We were lucky to catch up with Saffara Melissa recently and have shared our conversation below.

Saffara, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

My creative journey started when I was in elementary school. I had always loved the idea of documenting meaningful moments in my life as a way for me to look back and remember those memories. Once I was in high school, I started my social media journey by posting pictures with my friends, going out to social events, seeing live concerts, workouts, and healthy recipes.

I always loved the concept of being able to create something from nothing and be able to bring value to others. I wanted my content to inspire others to be creative in their own lives, while sharing what I love. Around the time when YouTube started becoming popular, I really got into watching hair and makeup tutorials as well as fashion videos. I was determined to find my own style and learn from others who were doing the same thing. I have always loved how social media can bring people together. It can allow you to meet people all over the world who you may have never met if it wasn’t for those platforms.

I wanted to create a platform to show how I live my life while staying my true and authentic self. I post lifestyle videos to inspire others to live their best lives by appreciating every memory that is made.

Saffara, 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?

I’ve always had a passion for being creative from a young age. I was always writing as well as taking pictures and videos of everything. I had originally wanted to get into the entertainment industry, but creating a presence on social media has allowed me to express myself creatively. After high school, I realized that I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with my life. I worked so many different style of jobs and I realized that I was always searching for a creative outlet outside of work. After my first year of college, social media really took off and various platforms became very popular. I loved the idea that people could post their lives and you could follow along. I had originally followed various celebrities to see what they were doing in their daily lives. Not too long after, I started following various women in the beauty and fashion industry. I really enjoyed watching their videos about how they do their hair and makeup as well as how they would style an outfit. Watching these videos inspired me to take a hair and makeup course so that I could learn how to do my own hair and makeup. My original plan was to learn for myself, so that I could get more involved in the entertainment industry. As I developed my skills, I had a lot of people asking me how I did my own hair and makeup and I would then provide step by step instructions of my process. It wasn’t until many years later that I decided that I wanted to post my own videos of how to do my own makeup, beauty routines, and fashion videos. I also didn’t want to only focus solely on those categories, so I decided that posting lifestyle videos felt more authentic to my life. I’m very passionate about fashion, beauty, healthy living, food, books, faith, and travelling. I will never forget watching those videos years ago and feeling like I could do what those woman did. The way they were able to inspire their audience as well as create a connection with their followers was truly amazing. My goal is to share authentic and relatable content for my followers to enjoy as well as inspire them in their own lives.

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

The most rewarding aspect about being a creative is seeing the impact that your content has had on someone. Having a person reach out to you or comment on your content and saying that your post had made an impact in their life or helped them in any way is such an incredible feeling. I’m a strong believer in sharing knowledge and that you should always help others to the best of your ability. Having a social media platform has given me an amazing opportunity to make a difference in someones life. I would love to be able to help and inspire as many people as I can by posting genuine and relatable content.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

The resources that I wish I knew about earlier in my creative journey is that there are so many online videos to help you learn how to create amazing and meaningful videos. Everything I have learned about taking pictures, recording videos, and editing has been self-taught or through watching videos online. I think that it can sometimes be overwhelming to try and post a picture or video online if you don’t know how to edit it properly. I know that I struggled with feeling like my content would not be comparable to others who post similar content as myself.

Another resource that I think is very undervalued is asking other creatives for help. I have asked countless social media influencers and creatives on what programs they use to edit, what resources they recommend, how they track everything for their business, and any advice that they wish to share. I think that it can sometimes be intimidating to admit that you don’t know how to do something, but the best part about asking someone in the creative space is that they have either been where you are or know someone who has been in the same place as you. I wish I would have known that it’s okay to ask for help or advice instead of trying to figure everything out on my own from scratch.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @saffaramelissa