We were lucky to catch up with DESIREÉ HENSLEY recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, DESIREÉ thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I use to sit and watch other content creatives post their videos and pictures and I remember saying to myself “I wish I could do this, I wish I could post content and make money from it”. I then started studying the ways of content creating, and I know that sounds weird but I really did study it. I would watch my favorite creatives, I would look at the kind of videos in my niche, and I would try to figure out what platform I liked the most. I began posting little videos on Tiktok, I also erased my Instagram and recreated it with my new aesthetics and tone, and I started a Youtube Channel. I then studied ways I could be monetized on each platform, I knew that being monetized meant I would be getting paid to create content I love. It was very hard starting off because I knew the content I wanted to create but I had to first establish a relationship with my following on each platform. By learning and getting to know my following I could then create content with a purpose to connect with my viewers more. Once I became connected with my viewers, creating content became much easier and much more fun and much more meaningful. I started off only getting a few views, I’m talking 75 – 1,000 views on just one video, 5 likes on an Instagram post, and 1 view on a Youtube vlog. I continued to post no matter what, I knew that if I continued to post that someday my content would be noticed. My content took a few months of consistency to grow in the number of views. I realized that I was going about it all the wrong way, I was creating content that looked just like everyone else’s content in my niche so I had to do some self reflecting and some soul searching to really figure out how my content could stand out from others in my niche and how I could be more authentic. It took a lot of risk, putting myself out there in raw form, taking off the perfect picture face and putting on my real and raw face. This helped my content TREMENDOUSLY!! I secured my first brand deal with The Honest Company, I remember reading the email and screaming with joy. My first brand deal was “GIFTED” and I was ok with that because I knew that this was just the beginning. I wanted to get my feet wet and make a full time job out of content creating so this was my chance to make my dreams come true. Once I began posting collaborative work, other brands began to reach out, my numbers began to grow and eventually I was able to make money from Tiktok! Tiktok has been the golden ticket for me, opening up so many successful doors and placing me in rooms and chats that could change my life forever. I began creating content in February of 2022 making 0 dollars taking on “Gifted Collabs”, by April of 2022 I secured my first “PAID” partnership and from there my career OFFICIALLY began as a full time creator. Today, I am not where I want to be fully but I am more than halfway there. Today, I am Monetized and making consistent money on Facebook, Tiktok, and Instagram. I am a few steps away from being Monetized on Youtube, and I have set a goal to be Monetized on Youtube by the end of 2023. I now work with an Agency who I have been with for almost a year now and with my agency helping me secure collaborations I am now securing at least 2 – 5 brand deals a month. I am a firm believer in divine timing and nothing I know now could have sped up my career in content creating. No one wakes up as CEO of the company or “the most famous content creator”, you have to work hard and crawl before you walk. I made a lot of mistakes, I had to figure out who I was and the kind of creator I wanted to be, and I had to learn my worth in this industry and add tax! All of the steps I took brought me to where I am today. I am a few steps away from reaching my ultimate goal! The sky is the limit and I’m reaching for the stars every time!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a 29 year old first generation stay at home mama of 2 beautiful baby girls, a first generation homemaker, and an amazing and fun wife to my loving husband. I started creating content when I was going though postpartum depression. I had some unexpected things happen through the birth of our last daughter, and it was very hard to recover. I didn’t have much support from friends and family and I did not have a village to lean on. I started watching YouTube videos of moms with similar situations as me, thinking to myself if they could do it so I can I. I remember watching those women and saying to myself “I have to get out of bed” “I have to beat this depression” “if they can do it and make it look this easy so can I”. I got up and I began recording myself in my life, this forced me to get up, put makeup on, do something with myself, and to beat this depression for my kiddos and for myself. I began recording my “Day In The Life” vlogs on YouTube so that I could inspire other mothers to keep pushing no matter where you are at in life. After I found myself smiling and laughing more I realized I was getting back to me and was overcoming this depression. I then began creating funny tiktok videos with my family, and this brought constant fun and laughter in our household. I’d go through the comments and see that our videos made someone’s day and how awesome they thought we were. There was a specific lady that stood out to me and I knew then that this was what I was meant to do in this season and moment in life. This beautiful women commented “Please keep posting videos, your videos are helping me through my depression and Chemo”. This made my heart smile and I knew that helping people smile and laugh was something that I needed to continue to do, this was my way of making a difference. I realized that we are all going through something in life and that I needed to continue to show up and record the real and raw, and all of the ups and downs but with my humor included. I create my content with the intention for my followers to know that they are not the only ones going through what they are going through. I want to encourage women of all different shapes and sizes to continue to push through any circumstance life may throw your way. Tell your story through the transitions you are experiencing both good and bad because it will and can change or save someone else’s life. What makes me stand out compared to other creators is that I am showing real life situations and content, nothing is sugar coated or blocked out. I am giving my followers all of me through the ups and the downs but I use humor as my way of telling my story. My little family is not perfect, we make mistakes, we are chaotic at times, but one thing we are going to do is show up and give life everything we’ve got!!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is having the platform to really make a difference and watching the positive and loving impact I am making while using my platform to give back. At the beginning of the year I was able to promote 3 Small Black Owned Businesses! I was able to help those small business owners get their Brand out there for all of my followers to see and share. Exposure can help so much when running a business and you just never know who’s watching and may want to support. For Thanksgiving in 2022 I found other creator moms who wanted to partner with me and give $500 dollars to 2 families in need and I hope to do the same this year. I was able to connect with families all over the world and got the chance to hear their stories. I had the pleasure of partnering with a book company who donated a set of learning books to one of my followers. Being able to use my platform to give back and to spread awareness on things that hit close to home for me such as: Breastfeeding, Postpartum Depression, Anxiety, Self Love, Empowerment, Interracial Marriage and more! I can’t wait to really start giving back the way I pray to. Being able to share my story with other people who can relate makes my heart warm. This is only the beginning!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My Goal and Mission is to empower women to keep pushing! Women go through so many transitions in life, especially after having kids. We as mother’s get lost in raising our children and taking care of the family that we forget to take care of ourselves. We forget the things that make us happy outside of having children. At times we give up on our dreams and goals because we put everyone else first. As women we carry a lot of titles and we wear many crowns. My Goal and Mission is to show women out there that no matter where you are at in life, be your best self and find the beauty in all that you are going through. Your story doesn’t have to end when life gets hard, that’s where the real story begins. Keep rewriting your story until you feel it is complete and you are where you want to be! Hold your head high and walk through your journey with grace, intention, grit, hard work, and a ” I CAN DO IT ALL” mindset!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/Yourstruly_thehensleys
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourstruly_thehensleys/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009676420767
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCLf-t3bCBGKCc4m2yHDuRtQ
• Other: TIKTOK: https://youtube.com/channel/UCLf-t3bCBGKCc4m2yHDuRtQ

Image Credits
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