Today we’d like to introduce you to Paige Hawkins.
Paige, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Creating content has always been a passion of mine. To make others feel inclusive and to appreciate their bodies and love themselves internally is always a goal. I started YouTube channel my sophomore year at Clark Atlanta University, I then gave it a break because I couldn’t really find what I wanted the purpose of my YouTube to be, I didn’t have a passion for anything yet so I deleted all of my previous content to sit and reflect. Life and time went on, of course, but that time away, I knew what I wanted my channel to be about—body positivity, beauty, girl talks, etc.
I’m striving to be a positive influencer to women ALL shapes and sizes, who think their different and need that extra push of confidence. I want to be their guide, their friend and their go-to girl. That’s when I started creating my content, I love talking to my subscribers/friends on the camera and I really hope they can feel my love and light through the screen.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Honestly, I struggle every day with creating new ideas for videos. I don’t like to repeat myself and researching new ideas or brainstorming even can be challenging. Having a camera was imperative to me, but my bank account did not match my YouTube budget. So saving and staying on top of myself when it came to budgeting became an obstacle as well because I didn’t know much about it.
Gaining subscribers and viewers is also a challenge. You have to constantly remind yourself every day that success does not happen overnight and to remain humble and prayed up as much as you promote your channel, whether its through social media, posting flyers, video ads on Google, etc. You will not get the outcome you want for your channel if you are not consistent, and I learned that hard way when I started to lose followers. So, consistency is key. I still struggle with it now because nobody is perfect, but when I promote and edit my videos, I make sure I post the best eye-catching content that I can create.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
My YouTube channel is PaigeNavae. That is my first and middle name. I decided to use this name because it’s authentically me. My parents call me by both names, and my close friends call me either or (first or middle name), and since I want my subscribers to feel connected to me, I want them to be able to approach me and call me by my real name. I specialize in makeup videos, surprisingly. It is surprising because two years ago, I had NO IDEA about makeup, still learning about it as well, but I ”m definitely impressed with how far I’ve come with my makeup skills. This also led me to create my own lash business (MinkDozo) because lashes are a girl’s best friend, duh and when I can personally enhance and make someone feel that extra beauty within themselves, it warms my heart.
I wanted to do makeup because I feel so beautiful when I have it on, and I want others to feel the same. Also, because I’m still learning and I think it would be fun for others to see my progress and learn with me. I love when people DM me asking when the next time I’ll be posting again or saying that a video really helped them or made their day, and even though I don’t have a big following, its those little comments that really make me push through. I don’t like to compare myself to other YouTubers because I am in my own lane, I know everyone’s success is on a different level and if I wasted my time worrying about how to be different from the rest I feel like you fall in the category of doing similar content.
What were you like growing up?
My personality was (and still is) very large! I was always a curious girl. Wanting to try new things or coming up with ideas that seem kind of extreme is my thing. I always admire my mom for her creativity. She is CRAZY creative. Her thought process is on a whole different level from anyone I’ve ever met, and her ability to make things happen inspired me and made me believe that I can do anything. I also had a very strong support system, “It takes a village” is what my parents always told me. I didn’t know what it meant when I was younger, but as I grew up I realized that it does take a village, it is okay to ask for help and to receive constructive criticism.
I was always an ambivert, wanting to do a lot and having a lot of personalities but sometimes too timid to do things, and that set me back sometimes. My parents kept me busy, which is probably why I can’t sit down now, but it rounded me out to be the person I am. If you asked my mom, she would say that I was friendly and gracious, always loving and caring, never afraid to try anything new and that I liked to venture out and learn new things and new people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQaAZGcwe_sK28b928DYzaQ?view_as=subscriber
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paigenavae/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/paigenavae
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/minkdozo/
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