We recently connected with Chanté White and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Chanté, thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I am very thrilled to identify myself as a creator. Creating allows me to dive into great spaces and execute the things that were once only living in my mind. Being able to make a living just by creating is a milestone, a blessing and a goal many of us have. However, when you are a creative who still has a regular 9-5 job, it can be challenging. It’s challenging because sometimes that 9-5 job does not reflect the things and the way you want to create, it is simply a paycheck to help pour into your creative dreams. It is our job to still create even when we are working regular jobs and we cannot forget to dream, work towards our goals and of course, create. I am grateful to realize what I truly want to do, but I also realize how important and impactful it is to work a regular job that can help me pour into my dreams.

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

I am a content creator and media host. I spend every single day thinking of new ways to come up with fun and engaging content with my viewers and listeners. My content ranges from creating TikTok videos, to filming YouTube videos and recording my weekly podcast episodes. I have always loved to create ever since I was little. Being an only child really helped open up my imagination; I would gather up my stuffed animals and pretend to host a talk show. I have always had a soft spot for words, more specifically, storytelling. Being able to get pulled into a great novel or movie is such a great feeling that I want to provide to those who engage with my content. I was a shy child, but once I grew out of that, I learned that I really enjoyed to entertain people. I love that feeling of making people laugh or how invested someone is when I am sharing a story. Although 2020 was a tough time for us all, it was one of the greatest years for me personally. During that year, I truly discovered how much I loved to create on a different scale. I would stay up all hours of the night recording videos, portraying different characters and everything. I launched my podcast “Chatting With Chanté” in 2020 and my other platforms the following year. The process of having an idea, writing it down and then executing it is like none other. It’s been such an exciting journey and I am just getting started. My platforms are all about the three L’ s: Live, Laugh and Love. My hope is that when people come across my content, it makes them feel good and inspired. Laughter is the best medicine, so I want to provide that in the most authentic way possible as well. Of course, spreading love is the main thing we should all strive to do, so my content is rooted in that to the fullest.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One lesson that comes to mind immediately is not everyone is going to understand your vision and way of thinking. No matter how close someone is to you or how many conversations you have with them about a specific thing you want to do, if they don’t get it, then they just don’t get it and that’s ok. We were not built to all think the same or see things the same. My goals are not someone else’s goals; the way I think is not the way someone else thinks. Whenever you are expressing an idea you have to someone and they don’t share the same excitement as you or they don’t seem as invested as you, it can hurt. Once we realize that other people are not meant to share the same dream, then we will not be quick to anger. Another big lesson is to stop telling everyone your plans. Those ideas, goals and plans were placed inside of you for a reason. If it was meant for everyone to know then we would all be doing it. It’s disheartening because sometimes these lessons start to unfold with those who are the closest to us. Most times, it’s best to keep things to yourself and allow things to unfold in front of those people in order for them to understand.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Growing an audience is not easy, let’s start there. You do not create one video and then BOOM, a million followers. That’s not how that works; it takes time, patience and dedication to start seeing numbers. If you are getting into this field just to have followers and views, then you will experience burnout very early on, because your intention wasn’t right. In this industry, there has to be a certain passion that is inside of you. I absolutely love to create; a video that has reached 300,000 views and a video that has 300 views still got the same effort and passion from me. If I don’t create for a period of time, I don’t feel right…I feel off. That’s how much I enjoy it. There are times I get hundreds of thousands of views and comments, then there are times when I only get a few hundred, maybe a thousand and I’m ok with that. Also, you have to be your authentic self. It is easy to create this online personality that is so far from who you are just to get an audience, but that’s not fair to you or your audience because you’re not being yourself. Growing your audience organically may take longer than others, but it is so rewarding because you know you’ve earned it. Keep going, make sure your intentions are in the right place and don’t lose yourself in the numbers.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @chattingwithchante
• Twitter: @saychantechante
• Youtube: Chatting With Chante
• Other: Apple and Spotify Podcast: Chatting With Chanté