Daily Inspiration: Meet Natasha Brown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Natasha Brown.

Hi Natasha, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in South Carolina and I am a country girl at heart. In 2004 shortly before the birth of my first child, I started my blog as a way to escape and cultivate a space where I could share my journey as a young mother. During that time, there weren’t a lot of parenting blogs, and mostly they were kept online journals and forums. It was a different landscape than what it is now, but what I enjoyed is that 3-4 times a week, I was able to share and interact with others who may have been going through something similar to what I was.

In 2016 my sister and I got together and created Grits & Grace (my previous blog was My Beautiful Brown Life) as a way to celebrate our southern upbringing and living. We wanted to have a platform where African American southern parents could feel at home. There are times I would talk to my husband about my upbringing and he would say “huh” (he is from Chicago), and I would do the same with him. For instance, he would never walk outside barefoot. Fifty-five degrees to him is warm, and where we may get excited to see snow, he hates it (but I trust him to drive us in snowy weather since I have no experience with it).

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Social media has evolved so much that something that was once easy to share has become more difficult. Between 2004-2015, I felt like there was a much greater chance of building a community. While it is still possible today, it is nowhere near the same. Sites like MySpace, BlackPlanet, Babycenter became a wonderful space to interact with others who had similar interests. People were not afraid to be vulnerable or show their flaws. They were also more willing to share their wins, their businesses, something that I love to see others do. I do feel like we are getting back to that point. Especially with there being a major push to continue to support small/woman-owned/minority-owned businesses.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a southern lifestyle blogger and influencer. I run the website Grits & Grace, which is geared toward African American parents living in the south. I have always felt that the south gets a bad rep. There is no area that is all sunshine and rainbows, but when it comes to living and travel, it’s filled with so much hidden beauty and I want people from all walks of life to give it a chance.

One of the best features of my blog is the southern travel section. I am always getting questions about 24 hours getaways, hidden gems and things family can do in the southern states. Because I have a large family and sometimes we just like to jump the car and drive, I have been able to really find some amazing destinations that are not popular to share with my readers. When people look at parenting bloggers or even lifestyle bloggers, so much of what they do is focused in general terms. What I love about my platform is that I prefer to speak to one audience, and it’s the audience that I have the most experience with because it is what I live and breathe on a daily basis.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The influencer industry is going to continue to explode. We can see how Gen Z is taking the influencer game to the next level with Tik Tok and it is a beautiful thing to watch. There is so much hidden talent and creativity in everyone, and many people are finally able to reap the benefits of it. While there are still people who do not look at blogging or being an influencer as a formidable career (I even have people like that in my own family), I think the current landscape says otherwise. Media evolves and it is occurring right in front of us. Whether you have 800 followers or 800,000, we are all shaping the digital marketing landscape in one way or another.

Contact Info:

• Email: natasha@noirfluence.com
• Website: https://www.gritsngrace.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natashaburnsbrown
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gritsandgracetheblog
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/NatashaVBrown1