Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Katrina Smith. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Katrina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

As David Beckham once said ” You can be the one-in-a-million. Don’t be discouraged by the odds to Succeed. Everybody’s dream is to be in the big leagues, but only one in a million gets here. We all want to know and begin to see what it feels like to reach our dream because within our dreams we have only one or more missions behind it.

Being a person with a disability and doing multiple things, there is one thing I want this world to see and to walk away with a clear mind the fact a person who has a disability can achieve anything they set their heart and mind to. When you set yourself up a goal, you plan out your steps, and through those steps, you may feel it’s impossible. But, you can get there.
So I have many missions because I don’t just do one thing in general, I’m a disability advocate, self-published author, and Handcrafted Jeweler. And with those things they all have their main purpose.
Advocating for people with disabilities is my top-notch priority, from sunrise to sunset, and the mission isn’t just for people with disabilities to get their stories out there and to be heard. But, also to be seen more. Rather than sitting behind brick and Mortar. Businesses need to be more accommodating along with accessibility. When it comes to schooling, accommodating students with extended time with their tutors help the student reach further towards success. I’m no storyteller when I say this—- it’s true, I sit for hours at my desk working toward building an organization to help adults who want to continue their education off-campus grounds. I’m living proof of struggling after learning an assignment and constant visits to my professor’s office hours. Not to mention that I’ve already gone to my tutor. Therefore, the struggles are real.
Now I sit and put in extra hours making Jewelry along with writing poetry and setting up a Merchandise store, to help build up funds to get something started towards making this foundation possible.

Katrina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Katrina Smith was born in Philadelphia, Penn. And was raised in the Midwest. And currently not in college. But, plan on going to Trading school to become a guidance counselor for younger children with Mental and Physical disabilities. At the age of fourteen, she entered a poetry contest and this is where her journey into writing poetry started.
In her Junior to Senior year in high school, she modeled for her school fashion show.

Then in 2015, she started her online talk show for people with disabilities to bring awareness to their disabilities. Her online talk show is called: Living With Disabilities. Katrina got into her advocate journey by dealing with her own disability. She was living in a dark rabbit hole as she calls it, self-abnegation, being In denial about having a learning disability. It took her many years to wake up and start Living With Disabilities to understand it is okay to have a disability. Seeing and hearing other people’s stories helped motivate her through those times. Allowing people with disabilities or conditions to share their stories, helps get the word out that they are people too, and through their stories is motivation and encouragement for other people with disabilities as well.

In 2019, She started her own Jewelry business, through another hardship in finding a job. So, it took her until 2019 when she came up with her own jewelry business where she makes Earrings, Necklaces, and Bracelets. When it comes to making jewelry for her customers it’s no longer about what Katrina likes or feels, Katrina puts her heart and soul into crafting these pieces because the material that is used has beneficial factors that are to believes helps heals different elements of the body and soul.

In 2021 She became a board member of DIYabled a nonprofit that started to educate people about disability and accessibility—and started the Living With Disabilities Podcast. New episodes every Friday at 5 AM HST, 7 AM PST, 8 AM MST, 9 AM CST, 10 AM EST

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

When I started on both my Advocacy and Jewelry journey, Social media became like a candy store, finding what social media would grab the audience’s attention. So, it became more like a tug-a-war at times. But, in the end, Facebook was the social media that was popping and still popping now. Even though, I still make my rounds on other social media platforms. Like, I have learned to do your self-promotion and grow your audiences organically, rather than pay out of pocket. Yes, it a lot of time and effort. But, at the end of the day what matters most is you have saved more money than spending it for others to get rich off of. Especially, if you are just now starting. Lastly, sometimes it’s best to promote without saying anything and sometimes it is good to say something. Imagination, if you went into a store and the seller is constantly talking about their product nonstop, would you buy the product, or would you walk away? You have to treat your social media like it’s a store, and it will grab the right people at the right time.

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

The feeling that my customers enjoy wearing what they have purchased from me. I’m not only getting paid for what they have brought physically, I feel rewarded through warmth the feeling when you have done something good.    

Contact Info:

• Website: https://livingwithdisabilites.blogspot.com/?fbclid=IwAR1LhvS46pjIHOWU1ACkANV-5DNpUdHSj7kH_yz6xKLX3HrVsNkzFgnmKMg
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fashionablycreativewithtrini/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fashionablycreativewithtrini
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPyyQumJqlu5_7gJIHqW0Jg
• IG: https://www.instagram.com/livingwithdisabilities/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/livingwithdisabilities

Image Credits
Photography Credit Khadijah Davis