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

Stephanie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Growing up I always loved everything that had to do with social media and content creation and I didn’t even know it! I would watch creators on YouTube and wish I could be like them but little did I know I didn’t have to live in LA or Hollywood to create a life that I dreamed of. My mom pushed me to start my YouTube journey, and from there I branched out and started to do photography, working on my Instagram, working with brands for content for their pages, and now TikTok. I took a leap of faith and started to invest in my passions and made it into a side hustle where I can make passive income and earn money working with brands I love — doing what I love.

I truly love content creation and taught myself everything I learned today, from how to take a good photo, video quality, using social media and so much more. I feel like besides having an interest for what you’re doing you have to be passionate because that will drive you to learn, grow and excel at your craft.

Stephanie, 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?

I started to get brands and companies to start noticing me on social media slowly; I got a lot of gifted opportunities, up to the moment that I started to see I could really turn my passion into a place I also could receive an income from! I’m so thankful I always had the support from my mom; she was the first person that told me “If you like watching Youtubers posting videos… why don’t you do it?” at that moment, it clicked, and I realized that she was right. My mom has always helped me take my photos and is a consistent hype woman that everyone needs!

As I discovered my likes and talent in regard to social media and creativity, that’s where I found myself doing social media at my church as well! From taking photos, scheduling posts, creating content and working alongside some amazing individuals, and growing my craft and knowledge like never before.

When I was starting my education at the University of Central Florida, I slid into their DM’s, saying I wanted to work with them. And little did I know that stepping out in faith and boldness would be the connecting piece that placed me as their social media intern and social media ambassador. That was really the stepping stone that helped connect my hobby and passion to a future career that I’m in now.

Everything shifted when we got into 2020, and we were all home for months – which as a creative person and extravert it was so hard, so I started to find ways I could continue to be creative with the space I had at home. That re-sparked my passion and creativity like never before. It’s like I wanted to go full force, but this time on TikTok. I started posting and growing a small community on there that’s full of positivity, and I get to authentically be myself and continue to grow as both an individual and a creative on social media.

Being a content creator while still having a full-time job is something I’m still learning to navigate through but thankfully have gotten a pretty good routine down-packed where I’m able to do both things I love! I love being able to partner with brands and create content (UGC) for them because it allows me to be creative and have fun with content creation, which is something I’ve been passionate about for years.

I know that I’m still in the beginning phases of what’s to come, but I fully trust that the best is still yet to come. God has truly helped open doors I didn’t even know could ever in my wildest dreams be a possibility, which truly makes me even more excited to know that the future is brighter than in my dreams.

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

Building an audience on social media is not gonna happen overnight, it’s not going to happen with only posting 1 video a month but it takes time. Sometimes we’re so impatient and want things to go viral ASAP and want to gain 1 million followers but while that may be good and some people call it “goals” that’s not going to help you build an audience. It takes time to build and grow a genuine group of people who will watch your videos/photos/content, will enjoy it, support you, and be a part of your audience. While I may be super impatient that’s something I’m still teaching myself to be patient and know that it will take time but it will happen. Be sure you don’t compare yourself to other creators on the same journey as you — just because it may look like they’re growing faster than you, don’t allow that to tear you down or discourage you. Another thing I would say is, it’s okay if people copy your content. It’s gonna happen, it’s BOUND to happen. At one point, I got upset because I saw someone I was friends with posting the same exact content as me, using the same audios, same style, changing their content to be similar to mine and I had to realize that if people are copying me…it’s because I’m doing something right! Keep going and realize that it’s okay for people to get inspired from your content, keep posting YOUR content because you will keep growing and building your authentic following.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is simple. Growing up I was so insecure, didn’t love what I saw in the mirror and felt horrible about myself. Now, I want to make sure that the little girl inside of me never feels like that again and that I’m able to truly make her smile and proud of all I’ve accomplished. I don’t want other little “Stephanie’s” to ever feel like that and I want my creative space to be a positive safe space where people can be their true selves and feel loved and welcomed on my page!  6

Contact Info:

• Website: stephanieyamilett.myportfolio.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/stephanieyamilett
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-rodriguez-8b2658188
• Youtube: YouTube.com/c/stephanieyamilett