We’re so pumped about our conversation with Deandra James. Deandra is a Blogger, Podcaster and is also a content partner. Content partners help Voyage in so many ways from spreading the word about the work that we do, sponsoring our mission and collaborating with us on content like this. Check out our conversation with Deandra below.
Deandra, it’s been too long since we last connected. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts with our community again. Some readers might have missed our prior conversations, so maybe you can kick things off for us with a quick intro?
Hello, my name is Deandra and I am a 26-year-old content creator residing in Georgia. Though going to college and graduating with a Bachelors in Psychology, instead I went a different route and am now the owner of a lifestyle blog (theblackprincessdiaries.com) and the host of a podcast (The Black Princess Diaries). My blog and podcast are just pieces of my brand, The Black Princess Diaries, and it’s constantly growing and expanding.
What do you see as your biggest accomplishment thus far as a content creator?
As a content creator, my biggest accomplishment has to be my perseverance and drive to keep going and growing in my craft. As I’ve gotten into my adult years, it’s become harder to become motivated or to find something that makes me want to keep going. I became known as someone who would suddenly stop something I said I wanted to do because I lost the motivation to keep going. This all changed when I became a content creator. Though my work didn’t look the best in the very beginning, I can now look back at the content I used to create and see how far I’ve come. To see the growth just makes me excited to keep going and grow even further into my craft.
If you could give upcoming content creators any advice, what would it be?
Don’t give up! I don’t think I can say this enough. The road is a very long one and it’s not easy when you’re just starting out. It’s going to be easy to look at someone else’s success and instantly feel as if you’re not doing enough or you’re a failure. You can’t compare your day 1 to their day 100. The growth takes time and one day you will get there. As long as you keep in mind what you’re doing this for, then that should be the fuel that drives you every single day.
How do you balance between work and your social life?
What is this balance you speak of? Seriously though, It’s hard to do. Personally, I’m someone that is practically glued to my laptop all day every day so it has become hard to make sure I’m making time for a social life as well. The thing is, you need that break from work because otherwise, you’ll end up with serious burnout. I’m still learning how to balance, but something that did start to help me is pre-planning. I never had to pre-plan when I’m going to hang with my friends before becoming a content creator, but it’s become essential for proper balance. I try to have my friends let me know ahead of time when they want to hang out. This then gives me time to make sure I have the work done early that I was going to do that day. It doesn’t always end out that way and sometimes I’m either having to cancel plans or I skip out on work for a few hours to hang out with my friends. I don’t think anyone can ever perfectly balance their work and social lives, but it’s all about trial and error.
Do you have any new projects instore?
Yes, I do! I had to put a pause on it for right now, but I am going to have a shop with my own merchandise. This is something that I have been wanting to do since I became serious about my brand. Though I did have to put things on hold, I already have design ideas and I know what items I want to sell. I have so many other projects that I want to work on for the near and far future and I’m excited to share them with everyone when the time comes.
Thank you so much again for sharing all of this with us. Before we go, can you share with our readers how they can connect with you, learn more or show support?
If you would like to connect with me or just keep up with everything that I’m doing, you can do so through any/all of the links provided below!
Blog: theblackprincessdiaries.com
Instagram: instagram.com/theblackprincessdiaries
Twitter: twitter.com/_BPDiaries_
Facebook: facebook.com/theblackprincessdiaries
Email: contact@theblackprincessdiaries.com
Contact Info:
- Website: theblackprincessdiaries.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/theblackprincessdiaries
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BPDiaries_
Image Credits
Kalia Gunn