We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ebony Hunter a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ebony, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on was my boutique.

I’ve always loved fashion, and one of my biggest dreams since I was a little girl was to have a fashion brand of my own. When I finally launched my boutique, it felt crazy to see something I’d daydreamed about for so long become real.

Of course, I had revenue goals for the launch, and I ended up surpassing them, which was shocking and so exciting. But seeing how many people were paying attention and cheering me on, wanting to support something I had built, was so humbling and something I won’t ever forget.

I wish I could bottle up the feeling of seeing people wear items from my boutique and talk about how good they felt in them. It’s amazing! Fashion has always been about more than clothes to me. It’s about confidence, self-expression, and how you feel.

That experience taught me that creating something is one thing, but seeing how it makes people feel is completely different. Watching an idea go from my imagination to becoming part of someone else’s life is still one of my favorite feelings.

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 background and context?

I’m a lifestyle creator and founder born and raised in Florida, currently living in Orlando. Panama City, Florida is my hometown and a huge part of who I am today.

The founder side of me and the creator side of me actually started in different places.

I’ve always dreamed of having a fashion brand. I grew up a Barbie girl, making clothes and purses, reading Cosmo and watching the VMAs red carpet like it was my job! My Granny and mom taught me how to sew and that love for fashion has stayed with me ever since. I earned a degree in Retail Merchandising and Product Development at Florida State University (Go Noles!) and I’ve launched multiple fashion brands since then. I will never get over the process of making an idea real. It’s so fun for me!

My creator side started somewhere totally different. I’ve treated my social media like a big group chat or a diary, documenting my life, sharing things I love, taking pictures, making videos, connecting with people online. I was a shy kid, but something about being on camera (behind and in front) felt natural to me. Over time I built a community just by being myself and sharing what I genuinely liked. That led to opportunities with brands like Glossier, Galore Magazine, Merit, and other beauty, lifestyle, and fashion brands. I’ve always been picky about what I put my name on, I have to actually like something to talk about it.

What I’m most proud of is that I’ve kept my inner child alive and stayed true to myself. So much has changed over the years, but my values, my faith, and the things that excite me have stayed exactly the same.

At the end of the day, I just love making pretty things and helping people romanticize their lives a little more along the way.

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

One lesson I had to unlearn was that burnout = success.

I think society teaches us that constant hustling and “doing” is the only way to be successful. Yes, things take effort and intention, but the journey should be fun too.

I’ve learned that rest is just as important to the process as taking action. There are seasons for doing, and there are seasons for waiting, learning, healing, or just being present. I used to feel guilty for resting, and honestly, I still struggle sometimes because I’m so used to constantly moving. One thing I like to remind myself is, “if I don’t know what to do, do nothing.” I know as long as I’ve done my absolute best and all that I know to do, I can’t force the next step. Sometimes it’s just not time yet.

My faith plays a huge role in this lesson. I’ve learned to stay prayed up, stay tapped in, and trust that every season isn’t for constant motion. Sometimes the most productive thing I can do is rest and let things happen the way they’re supposed to. I still have so many goals I want to accomplish, but now I can look back and see why certain things had to happen when they did. In most cases I wasn’t ready and they still needed to bake for a little bit.

The journey is just as important as any goal. Success doesn’t feel as delicious if you’re too burned out to enjoy it.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I’ve built my audience simply by showing up as myself over and over.

That probably sounds really cliche, but it’s true. I’ve always treated social media like a big group chat or a diary. Some parts of my life are off limits, but the parts I do share have been pretty consistent over time even as they’ve evolved. I’ve always shared the things I genuinely enjoy, whether that’s fashion, beauty, business, travel, food, or whatever season of life I’m currently in. I’ve also never been afraid to say no to opportunities that don’t align with me or my community.

For anyone just starting out, my biggest advice is to decide who you want to be online and consistently show up as that person. You don’t have to share every part of your life. You don’t have to be everything to everyone. Pick the parts of yourself you genuinely enjoy sharing and build from there. I think a lot of people get caught up trying to perform, chase whatever’s trending, or overthink every move, but performing gets exhausting. Eventually people can tell when something isn’t genuine. Personally, I love creators who aren’t overly polished because it shows that they’re human. Be human.

I also think people get too caught up in someone else’s definition of consistency. I’d rather post something I actually love once than force out content just to hit a number. Consistency only works if it’s something you can realistically keep up with, so find the rhythm that fits your real life. If I’ve got things going on and I’m not in the headspace to create, I don’t force it, because forced content shows. Quality over quantity, always.

And if you’re scared of the haters, I get it, I still get scared too. But you have to make peace with the fact that you’re not going to be everyone’s cup of sweet tea, and that’s okay. People have watched me through so many seasons, body changes, vulnerable moments, all of it, and people have said nasty things, but that doesn’t stop me anymore. The ones trying to tear you down are usually just paying extra close attention. Let them.

Focus on the people who actually support you. The goal should never be just a follower count, it’s a community of people who actually connect with what you share. Some of the coolest people have been following me for years. I’ve never met them, but we’ve grown up together online in a way. If you saw some of our conversations you’d have no idea we’ve never met in person. We’ve watched each other evolve, start businesses, change careers, start families, achieve dreams, and figure things out in real time.

At the end of the day, social media is supposed to be social. Some of my favorite opportunities, friendships, and experiences have come from just showing up as myself and letting the right people find me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @ebonyyhunter
• Other: TikTok: @ebonyyhunter