Life & Work with Jai Grey of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jai Grey.

Hi Jai, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started creating content when I was in high school (10th grade). During that time I didn’t have a clear direction of what I wanted to do nor the kind of creator that I wanted to be, I just propped my phone up and hit record with whatever idea I had. However, once I started college I wanted to focus on life and just ended up putting the camera down for that moment, even though I originally had plans to document my college life. Fast forward into how I got to where I am now, about 2-3 years ago I had wanted to get back into it. However, I wanted to be more intentional this go around so at first I focused on skincare and fashion but eventually it transferred to all things beauty and lifestyle. I wanted to share my personal journeys and share what I learned to do and not to do with others. Not only that but there aren’t many larger black gay beauty creators in the space and there really wasn’t anyone that really answered my own questions that I had specifically when it came to hair care and even soft glam, so I figured why don’t I fill this gap and from there is where I grew and still continue to grow.

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?
In theory you’d think that creating content would be easy but it’s not there are things that has to be done beforehand. I will say the only smooth part for me was the brainstorming and execution of my video or idea. Other than that it was pretty rocky starting off, for instance it’s very easy to want to compare yourself and your growth to other creators. In the beginning I found myself questioning my work and if I had purpose in the field because so many others were growing so fast around me but I quickly learned that this journey was my own so I snapped of it quickly. However, the other struggle was learning contract termination and negotiating on deals, no one really tells you how to negotiate on deals nor how to read them and truly understand what you’re reading or even what it’s missing. So I had to do a lot of research in them to make sure that I fully understood what the contract read and I wanted to negotiate on certain terms or what not. Overall I’d say those were my two biggest struggles.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a social media content creator, I create content within different niches but I more so specialize in hair care content and that is what I’m most known for. I’m very proud of how much my content has been able to help so many people and has gotten them to learn to nurture their own crown at home. When I create, I’m not creating to necessarily be on trend I’m creating because I’m answering my own personal questions. Just in general for me I want my work, no matter the form, to always be something that I can refer to learn from and grow from it to create something better and I think that’s what sets me apart from other creatives

What was your favorite childhood memory?
I would say on my 9th birthday my mom surprised me with a Nintendo DSi along with Pokémon Platinum and that was the first gaming console I had. I remember playing that game the whole summer and I actually still have it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allaboutjaig?igsi=ZTJoZWd1MnhicXQ%3D&utm_source=qr
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@allaboutjaig?_r=1&_t=ZT-99Qoc2TfDKw