We were lucky to catch up with JaKija Hargrove recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi JaKija, thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

When I started college in 2010, I started my YouTube channel with authentic videos as an 18-year old. Just singing and dancing with my roommate and friends. I never thought anything could come from sharing my personality online. I wasn’t aware of the opportunities that I could be afforded or even really how to use the platform. I didn’t watch other creator’s content at that time. I had a webcam and time to kill haha. Now, with the climb of social media and the demand for relatable content, I don’t necessarily wish I started sooner but I wish I had remained consistent. Which is something that I’m working on currently with my rebrand. Stay tuned and “Like, Comment, and Share!”

JaKija, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

As I mentioned, I attended college (THEE Norfolk State University to be exact). I studied Fine Arts with a concentration in Fashion Design, which is still a major passion of mine. I’m restructuring my platforms to include more fashion and beauty related content. I, also, have a Masters in Business Administration with a focus in HR, and I’m working on some psychological and behavioral health related programs for future endeavors. Right now, I’m focusing on my interests in interior designing, my healing journey, fashion (always), and continuing being relatable to my audience while filming and sharing the good, bad, and ugly parts of my life in order to help at least one person in anyway I can. Growing my community is important to me because I’m passionate about helping others, and if I can make a difference in someone’s life, that’s a blessing.

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

A lesson in still currently working to unlearn is perfection. Yes, I’m a Virgo haha and many people associate us with being perfectionists. This is one of the major contributing factors to my inconsistency. I always feel like I’m not meeting my own standards then I have to keep working or put the task off until I can execute my vision to my desired potential. Now that I’ve learned my audience prefers authentic content, my goal is to curate in that way.

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

The advice I would give to build an engaging audience on social media is to BE YOURSELF and be original! It’s okay to make references but create your own content and be who you are. Everything and everyone is not for everybody. Once you understand that, you will thrive. Your tribe will find you and subscribe to your authenticity.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @j.shamarii
• Youtube: JaKijaShamarii