We recently connected with Christen Marbury and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Christen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with 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 currently a full time social worker & part time model/content creator. Balancing working a full time career as well as being a creative has not been easy but I couldn’t imagine only doing one. I love being a social worker because it allows me the opportunity to help individuals and create community change. On the other hand, I love being a model/content creator because it gives me an outlet as well as a way to (hopefully) inspire others via social media. I have to remind myself at times that it is ok to be a multi-faceted individual. It is ok to be a social worker and model/creator. I absolutely love doing both and they add different things to my life!

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

When I was 16, I started working with a local women’s shelter as a peer educator, which is really what started my passion for helping people & community work. Fast forward, I ended up getting my masters in social work & I am now establishing a mental health nonprofit in Detroit: Self Care Sanctuary. Aside from that, I have always had a passion for fashion. This passion led me to getting in front of a camera, in hopes of building on my confidence & inspire other plus size girls/ women to be more comfortable in their skin/clothes. Through the pandemic, I started focusing a lot on creating content & got casted for my first runway show in 2021! Since then I have been in 3 more shows & was afforded the opportunity to walk in New York Fashion Week! Also in 2021, I was a part of starting a podcast, Thick Twice Podcast! I’m very proud of the progress I’ve made, and I am ready to continue growing.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Before I started my journey as a model/influencer, I had around 6K followers on Instagram (which is the main platform I use). Once I decided I wanted to pursue modeling & content creation, I started taking my own pictures/ videos & posting content but it was not picking up like I thought it would. I did more research and even scheduled a meeting with a consultant that another budding influencer referred me to. He gave me some great yet simple advice: post quality content EVERY DAY. So I did, and now I have over 16K followers, which has opened quite a few doors for me. My advice to anyone building a social media presence is to: have a niche, make your account public, and post quality content every day!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

When I started taking and posting pictures, my main goal was to inspire other plus size people. Being a plus size person myself, I wanted to inspire others to feel comfortable in their skin through fashion. I love dressing up and it is a huge part of what built my confidence over the years. To this day, that is still the main mission of my creative journey.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @iamchrissyy/@thicktwicepodcast
• Youtube: Chrissyy (https://youtube.com/channel/UC241ud83HFKqYGAlTJN2AYQ)

Image Credits
Emily Crombez Terry Washington Taizon Taylor ShotBySpecs