We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Teri Underhill a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Teri, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
I feel very happy as a creative. It can be tough some days, sometimes I am not always creative, sometimes creating anything (music, production, rehearsal) is frustrating but it’s all a part of the process to becoming the best version of myself with my passion. There is no other job in the world I’d rather be doing than creating. I have never given myself a second option growing up because I am that passionate about creating. While I do currently have a day job to support my passions, I am working day to day to hopefully soon in the future not need that day job to support myself & family. If I had a regular day job and didn’t do anything creative outside of that, I would be absolutely miserable in my life. Life wouldn’t be worth it to me without my passions for music. creating content, dancing, singing, writing and so so much more.
Teri, 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?
For those that don’t know me, I am Teri Rosalani Underhill (known as Teri Underhill professionally and King Rosalani on all my social media platforms). I am a neurodivergent creative. A creative meaning I do everything that involves creativity such as: writing, singing, producing music, filming, editing, dancing and so much more. What sets me a part from others is I am extremely open about my hardships from autism, PTSD, anxiety to being a mixed hapa girl (Hawaiian & White). My culture and ethnicity itself sets me a part from others as I label my music “hibiscus pop” which represents my genre of (currently) pop with my flare of Hawaiian to it. Being open, vulnerable and authentic is extremely important to me when sharing my music, education on culture or even just my journey with autism. I don’t really have a filter or shame but I am cool with that. I’m very proud of how independent I am through my work and storytelling. I hope to bring in a community of neurodivergent people that feel unheard or even to mixed Hawaiians on the mainland that feel lonely as well. I want to be the voice for those that can’t speak up for themselves the way I needed so much growing up. I want to be that protection for people and safe space for people with autism & mental health disorders.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I think a lot of people don’t realize the time and effort that goes into creating anything from music to especially social media content. I spend hours making things everyday. I post on my all my social media platforms 4 times a day which means I have to spend 2-3 hours a day making and editing those videos to make sure they are the best for my audience and to open up conversations with them (from autism symptoms to being a mixed indigenous woman). It takes a lot of time, effort and creativity to consistently make and put things out into the world daily. I have to always be on top of my game, studying trends, studying business, studying new music techniques, taking writing courses, taking as much education as I can get, letting that soak in my brain and then putting it out there in my own words and stories. Through this practice and process, I am always learning new things and getting better & better at my crafts because of my consistency.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I’ve been building my audience up a lot this year (started off at 200 followers on tiktok and now, in June, at over 1.1K followers then to instagram where I was stuck at 545 followers and am now over 1.1k followers and growing). A major thanks to my mentors Adam & Jay who have helped me personally figure out my brand and how to connect to people. As someone that is autistic and struggles socially, their teachings have helped me open my mind to how people would view my content, how I speak, how I tell stories, if I give details or if I’m being vague, and has helped really connect to wires in my brain to understanding the depth of storytelling. While I am still working with them and working to get better, just having their teachings for about 6+ months has made both a difference in numbers but also with my understanding on connecting to people. I love the little community I am building of other people similar to me that are either neurodivergent and want to be heard or to other mainland Hawaiians that feel isolated and lonely being away from the islands. My advice for anyone wanting to grow is to make a schedule, consistency has helped me a ton with creating an audience. You don’t have to start off by posting 4 times a day like I do, because even I didn’t start off that way. You grow into it. Another thing I’d say is to be as vulnerable, open and detailed as possible about your stories even the details you think no one wants to hear because they do. You never know the connection you might make by being your absolute honest.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.teriunderhill.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kingrosalani/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kingrosalani
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KingRosalani
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdES5Wqx9oO1i_gMfK_LIow
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kingrosalani27
Image Credits
Main personal photo: Jo Allen Performing photos: Amy Nicholes Hawaiian attire photo: Johnson Photography