We were lucky to catch up with Yahzmine Yael recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Yahzmine thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I have always had a passion for the arts. I grew up as a classically trained dancer, played instruments, took photography courses. It’s always been something dear to me. Before I knew what a content creator or influencer was, I was creating content the way I liked to express myself. I used VSCO, I was an avid Tumblr user, Flipagram and Triller were my best friends. But I never thought I could be the people I’d see on some of those apps. In 2019, I began to hold branding workshops for women in Kansas City. I started to really dive into the world of graphic design and video editing so that I could promote my events and that’s where I started to feel I could take this more serious. I had about 9,000 followers on instagram and one day I got a message from a marketing agent for Dunkin. They offered me my first paid collaboration. This is when I realized that I could also be those people I used to see working with different brands.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Yahzmine Yael, Kansas City native, and a senior at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. I’ve been on social media since 2013, but I started my journey as a content creator in 2019. I create content for different brands to promote their products or events and I typically do this through reels. My niches are Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle and my content is catered towards accessibility for women. I feel like the vibe of my content is urban chic meets the it girl. In my content I am typically the face so every product or event I review is coming from my personal reflection. However, I am about to start my User-Generated Content (UGC) journey where I can just create beautiful and engaging content for brands to utilize that’s less personal to me. I have done many different things in this industry so far from event recaps to livestream hosting. It’s important to me to be myself when I create content. I don’t want to be the person that takes an opportunity that I have no real connection with. I pride myself on being authentic in my work. Trends are fun, but I try not to follow the “guidelines” of what a creator is supposed to look like or be. I want my audience to see me as relatable. This is why accessibility is important for me in my work. Everything I post is attainable for the everyday woman.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Truthfully, I wish I knew that back when I only had 4,000 followers, I could still be a content creator because I had something valuable to offer. Back in the 2010’s “content creator” and “influencer” weren’t words we regularly used. So you just assumed that those people were always famous, but they started somewhere too. Now the market is a bit oversaturated and it can be hard to break into. It’s discouraging sometimes looking back thinking “if I knew then what I knew now.” It’s almost like you’re starting over. But I’m confident in myself and my abilities.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect is the value I bring to people in real life. I have gotten so many messages through the years from women that I have inspired in some way with my content and that is what truly brings me happiness in this. Being paid by a brand is cool, but knowing that something I said or did helped someone else is so much better.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yahzmineyael/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@yahzmineyael
- Other: Yahzmine Yael on TikTok and Pinterest