We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Briana Deshields. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Briana below.

Briana, appreciate you joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

A few years ago I took one of the biggest risks of my life. I walked away from the comfort of working for others and decided to build my own platform, Baeyourself. At the time I was a single mom with no investors, no team, and no safety net. All I had was a vision. I knew what it felt like to be overlooked and underpaid as a creator. I knew how hard it was for women to get visibility, respect, and fair treatment in male dominated creative spaces. And I believed I could build something better.
The risk was overwhelming because I was doing everything myself. I designed the platform, learned the coding, built the brand, and recruited creators from the ground up while still caring for my son full time. I invested my own savings to keep the site running. There were days when engagement was low, when people ignored the platform, and it felt like no one believed in what I was doing. It would have been easier to quit. But I kept going because I wanted creators to have a place where they could post freely, earn freely, and be themselves without judgment or algorithms controlling their work.
Taking that leap changed my life. Baeyourself now has thousands of subscriptions and a growing community of creators, photographers, and models who finally feel supported. My events sell out, my shoots bring people together, and I have built something real from nothing. That risk taught me to trust my instincts, even when the path is lonely. It showed me that I can build opportunities not only for myself but for others.
The risk was worth it because it became my purpose.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Briana DeShields and I am the founder of Baeyourself, a creator first platform built to give models, photographers and creatives a place to earn freely and be seen without restrictions. I got into this industry in a very unconventional way. I started as a model and slowly picked up photography, production and event planning. I fell in love with creating stories and building community. But along the way I also noticed how overlooked women often are in creative spaces. People respected me as a model but treated me differently the moment I picked up a camera. That experience pushed me to create something of my own.
Baeyourself began as a simple idea. I wanted a space where creators could post without fear of algorithms, shadow bans or judgment. A place where your work is your currency and your presence matters. I built the platform myself from the ground up while raising my son full time and funding everything out of pocket. Today Baeyourself offers group shoots, networking events, digital storefronts, collaboration tools, crowdfunding features, tips, paid posts and a full ecosystem for creatives who want to grow. It has become a home for photographers, models and creators who want real community and real earnings.
What sets me apart is how deeply I am involved in every part of this work. I am a photographer, a community builder, a developer and a creative director. I understand this industry from every angle because I have lived every role in it. I am most proud of the fact that I have built something real without investors or shortcuts. Thousands of subscriptions have come through word of mouth alone. That tells me the platform is solving a real problem.
For creators, the problem is visibility, monetization and belonging. For photographers, the problem is access to consistent work, meaningful collaborations and a platform that values their craft. For models, the problem is being taken seriously and having ownership over their image and income. Baeyourself addresses all of that.
What I want people to know about my work is simple. I built this because I know what it feels like to be dismissed, underestimated and told to wait my turn. I want creators to know they do not have to shrink or follow trends to be successful. They can be themselves and still thrive. My brand is about empowerment, opportunity and genuine connection. Everything I create comes from that mission.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was the belief that I had to shrink myself to make other people comfortable. For a long time I downplayed my ideas, my leadership and even my creativity because I was afraid of being judged or seen as doing too much. I grew up learning how to keep the peace, not take up space and avoid being labeled as difficult. That followed me into adulthood without me realizing it.
When I stepped into photography and then later founded Baeyourself, that habit became impossible to maintain. I entered an industry where confidence is often mistaken for arrogance and where women, especially Black women, are questioned the moment they show authority. People respected me as a model but the moment I held a camera or ran an event, some of the same people treated me like I did not belong. Instead of pushing back I tried to stay small to avoid conflict. It created burnout, resentment and a feeling of always having to prove myself over and over.
I eventually realized that shrinking myself was not protecting me. It was blocking my growth and watering down the impact I wanted to make. I had to unlearn the idea that humility meant hiding my strength. I began embracing my leadership, trusting my voice and making decisions without apologizing for them. I stopped letting other people’s comfort guide my purpose.
Unlearning that changed everything. It helped me grow my platform, run my events with confidence and show up fully as a founder, a photographer and a mother. It taught me that you do not lose anything by taking up space. You only lose when you convince yourself you are not allowed to.

How did you build your audience on social media?

My audience grew from showing up with honesty, creativity and consistency long before I had a platform of my own. I started sharing my work as a model and then slowly began posting my photography, my behind the scenes moments and my growth as a creative. I never pretended to be perfect. I shared the real journey. That made people feel connected to me before they even knew what Baeyourself was.
I built my audience by focusing on community rather than numbers. Every time I hosted a shoot or worked with a creator, I used social media to highlight them. I showed the process, the energy and the experience, not just the finished product. That helped people trust me and understand my purpose. When I launched Baeyourself, it felt natural for my audience to follow because they had already watched me put in the work for years.
There were also seasons where engagement was low or people ignored what I posted. I still kept going. Consistency is what builds trust even when the results are slow. As a single mom balancing work, parenting and building a platform, I did not always have time for perfect content. But I always showed up with intention. That is what made my presence feel real instead of curated.
My advice for anyone starting to build their presence
Start where you are. Do not wait for perfect equipment, a perfect brand or a perfect strategy. People follow people they feel connected to. Share your process, your growth and the story behind your work. Focus on building relationships, not chasing likes. Be consistent, even when the numbers do not move right away. And most importantly, show up as yourself. Social media is crowded, but no one else has your story or your voice. That is your advantage. Your audience will grow when you stop trying to fit a mold and start being real.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Brianadeshields.com
• Instagram: Shotswith_bre
• Linkedin: Briana deshields
• Other: https://Baeyourself.com