of way about their work who don't either like it or who feel like they need to be pressured to do certain things in order for them to get to certain positions you don't like I said be true to yourself be authentic to yourself and your audience would love it yes people will be interested and then be dis disinterested in certain phases of their life but that's normal we do that too I there are things that I'm interested in now that I wasn't interested before yes there are different phases in life that we're going to go through to where we're going to be like all right we don't want to do this anymore it's just like just look at at Life as a continuous journey and the main thing I want to say is curate your own life and don't try to go off of what Society thinks you're supposed to do like no there there are no expectation at the end of life no one is going to give you a trophy and say oh you made it no one gets a trophy so all we have is this journey and I love the fact that I cre created this journey from the beginning step by step the way I wanted to create it and I really didn't fall into this influen a trap I literally just did what I wanted to do and that's a luxury in itself and that's a privilege in itself I am very much aware of so yes that is that thank you for listening to my tet talk and I'll see you in the next video