We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shannon Lee a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Shannon, appreciate you joining us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?
I officially started my creative career exactly two years ago in the year 2020. During this time, covid19 locked everyone inside due to restrictions. I always wanted to start a youtube channel, but I never had the time nor patience to start! When I started my channel, it was pretty easy to maintain consistency since I wasn’t too occupied outside. Even though I started this journey two years ago, I wish that I started it sooner. I’m usually not the type of person to regret my decisions, but I really wish I started my channel in 2017. During high school, my interest in becoming a youtuber peaked, but I never paid that thought any mind. School was very vigorous and I honestly had no time to dedicate to youtube. I believe starting sooner would have helped me to gain more exposure on social media. Even though I started only 2 years ago, I really can’t complain about the exposure that I am receiving now! It’s truly amazing.
Shannon, 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?
My name is Shannon Lee and I was born and raised in West Palm Beach, Florida. My entire family is from Jamaica, and I am a first generation American. I am currently a freelance model & content creator specifically on youtube. On my channel, I talk about beauty topics, lifestyle topics, personal development topics, and I share stories about my personal life. I originally started my channel as a beauty channel, but I quickly realized that beauty wasn’t all I had to offer. Apart from my youtube channel, I am a freelance model. I got into modeling about a year ago, and I thoroughly enjoy how I can freely express myself through photography. Being a freelance model is pretty cool since I have the autonomy to have full control over my career. At this time, I’m not signed to an agency yet, but with time opportunities will come! So far I am extremely proud of the amount of exposure that I am receiving from magazines. I am becoming more recognized while still having a smaller following, and that is an extreme blessing. I want my supporters to know that I have a lot to offer, and I am here to deliver! Look out for me because I will be everywhere!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being creative is when I get heartwarming feedback. Even though I am a smaller creator, I receive great feedback about my content. A lot of times, I share my personal life stories on my platforms and I never know who will see it. In general, I am a very private person, but my main purpose is to inspire and motivate others. Being too private is not going to help me fulfill my purpose so I constantly remind myself of that. So far the stories that I have shared have reached a generous amount of people. I’ve had a handful of people tell me that my personal stories have positively inspired them. Also, a lot of my personal development videos have helped people to realize that certain habits are actually traumatic/toxic traits. It’s extremely rewarding when my topics spark a discussion, and it is openly discussed!
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
One thing that society can do to best support creatives is to engage! Engagement is the best way to help spread our hard work to multitudes of people. Whether it’s a like, comment, or share these actions can go a super long way!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/__shannonlee/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/__shannonleexo
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCxQQPF4We-FLbLcc76nC0Fg
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=RI_mx3Lls5e6jKSrqC9lBA&utm_source=ishare