Vanessa Chen

Intro: (00:00:00) Hey guys, welcome to Asian Hustle Network Podcast, my name is Brya and my name is Maggie. We interview Asian entrepreneurs around the world to amplify their voices and empower Asians to pursue their dreams and goals. We believe that each person has a message and a unique story from their entrepreneurial journey that they can share with all of us.

Maggie: (00:00:23) Today we have a very special guest with us, her name is Vanessa. Vanessa is a social media content creator who loves to experiment with various fashions. She’s a recently graduated student with an inquisitive line who likes to put a twist on current trends and make that her own Vanessa, welcome to the show.

Vanessa: (00:00:52) Well, thank you for having me here,

Bryan: (00:00:54) We’re so excited to be your first podcast episode ever! We will start with the first question, Vanessa, tell us about yourself and tell us about your upbringing. What was that like?

Vanessa: (00:01:06) Maggie did a really great job of introducing me in regards to my upbringing, I’m from this really small town in New Hampshire called Pelham, and growing up, I was one of the only if not like seriously, one of the only Asian kids in my high school. So going into college was such a cultural shock for me.

Bryan: (00:01:30) I’m curious as you mentioned, the cultural shock. What was culturally shocking about transitioning from your hometown into like life in college?

Vanessa: (00:01:50) I think a lot of Asian Americans can kind of relate to this is like, when I grew up, whenever the food is brought to lunch, people were like, whoa, what is that? They were kind of like cringe and surprised by what I ate and then going into college, I had hot pot for the first time, which to a lot of my other Asian American friends, they were like, you can never have hot pot before.

That’s wild and it was kind of weird because while I am Asian-American and I have a lot of Asian cuisine and traditions integrated into my life. My parents were always big on assimilation in order to fit in and so when I got to college, I was kind of able to get even more in touch with my roots. So I think that was really cool. And just seeing people that had similar lives to me, was really eye-opening. 

Maggie: (00:02:42) I love that you shared that. It’s just interesting hearing from no different Asian experiences, right? How you do have parents who really want to assimilate into a new country or in America, because they want to sit in and make sure that their children learn English as soon as possible.

Like my parents stressed and urge me to like only speak Chinese in the household and they were like, you’re going to learn English in school anyway. So, just like speak Chinese all the time and don’t worry about anything else. So it’s just interesting hearing those different dynamics.

Bryan: (00:03:18) It’s interesting to hear for sure, as Maggie and I mentioned, we grew up in California and like people went to high school that was like 98%. I want to hear more about that too because I want to hear about have you always been prideful to be Asian? Have you tried to hide the fact that you were Asian at what point was a turning point for you? 

Vanessa: (00:03:56) I would say definitely when I was younger. So throughout elementary school, and especially in middle school, I was not proud to be Asian. I think it was just because again, like little stereotypical comments that were made by classmates or some profiling going on. I wasn’t proud of it at the time.  I really just didn’t understand, like what makes me so different than all the other kids, not to say that I was bullied by any means, but I definitely felt like an outsider. So when I was younger, I would slap on really heavy makeup or like try to pretend I had a cut crease experiment like that.

I think it was really in high school when I decided, there was nothing wrong with me. I should be proud of who I am and where my parents are from and like the language, they speak everything about me makes me. So I think the turning point was really high school and then again, college really solidified the fact that now I have this community that I’m just super grateful to be a part of

Maggie: (00:04:58) I love hearing that. I love that you grew into this person where you’re like there’s nothing wrong with me. And I went through something very similar because before, oh, I’m actually very petite. So I like shorter than five feet. So in school, in grade school, I would always see Caucasian women who would be tall and skinny. And I’d be like, I wish I looked like that nut then as you grow older, you really learned to basically you are, and you went through that experience.

Bryan: (00:05:27) I’m kind of curious too, because as you mentioned, you kind of grew into this person that you were very comfortable with who you are and it really reflects, struck your entire content. Right? Like we looked through your tech talks and Instagram was like, well, like she’s so confident and then we find out like, you’re still in college. I’m like, wow. Like that’s totally the opposite. How I wasn’t causing, like in college, I wasn’t very bad. I wasn’t very competent. I want to hear about like, discovering yourself and like knowing yourself, how that translated to your content because your content it’s extremely authentic. It’s extremely genuine looking at it. This is who we see, and this is who we get and how did you integrate that into your content creation process.

Vanessa: (00:06:06) I would definitely say that they kind of had an intertwined relationship. So my content creation and my confidence kind of grew together and they both kind of help each other. When I first started content creation. Well, I’ve been taking like photoshoots, little quote-unquote photoshoots of myself since like middle school, and then it all really started picking up in quarantine and that’s where I am now. So when I started, I think I used photos as a way to really push out my confidence. It’s kind of like a fake it till you pick it type scenario in some ways. Right? Like I felt like if I portrayed this confidence through my photos, I would eventually start to integrate that into my own life and I really feel like that’s what’s happened. Now the confidence that you see on my phone As you said is true. It is authentic. I really feel that within myself. So I think they just helped each other grow a lot.

Maggie: (00:07:02) That’s so amazing. I know that you posted a lot of videos of clearly you like comparing photos that you used to take before, and there were also fashion-related photos to you, and then you would kinda light, switch it into the photos that you take now, and you can see the differences and like wow she’s improved so much now. I agree, I also took photos of myself in middle school. I would like to give these disposable cameras to my mom and be like, take a photo of myself in our house, but then I would like, to look back at them like, oh my God. I was like, what do I do? But yeah, I just love how, how much you have seen yourself grow. And you realize that yourself, I do want to know when you were starting to. What was your first viral video? What was it of?

Vanessa: (00:07:52) I actually specifically remember this video and I specifically remember when I went viral because it was such an amazing moment. The first video was about how I style graphic tees and it was on Instagram. And I think the reason it went so viral is that I caught Instagram reels at just a beautiful time when it was just starting off. It was trying to do the tick talk trends not a lot of people were posting on reels. So at that time, my video was able to gain a lot of visibility.

All of the viewers only went to a couple of videos of like the few creators who were making them at the time and I remember it was like the craziest, like an out-of-body experience when it hit like 1 million views, I was like, wow, this is insane. Because at the time I think I only had, like, when I started 1.5 K followers on Instagram, I didn’t even have a TikTok. I don’t think I didn’t have a YouTube and so it was just really incredible, but also really terrifying at the same time to suddenly be cast in so many people’s eyes and like starting to read the comments. I remember it was just like a very amazing experience, but also just very scary at the same time.

Bryan: (00:09:08) Every viral video, there’s always the support but then there always comes a lot of hate comments, like really random hate comments. How are you hating on my t-shirt? I just don’t get it. How do you deal with the haters and all that stuff? Because I know that you’re relatively new to the scene and I’m pretty sure it has impacted you at the very beginning, have you checked those comments?\

Vanessa: (00:09:40) It’s still a work in progress, of course. I’d love to say like haters, who cares about them, there are trolls, but I’m a human, and it still definitely affects me. Like you said, though, a lot more at the beginning. I remember when things started taking traction, my boyfriend, Jason, was like Vanessa, I don’t know if you’re cut out for this. He didn’t mean that as an insult, like, oh, you suck. No, it was more like, he knows I’m a very sensitive person and I care deeply about what other people think of me probably too much, which is why he was nervous for me just because. With a lot of spotlight on you, of course, comes a lot of appreciation and support, but also a lot of negativity.

And I think as humans, we tend to zero in on the negativity and like explode it. So that’s what I did at first. But I think as I’m getting older, I’m getting more accustomed to this. I think it’s just really important to remind myself that honestly, they don’t matter. So it’s really, really hard, but the trolls don’t matter. But I think at the same time, it is so important to not let positivity change how you view yourself as well.

I’m so immensely grateful for the support and the nice comments that I get, but I have to try really hard to not let those fuel my own confidence in myself. Like my confidence has to come from within me. Not from anybody. So I can’t let the negative comments or the positive comments get to me because at that point then you start expecting things and then that just leads down to a bad road of expectations and that’s kind of the 2 cents I’ve kind of learned from all.

Bryan: (00:11:39) That’s one of the best things I heard all day, right? No one ever, no one ever talks about like, they’ll let the positive change you. Yeah, I absolutely agree. I definitely know what you mean and you had to keep yourself grounded in some ways, essentially like being who you are. Don’t let other, people’s spend to change you because if you’re going to feel bad, but like I ended the day, so you make your own decisions and I really respect.

Maggie: (00:12:17)  Yeah, totally agree. I mean we never really hear that people normally just say like, don’t let the negative negativity get to you, which is true. But then people don’t only talk about the positive comments and how that can affect you as well, or like, feel your equal point where you can’t really return. But then it sounded like your boyfriend knows that you have such a good head on your shoulders and you kind of like figured it out. Right. And you don’t really let the negativity or the plus be influenced so much. And then she kind of went like, I just let her do what her, what she wants to do.

Vanessa: (00:13:03) I feel like every time I talk to people about, I’m literally plagiarizing what he’s telling me, because like, I’m like don’t let all the positivity or like he was the one who told me that he’s been so supportive and so helpful. He helps me see things in a different light because he’s always the one that I go to when I freak out that trolls, it’s something new.

He’s always the one who grounds me and says, hey, it doesn’t matter at the end of the day like you’re doing you’re succeeding. They just want to bring you down. And one last thing I wanted to say about like the whole positivity on social media, it really becomes like such a negative cycle because.

People get like obsessed with social media, not even just influencers. I think everybody when they see the little light icon refresh, refresh, refresh, how many likes can I get? Right. And that’s really such a negative cycle that people get sucked into. Let’s say on average, you get like a hundred likes and then the next day you get like fishy and then you start doubting yourself, right. And your shirt saying like, what did I do wrong? Like, what’s wrong with me? And that’s really what I try to stay away from.

Maggie: (00:14:11) I absolutely agree and you bring up a really great point. I mean when you first started getting big, I want to talk about that too, did you struggle with separating your own self-esteem from social media? As you mentioned, there are obviously a lot of ups and downs with content creation and fighting the algorithm one day and then the next day another video isn’t doing so well and that can get to you like that can make you think, like what, what did I do wrong? What did I do wrong today? Like I spent so much time on this one video that I thought would go viral. It didn’t. How did you kind of change your mindset and outlook on that?

Vanessa: (00:14:49)  I think that one, I very specifically had to change my behavior. I guess you could say when I first started I wouldn’t do the refresh, I would have trashed how many views have I gotten? How many comments? I would four through all the comments but I think now I kind of set it and forget it. I posted a video. I try not to put too many expectations on it, if it does really well, then, you know, amazing. And if it is. It’s okay. I’ve kind of learned that it’s not always in your hands.

And I think for me, I’m a very type, a person who likes needs to be in control of the situation. It was kind of a hard shift for me to figure out and say, Hey, some things are out of your hand, this mysterious element. Just, just pretend it’s the mysterious algorithm deciding your fate because if you put too much pressure on yourself and say like, The outcome of the video is how hard you worked or how well you’re doing, how good you are. You know, that’s just back in the really, really negative. So I kind of just do what I like create the content that I love, push it out into the world and then we’ll see how it goes.

Bryan: (00:15:54)  I guess that’s a good segue way to talk a little more about the algorithm part too because you are a software or a CS graduate that’s graduated as Summa cum laude, right? Like 1%. We’re gonna have you write your own algorithm at this point because it just makes a lot more sense.

Vanessa: (00:16:14) I think you’re giving me a little bit too much credit and that’s prior. Yeah. So I graduated recently, so I graduate in December with a computer science degree. I know a lot of people let me get up because I didn’t graduate with such high honors. I mean, what did I say? Computer science? My passion is definitely not at this point. I think if I was in the field right now, because I am a content creator, full-time now I think if I wasn’t in computer science fields, I would find a lot of joy in it.

Bryan: (00:16:53) I also have a confession as well. I also graduated with computer science but I don’t even use any of it and it’s so sad. 

Vanessa: (00:17:10) Honestly, that kind of haunts me too. I’m like, wow. I did so well and now it’s just collecting dust. My diploma is just collecting just on the shell.

Bryan: (00:17:20) I want to hear about your like thought process behind late your decision. Decision-making. Behind your career, right? Because like, I’m pretty sure your parents had expectations that Vanessa can be a software engineer.

I want to hear what made you lean towards being a creator and how hard the decision might have been for you? Because as you mentioned, what you spent so much time and effort studying for your degree in. You’re not using it.

Vanessa: (00:17:55) At first it was a lot more challenging again like a lot of Asian parents are stereotypical and can be very strict and have high expectations of their children. My parents definitely fall into that category.

So they expected a lot from me in regards to financial status, as well as this kind of job you have. So at first, it was definitely a big shift for them. They were relatively supportive.

I was attending zoom university. We really didn’t talk about it. It wasn’t until the money started rolling around in all honesty that they started saying, okay, maybe this is serious. Maybe this is actually something that she can capitalize on. I do remember though, I actually secured a job internship over the summer and I think it was last summer and I actually, or excuse me, whatever summers ago.

And I actually declined it, and it was the most terrifying experience, especially telling my mom, being like, Hey mom, I’m like, yeah, you got that job. Do you view it? Yeah, I got the job, but I actually said no. And it was very scary, very scary for like the next 10 minutes. But after a lot of communication, she was like, do you know what.

I believe in you. Like, I trust you. I see your drive. I see you, even though we don’t really talk about it. I see you working your ass off every single day making these videos and ever since then, really none of us had really looked back. I would say, obviously for me, this is a really, really big passion.

So for me, it was like a no-brainer, right? For your suing and content creation for my parents. I think this sounds really negative, but I think really the money is what made them say like, okay, she’s doing fine. Like she’s stable. Probably making more than she’d be making in the computer science field. So like, that’s kind of what got their blessing. But at the end of the day, I’m just really glad to have their blessing, to have them being so supportive. 

Bryan: (00:20:01) I’m really glad your parents are very supportive for myself. It’s a little bit different. I have to wait until I get my master’s degree until I tell them well, I actually worked at a software here for 10 years. I remember the day that I quit my job and my mom and dad actually stopped talking to me for six months. They’re like, I can’t believe you quit your job. I was like, so I really liked the fact that your parents are very, very supportive, but again, like there’s a key difference, right?

Maggie: (00:20:55) That’s awesome and you mentioned when you told us about how this may sound bad, but we only started doing, we started to, to your parents about it more when the money started coming in and I feel like that happens to a lot of Asian children of immigrants who have a side hustle. Because we can barely talk about it to our parents because we know that they will understand. 

They just don’t want us to suffer how they did and some are immigrants and they didn’t really have anything on their backs when they came here to like, they’re struggling to make money and they just want us to miss to be stable. They just want us to have a stable job. 

It was the same thing with me, like when I quit my full-time job to work on AHN, I didn’t even tell my parents and then Bryan had posted it like an announcement on the Facebook group and I forgot it. Like mom she liked the posts and the whole time, she knew that I didn’t have a W2, but like, we still didn’t talk about it.

Even though I wasn’t doing what she wanted me to do, which was to have a stable job with benefits and a good retirement plan at the same time, she like understood, like this is something that we were extremely passionate about, and this is what drives us. And I feel like that same thing happened with her to your parents as well. 

Bryan: (00:22:23) You mentioned earlier about your mom and dad’s seen how hard you work on your content creation rate. We noticed that too like you’re remarkably consistent like you’ve reinvested into better, better quality every single time. Like their picture quality is definitely increased, your video quality and so has your editing skills!

It definitely went through the roof, I don’t even know-how how even made those transitions anymore. It’s so easy. So I want to hear about your planning process because I think I saw some on your  IG stories a couple of months ago where you had, you literally had a whiteboard of like,  okay, this content goal is here is a content goes there, like how much planning and concentration and the skills you have to wrap up. Because I feel like not everyone could plan. How did you pick up those skillsets and become more consistent?

Vanessa: (00:23:20) I think again, being a type-A personality definitely helped and contributed in school all throughout high school, and college. I focused all of my efforts on education and then now that I’ve graduated, I’ve just shifted that energy toward my job. I’m definitely a workaholic to be a little bit too much. I definitely need to like to slow down sometimes because I’m afraid I’m going to like burn out. But in regards to planning, I guess I’m just very attentive to detail.

It’s not anything that like I have to force myself to do. It’s not like, okay, Vanessa, you need to start picking up the pieces. I feel like I need to, or else my brain just doesn’t function unless everything’s in order, everything’s in a time slot, and everything’s accounted for in my bullet journal.

But in regards to like a day to day, how I plan my content every night, like that typically at the beginning of the week, I plan out my bullet journal. I lay out all of my deadlines. Because a big portion of my income comes from sponsorships and those sponsorships come with deadlines.

So those are my first priority and make sure you get that content out the door before that deadline. Then in the time that I have between, I of course try to figure out what kind of content I want for my own personal feed, because that’s also super, super significant. Obviously, that’s how you grow your audience and half the platform I have today, but I honestly think a lot of like the content ideas that spring up in my head a lot of, it just come from mindlessly scrolling through TikTok sometimes, and trying to draw inspiration from other creators that I see.

I know at the beginning it was really, really hard for me trying to figure out, okay, how do I bring something new to the table every single day? Because in such an internet-driven society, now, people just want to see new things all the time. Everything’s viral, everything’s fast, fast, like new ideas out there.

And at first, it was just so hard for me to keep up and feel like I’m staying relevant, but I think I’m at this pretty comfortable place now where if I feel like my content is getting a little stale and I need to freshen it up and I’m just kind of in a roadblock, one thing that’s really great is I can go through my old archive of videos and revamped the video.

Take my old content and recreate it with a twist. So I feel like at this point, moving forward like everything is fresh or everything is just a revamp of the old and I’ll never run out of ideas.

Maggie: (00:25:52) I love that so much. I mean, I absolutely agree with you. I think oftentimes we get so caught up like the moment when we’re just scrolling through to try to find inspiration and trying to find so much information that it’s like everything will also apply to your specific style, but then it’s, it’s just so much, it’s, it’s a lot like you can just like mindlessly scroll into the top for hours and hours and hours. But I love that you are going back to your old content to see if you can get inspiration from it.

That will bit will also still apply to your style and the transitions with the zooming end and make out as well as the cloning runway style is definitely your thing where at least you were the first that I had seen to do that. When did you realize, like you finally had kind of like their style down and shape? Yeah,

Vanessa: (00:26:46) The moment really hit me is when I saw other creators start recreating things that I had done and I think for me that was just like, whoa, like, wait a minute beause I’ve always looked to other content creators for inspiration and big dreams, like, okay, this is the kind of content I want to start creating.

One day when I get there, I want something similar and to see other people following the trends that I’ve started. Like, that’s just really, really cool. Moment, such a moment that you like sit back and you’re like, wow, like I’ve grown so far and I’m just so appreciative of like the journey and everything.

So definitely mind-blowing, especially, especially when it comes to content creators that I follow really closely that I’ve been following for years when I see them take inspiration for me or when they follow me back, it’s just like, wow. As they noticed me, they, they see me as like an equal in this space and to me, that’s just really, really cool.

Bryan: (00:27:47) We see you as a pioneer of the newer generation of social media and we can’t wait to see how things continue to unfold for you. But there’s a burning question I want to ask because I noticed a huge upgrade in your like quality of content and editing skills. So what kind of software and equipment and lighting do you have?  I’m curious and I wanna hear more about it.

Vanessa: (00:28:11) So that is definitely one of my most asked questions. People are always asking for tutorials and how I edit. So firstly, I filmed everything on my iPhone, 12 pro I don’t like using a DSLR or anything, to be honest, I don’t know how to use it.

So I just use my iPhone. The most important aspect when it comes to lighting for me is to always use natural lighting. I think it just reflects the best. It translates the best and so I do most of my videos and content in front of a huge window, right. When the sun is out and sometimes I’ll use a little light to add to it, but I never just use artificial lighting.

And I think that’s really important in regards to editing software. Again, a lot of people ask what app do I use? Can I show you a tutorial? And it’s a little bit tricky because I edit everything on my desk. And so I use final cut pro on my Mac. So that is what I use. I used to use premiere pro-Adobe. Yeah, but I switched because I felt that final cut pro is a lot smoother on the Mac.

Maggie: (00:29:28) It was supposed to just show that Vanessa was just recording or feeding on content at the same time every single day. So I’m like, that’s a big part on like, consistency. I love that.

Bryan: (00:29:38) I know consistency is a key to success, right? You have to be consistent with everything that you do. I think sort to find balance too because too much consistency is also kind of bad in some ways because you don’t have that. You’re always on you can’t turn it off and I want to spend some time talking about mental health with you and how you take care of yourself because we see you turn off all content almost every single day, and you’re a type a personality, so there’s no way you’re gonna stop.

I want to hear about, like, how have you liked taking the measures to care for your mental health? Or were there days where you’re just like, damn like I have to do this? Like, it’s just crazy. I want to hear about your mental health and the up and downs that you have.

Vanessa: (00:30:25) So, firstly, I want to preface again how insanely grateful I am to have this as my career and to have somebody people supporting me and they’re in my, every move with that said, though, I think every career in the whole world has its pros and cons and I think it’s such a misconception that influencers, content creators at the end of the day, I can only speak for myself, but I do feel like because of the way. I portray myself online, people think I’m living this very glamorous life of like shopping trips or photoshoots and eating out. In reality, it’s literally me and my cat in our apartment filming every single day.

And there are tons and tons of days where I wake up and I’m just like, I do not want to do this. I don’t want to throw my makeup on, I don’t want to put on clothes. I just wanted to stay in bed, especially on days where I have like artist’s block, I guess you could say when the creative juices aren’t flowing, and like mentioned consistency is great.

Insistency is how you grow and how you keep yourself on schedule. But at the same time, it can be a little bit depressing in a sentence that every day it’s like, yeah, you’re filming different things. I read it. But every day it’s basically the same grind. It’s always like this is my dream job, but at the same time, a nine to five is also doing the same thing every day.

And I think the challenge is figuring out how to keep things spicy for me and how to make my days more interesting for myself because I don’t want it to feel like a nine to five and especially, I think. When it comes to being a content creator, you don’t get to switch off, right?

Like your life is your job. And so like, even on days on the weekends, if I’m going out with Jason or doing something fun if I don’t document that online, I’ll feel guilty or I’ll feel like oh, I’m not milking the moment. And I think for me, it’s really, really important to know when to switch off, you know?

So nowadays. I’ve kind of forced myself at 5:00 PM don’t check emails. Don’t really go online, just live in the moment and spend time with Jason put your feet up because again, it can be really, really scary when it’s. Every single day, you have to put your, put your social media face on. And sometimes I just want to chill and watch Netflix.

Bryan: (00:32:55) That’s so relatable that they use so much for being so transparent with us on that side and that’s what we need to hear. That’s what more people need to care about. It’s like it’s ups and down to each side, but like how you reframe everything from those boundaries from being very strict for yourself and your personal health and your mental health and relationship-wise. So thanks for sharing that. I know you mentioned earlier, too, that though you work with sponsorships and that’s the majority of your income, what has been your experience with sponsors? Have you done most of the outreach to sponsors or do you reach out to them?

Vanessa: (00:33:30) So I have an amazing, incredible management team. So they help me with all the negotiations all the contracts, all the legal jargon, everything like that, and they’re just amazing. So shout out to Mike and Alina cause you guys are at the rock, but I would say my experience with sponsorships has been great, honestly, especially since signing on with my management.

I think before when I first started off and I was by myself, it was a really, really scary world to navigate, especially because people don’t talk about the money that they’re earning, especially content creators. Like people don’t talk about it so when it came to negotiations, I was getting low-balled a lot and I had no clue, but then I started working with my management team and they had been doing great and getting me what they think I deserve, but the majority of companies I believe reached out to me.

And then what usually happens is if it’s something worthwhile or something that I’m interested in, I’ll usually forward that to my management team. There are also a couple of instances where they have a huge network of people. They know if a company that they’ve worked with before has like a new campaign and they think that’d be a good fit, then they’ll pitch me for that.

First, I requested that because I like seeing full transparency of what’s going on, and what deals are coming to my door. I like having that one-on-one interaction with the brands initially, as opposed to all of them getting sheltered to them straight away from me. That’s really important.

Maggie: (00:35:28) They really liked that and I think every different agency does it differently, but I like the idea of having the emails come to you and I absolutely agree. I think that when you’re just starting out on your own, it’s hard to know what your value is or what you should throw your rate out, but to have a team be able to like guide you and tell you can charge a lot more for this, which is what a lot of online creators don’t realize.

I feel like you are undervaluing themselves and putting out a rate that they think is good, but oftentimes it’s a lot lower than what they could possibly get.

Vanessa: (00:36:06) Yeah, it’s such a lucrative business that I think a lot of people don’t realize. I mean, genuinely, I think the way that things are going, it’s going to be the main source of advertising for the majority of companies. If not all, because social media is just such a powerhouse.

Bryan: (00:36:22) Yeah, absolutely agree with that statement. And Vanessa, I know we’re getting close to the end of our podcast and I want to want to hear what’s next for you? Like, what is your goals? Do you want to be a full-time model? Do you want to be an actress eventually, but where do you see yourself living and being in the next five to 10 years?

Vanessa: (00:36:42)I mean to be an actress is probably out of my cards. I’m a terrible liar. I don’t think I could do that but as of right now, my current plan is to continue growing my audience and growing this connection with so many different people. The near future foreseeable future. I would love to launch my own clothing line. That’s been something that I’ve been dreaming about since I was like six, when I was little, I would literally like a doodle in the margins, like dresses and stuff that I would make up. So I think for me, that’s the next.

Bryan: (00:37:21) One question for you that I’m just personally curious about, just like watching all the videos and content and you have so many clothes that I’m just very curious. Well, where do you get to sit a little bit that close? Like how big is your closet to organize all that?

Vanessa: (00:37:45) So right now I am in a single bedroom apartment shared with Jason. So our closet is not huge. Let’s just say it’s my closet. You had a slight tuber find words, minutely, but people always ask me for like a faucet. And I’m like, no, you can not look in my closet. Maybe one day when I get a house and like, I can build like a closet, like as of right now, it’s a disaster zone. No, but I do have a deep hop, so I sell a lot of programming. So that’s, that’s always a constant thing on my to-do list is empty my closet will literally not hold any good to that.

Bryan: (00:38:28) We’re getting the inside skill pair. So D pop guys buy as clothes again, begging you hear me? I know, I know. I keep saying they all needed the podcast, but kind of curious too, like, are most feel closely by yourselves, or are they sponsored?

Vanessa: (00:38:44) They’re mostly sponsored majority. This is probably the best part of my job because  I’ve always been kind of a shopaholic and I’ve always loved buying clothes, so that’s definitely a problem. Okay. And I’m not actually, but it’s a, it’s a really great part of the job. The majority of them are usually sent by brands.

Bryan: (00:39:05) Awesome. All right. I said I’m going to be able to fashion personnel cause probably free clothes to who doesn’t right. So I guess we have one final question for you and then the question is. So Vanessa, how for a new concentrator that’s relatively young, right? Let’s say they’re still in college and they’re hitting a very high level of success. How can this person stay true to who they are? And not let everything change them. 

Vanessa: (00:39:40) I guess not to regurgitate what I was saying before, but basically don’t let anything affect you other than yourself. You know, again, getting compliments is great, but just because somebody says you’re pretty, or somebody says your success. None of that matters unless you feel that in yourself to really stay true to yourself is to listen to your audience because when they criticize you, there’s always something that you should think about and question about yourself, but don’t let anybody’s opinion of you define who you are.

And I just feel like by doing that, you’ll, I don’t know. Like, I, I will see myself as like, as I Neisha time, I assume it’s always been us and all my friends and family and they see me as. This goofy kid. So, and I think I’m being part of it. It’s just not letting other people affect me.

Maggie: (00:40:30) I love that you are pretty goofy. I watched your YouTube videos. That’s why we love you. Like your personality is so cute.

Vanessa: (00:40:38) I think along I could, well, don’t see that to be right until they see my huge nerd and they’re like, whoa, she’s very.

Maggie: (00:40:45) I love it. So where can our listeners find out more about you online?

Vanessa: (00:40:51) My Instagram and YouTube are both vivacious.honey

Maggie: (00:41:05) We will leave all of that in our show notes for this episode. Thank you so much for sharing your story.

Vanessa: (00:41:14) Thank you for having me.

Bryan: (00:41:18) We are honored to be your first podcast ever!