We recently connected with Nya McGuire and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Nya thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

Im hoping to build a legacy of making people feel seen and heard, so that more people can feel confident enough to explore self expression. Growing up in a household with 4 older siblings I think there were times when I felt misunderstood and silenced from it. As I got older I made it a mission of mine to always make anyone in my life feel heard and truly seen. I pray the legacy I leave behind will have an everlasting effect, leaving anyone I ever connected with feeling more understood, seen, and confident.

Nya , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My Name is Nya Iman and I’m a 23 year old content creator. My content creating journey started when I was young. I remember being 13 years old and I got my first wand curler ever. I ran to my room, closed the door, and set up my Android to document this joy. I uploaded a video I created on Youtube, with no edits or anything for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes passed I quickly deleted it and never thought about the importance of this moment again.

Fast forward to 2015 I was just entering High School and I heard we would have the option to join 1 out of 4 magnet programs.

The magnet program would stand as staple course that we take for all 4 years. At first I was super uninterested, then I heard one of my options would be Public policy and media. I instantly changed my mind and signed up. My lead teacher Mrs. Jenkins would tell us every single day “you guys will thank me later for teaching you how to edit videos, this is the future.” This class ended up showing me how to use Final Cut Pro , Create Storyboards, and how to work professional cameras.

I would skip class and not really give assignments my full effort. Now here I am giving those same assignments my full effort! Its so crazy how even as kids, our passions are there we just cant see them. To my former teacher Mrs. Jenkins, Thank you for seeing me.

After High School I went on to feel conflicted I was having an internal battle of not knowing how I would like to show up as a content creator. After awhile It just became easier to show up as someone else. Its not hard to copy what everyone else is doing, the challenge is showing up as yourself. It has taken me years to understand that its normal to be inspired by other creatives, but its mandatory to find your own voice.

I ended up moving out of my hometown to Miami and I think that was when the biggest growth period for me. Living in a city where shallowness is rewarded helped me to see who I really want to be. Which was not that. I didn’t create much content for the entire year I lived there. I genuinely just took the time to live my life. Im so thankful I gave myself that time. I started reading more, eating healthier food, working out more, and living a more balanced lifestyle.

After taking the time to really replenish my spirit and nurture my soul, the creator in me came back to life. Knowing I experienced so much confusion and pain I realized my purpose as a creator is to do more than just surface level posts. My purpose is to help people feel seen and understood by sharing tips on how I practice seeing myself. From reading self improvement books, working out consistently, yogas classes, consuming healthier foods, and being mindful. I am becoming the best version of me and I create content for people who are doing the same or want to know how they could get started.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The Alchemist has completely shifted my outlook on life . This book changed the way I interpret wins, failures, and uncertainty. The book highlights the freedom within creating your own life and how to confront your dreams.

I think this book was such a game changer for me , because I was in a very frantic creative space before reading it. I was constantly comparing my journey to everyone else’s, and I could never get ahead in my own journey because of it.

Overall the book taught me how to be at peace with my own journey and cheer for other people on theirs.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think one thing a lot of non creatives don’t understand is that content creating is not about likes or followers. I think a lot of people label themselves as influencers or content creators without acknowledging what it really takes. The goal is to connect and inspire not to have status.

One way I gage how I am doing as a creator is by tracking the positive change I’ve ignited in my audience. In other words, there is no one way to be a creative the Impact looks different for all of us. There is plenty of room for all of us.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Nya__Iman
• Other: https://v.lemon8-app.com/s/mycYMwhZR