Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Terrica Mathis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Terrica, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
For me and my cohosts, becoming podcasters and running a YouTube channel was definitely a trial and error process. We had a ton of ideas and we knew the content we wanted to create and the direction we wanted to go but we didn’t quite know how to get there. It took a lot of googling and a lot of experimenting before we finally fell into a grove and got a routine down. I think our biggest obstacle was and still is, our distance. We live in 3 different time zones and we all also have full time jobs outside of our podcast and channel. At times it can be hard to coordinate schedules. We are leagues better than when we started but we are constantly learning and finding new ways to improve. I don’t think there was a way to speed up our learning process. I like that we dove right in and tried different ways to make things work. That’s the great thing about being a creative. As long as you’re making the content that you are proud and it’s not harmful or hurtful to others, there’s now right or wrong way and no singular path.
Terrica, 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?
For me and my cohosts, becoming podcasters and running a YouTube channel was definitely a trial and error process. We had a ton of ideas and we knew the content we wanted to create and the direction we wanted to go but we didn’t quite know how to get there. It took a lot of googling and a lot of experimenting before we finally fell into a grove and got a routine down. I think our biggest obstacle was and still is, our distance. We live in 3 different time zones and we all also have full time jobs outside of our podcast and channel. At times it can be hard to coordinate schedules. We are leagues better than when we started but we are constantly learning and finding new ways to improve. I don’t think there was a way to speed up our learning process. I like that we dove right in and tried different ways to make things work. That’s the great thing about being a creative. As long as you’re making the content that you are proud and it’s not harmful or hurtful to others, there’s now right or wrong way and no singular path.
I am 1/4 of Not Your Average Fangirls or NYAF for short. We are four best friends who run a kpop podcast and YouTube channel. Keeping up with the world of kpop can be pretty overwhelming at times so our podcast helps take the load off of you by recapping any major news and music comebacks that you may have missed the previous week. We also do album reviews and discuss topics and debates within the fandom. On our YouTube channel we do music video reactions and both fan and artist interviews. Everything we create is all from a fan perspective which is what we love most about our content. As fans who genuinely love the music and the kpop community, we are able to not only relate to and understand fans but, we also know a great deal about the artists we cover and their music. To me, that’s what sets us apart. We love to refer to ourselves as professional fangilrs because we take our passion for this genre and translate it to being professionals in kpop media without compromising who we are at our core, fans. Many people may hear the word fangirl and automatically stereotype us. To them fangirls are crazed teenagers who are more obsessed with how the artists look instead of the quality of the music they make. This is completely untrue. Fangirls and fanboys are diverse. They are passionate people of different races, ethnicities, genders, and ages who have created a fun and unique community. Fans and fandom are the heart of musical artists and are the driving force behind some of their success. They support their favorite artists by streaming, buying albums and merchandise, and promoting their artists’ music. The kpop fandom community is a fun and special atmosphere where people can make new friends, enjoy new experiences and cultures and have a safe space to share mutual interests with others. That is why I am most proud of the fact that we constantly make sure that the content we create is something fans can connect to and be proud of no matter how many clicks or views or likes we get. We truly are for the fans by fans striving to showcase the positivity of kpop fandom and change the negative stereotypes some may have. Fandom is powerful and is capable of doing amazing things.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I’ve mentioned before that the four of us live in 3 different states. Between the time zones and our personally schedules it would have been very easy to just get frustrated and give up but, our love for what we do is what drives us to continue. When people ask us where we are based and we tell them, Texas, Florida, and Washington, we get the most confused looks. The question we get the most is “how do you run a podcast and a YouTube channel from 3 different locations!?” And the answer is through compromise and resilience. When schedules got too crazy and things got hard we could have easily given up but we didn’t. I believe that our friendship is what allows us to persevere. We work hard for each other and we give each other strength. Living so far from each other isn’t easy and we have to work at it everyday but, our friendship and mutual love of what we do is what drives us to continue. Never give up on something that you love no matter how hard it can get. Doing what you love is always worth the effort.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Being a creative is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. I think it’s very important to be able to have an outlet or a safe space outside of everyday life stressors to be able to just escape and relax and connect with others. That’s what our podcast and YouTube channel is for us. We are able to share our ideas with others through these outlets and provide comfort to others through fun and laughter. These past few years have been hard for a lot of us. People felt isolated and lonely and were in need of something to connect them to others and uplift their spirits. That is what we try to provide through our content. We take our passions and what we love and share it with others in the hopes of helping them feel less alone. To let them know that there is someone out there who enjoys the same things they do. Especially with us being women color, we want other Black and Latine fans out there to see us and know that yes, we are kpop fans too and we get you! We try to set up our podcast episodes and music video reactions in a way where our listeners and watchers feel like they are talking to and hanging out with friends. There is no greater feeling than reading their comments joining in on our conversation or telling us how much they enjoy listening to us. We love connecting with everyone that comes across our content. That is what is most important and rewarding to me. If we have made at least one person laugh, at least one person feel seen and less alone, then we have done our job as creators.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.notyouraveragefangirls.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/nyafangirls?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/nyafangirls?s=21&t=wW5f-n33kor1y7bE6mvHLA
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/NYAFangirls
- Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nyafangirls?_t=8VO7G9Avynb&_r=1