We recently connected with Krischin Townes and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Krischin, thanks for joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
What it takes to be successful is different in everyone’s eyes. But from my point of view, it takes unwavering faith and passion in whatever you do to achieve your goals or be successful. That means believing that something you’re doing from your heart will eventually prosper into something great, which would be considered your success. I also strongly believe that to be successful, you must know how to slow your mind down to grasp all the pieces you’re investing in your craft or business and build a solid foundation. Success is a slow process (depending on who) but the more your willing to take Ls and learn from them, the faster things start to flow. Something that can hinder people’s progression towards success is a distraction, like listening to other people who’re projecting fear into your plans. Don’t let people know your next steps if you want to build towards success. Show your finished or presentable product of what you’ve been working on in silence. My view on success came from a lot of failures that put me on the right track. Such as turning my passion for the band into content creations with motivational posts, brand deals, and other digital creations I’ve been making.
My first success story was in my other article with VoyageBaltimore, and I’m currently writing that success story. An update that I can give is that I’m currently in my senior year at my illustrious HBCU (Winston-Salem State University). So, for my first three years, I was busy being involved in the band, and my fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America Inc., and COVID played a huge factor in how hands-on classes were for my major, Mass Communication. So, I wasn’t that busy with digital media until my junior year. So, when I left the band, my classes for my senior year filled that empty gap and kept me busy. Being a Mass Communication major pre- and post-COVID will get you used to being hands-on and out of the classroom a lot for filming, editing, VO’s, etc. So, doing this allowed me to get out of my comfort zone, produce videos and podcasts, and control different areas of our TV news show on YouTube (such as audio, teleprompter, graphics, cameraman, and floor manager). All of this is to say that the skills that I knew before school and gaining this new knowledge have now helped my editing skills that I do now compared to the past. Also, this gives me experience that I can continue to use outside of the classroom and use for whatever else is on my path toward my success.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Hey everyone! My name is Krischin Townes, aka KvnggKriss, on social media. I’m an HBCU graduating senior who attends the Illustrious Winston-Salem State University, and I’m majoring in mass communication with a concentration in digital media. I tapped back into a hidden passion that I forgot about for editing and taking videos and photos. This happened in 2023, and I branded myself as a digital content creator who promotes men’s lifestyle, aesthetics, and inspiration. My main purpose right now is to keep making inspirational content. If I can be the reason someone smiles or is inspired, I feel like I’m positively helping someone grow in their life.
I currently make content to share with others as a way of fulfilling my passion while helping people in their everyday lives. Since it seems like everyone’s on social media, I feel like we need to put more positive things online because the main things that people seem to be intrigued with are the negative things that are going on and we need more positive influencers at the forefront to balance out the media.
But what I’m most proud of overall is the growth I made and the growth I’m currently making by living in my purpose and sharing it with others. The messages I post for others aren’t just for everyone; they’re for me too, because sometimes I need my voice to push me too.
Not only do I make inspirational content, but I also like to have brand deals that align with me and who I am. Such as male jewelry, clothing, sunglasses, etc. You send it, and I’ll model it and make a nice piece of content with the provided items.
Next, I’m working towards setting up a way for supporters to use my services. Stay tuned for that!
Lastly, what sets me apart from others is that I’m not worried about trends. I’m constantly trying to figure out what fits and feels right to me and to attract people who like what I present. So, staying in my lane is what sets me apart from others.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding part about being a creative is the lessons that you learn along the way before seeing the finalized work. Then behind that, I would say, is how people are impacted and how people view my finalized work. When creating something, or specifically for me, videos, I’m still learning newer techniques when it comes to making content, so being able to come across different struggles when editing is helping me be the person that I am and who I’m going to be. Also, in the process of learning through my editing, I’m learning how social media works and its algorithms. That’s a trial-and-error process in itself because, for example, the way that Instagram algorithm was a year or two ago has changed in some aspects. The way you can find your audience is a little better than it was prior because social media is an evolving thing that’s happening. But learning things like using the app is a learning experience in itself as a creator, not that much as a consumer. But the best way I say to find what works is to post and have some flop so you can learn what to do and what not to do next time. That’s part of the process, but that’s the beauty of it. The Growth. I just want to also say that there’s no cap on your creativity, and it’s never wrong. There’s always new levels. So, that can be a reward in itself. Reaching new levels.
Next, I’d say the content itself is rewarding because if it was made with intention, then it’ll have an impact on who’s watching. Whether it’s inspirational, entertainment, comedy, etc., they all have an impact on someone. In the bigger picture, you’re sharing a piece of your mind, and people will receive your perspective on what was inspiring, funny, sad, etc. But for me and my videos, I like to show myself and my editing skills and give people a sense of motivation for their day. I know for myself that when I hear something positive on social media, it can boost my day a little. So knowing that I can contribute and help someone else’s day makes my day. Regardless of whether I knew they received it or not, I made it for myself too because I knew I needed it sometimes from myself. But that’s the reward of it all. It’s not about the rush to the physical things for me because I know that’ll come as long as I keep moving. But it’s the things I’ve just said that feed and fuel my passion.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson that I’ve learned that I had to unlearn was to work hard! I know your thinking; I mean, you have to work hard to achieve. Which I do agree with, but we hear this a lot, but we rarely hear how to balance while putting in the hard work. Working hard without balance will drain you. So, I learned that when I was just working hard on a lot of things, I became drained mentally, spiritually, and physically because of my ignorance of balance. So, once I hit rock bottom, I had to say to myself, “Kris, your work ethic is good, but direct it in the direction you want to go and understand that resting is equally as important as working hard because work without rest will leave you drained every time.” After understanding and implementing that, I feel a little more refreshed about completing the tasks that I needed to complete. I also like to add that balance looks different in everybody’s life, so try to find what works for you. For me to recharge, I meditate, listen to music, sleep, stop everything, and be still for a second. Sometimes we’re so busy that our brains are working hard from the moment we open our eyes in the morning until those late nights when we try to pull an all-nighter. So, having a moment in the day to do absolutely nothing is a luxury that we need to remember when moving too fast throughout our days. That’s easier said than done, but it’s something that we must learn to prevent burning out.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/kvngkris__
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kvnggkriss/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krischin-townes-0495b02bb/
Image Credits
Todd Davis