NATURAL NEIICEY

Shanice Parkin, or "Natural Neiicey" as you may know her; graduated from University in June of 2014, and instead of heading straight into a career in Social Work or going to Grad School, she decided to take a risk!

Neiicey and I have been following each other for quite some time now, and she has always been such an inspiration to me! She is creative, consistent, and extremely dedicated to creating quality content. Check out the interview I had with her below to learn more about her story and get inspired!

1. Describe your personal brand in 1 word

SINCERE

2. What influenced you take the leap into YouTube? Give us a little background on where you started and why.

What made me take the leap into youtube was watching other creators. I used to watch my favorite natural hair vloggers like Ulovemegz and TarenGuy everyday after school. They really inspired me to just go for it. In addition, I always owned some type of camera and was known as the paparazzi to all my friends. Editing was also nothing knew to me, I was always on the computer visually creating something.

2. In your opinion, how does your YouTube channel reflect you as a person & how do you maintain a positive image?

I think my Youtube Channel represents a great example of who I am and reflects almost all of my attributes as a person. Of course, I only show people what I want them to see and to know about me, but I don’t pretend either. I think I come off very humble, friendly, and low-key in my Youtube videos and that is definitely me in real life. On my vlog channel (BeingNeiicey) you get to see a little more of my personality. I love to have a good time, I can get a little irritable at times but I can be hella goofy too! I think it’s important for my viewers to be able to relate to me. One thing about me and the Youtube World is that you will never find me in DRAMA. I like to keep things positive on my channel and will not entertain anything other than that. Of course I clap back every now and again if I get a disrespectful comment but for the most part I keep the positive energy flowing. If you put out positivity you attract positivity and I am a firm believer in that!

4. What were the biggest initial hurdles to building your channel and how did you overcome them?

If I am being honest, I didn’t really have much difficulty gaining subscribers and building my channel at the very beginning. I was already apart of a natural hair community called ‘Keep it Simple Sista’ who were eager to see videos from me, so I had that support system from the jump. My subscriber count was significantly growing in a short amount of time, and the Youtube Community wasn’t as saturated at the time (about 4-5 years ago). I didn’t post often but that didn’t matter then, however, now that there are millions of people creating the same videos everyday it’s very important to maintain consistency in order to build my channel in views and in subscribers.

Additionally, over the years I have grown as a person and I’m not just about my hair. I like fashion, beauty, traveling and more; and it’s really hard to now build that audience. Everyone wants to see a “hair tutorial” but how many twist outs or braid outs can a girl do. Yes, I will always be known ‘NaturalNeiicey’ but currently, I am trying to figure out how I can still be her and showcase everything else on my channel that I Iove; while still getting the same views and feedback. To compensate for that I now have 3 channels (NaturalNeiicey, BeingNeiicey and BlackLoveLives) which all have their main focuses. It has definitely been a challenge to be consistent on each channel but I’m still working on it.

5. What would you say was the single most influential factor that really took your channel to the next level?

I think uploading my content on other social media platforms has really took my channel to the next level. The power of sharing is REAL. Uploading and sharing links to Facebook and Instagram can drive a lot of traffic to those videos posted on Youtube and your overall social media presence. I have gotten the most views on videos that I have shared on my social platforms compared to the ones I didn’t. I think it definitely makes a difference and has created more opportunities for me to work with several brands on my channel.

6. Which video would you say you’re most proud of and why?

I am most proud of my Skincare Video: “How to get rid of Acne Scars on Face and Body”

It has over 2million views, the most I’ve ever got on 1 video! I’m most proud of this video because I actually struggled with acne scars on my face and body for a long time and to finally find a routine that worked and that was able to reach 2 million people is astounding to me. It helped so many people and I’m really happy about that.

7. We see that you travel a lot! What is your favorite part about traveling and do you have any tips for young people who want to travel more?

I LOVE traveling and my favorite part would be experiencing different cultures and making lifetime memories with people I love. That’s quite a general statement, but it’s the truth! Of course, I love meeting new people, trying new foods, exploring the countries terrain, experiencing the nightlife and looking at the most gorgeous scenic views ever… but all of that is even better with my DAY 1’s!

If you are young and want to travel I say go for it! Save! Save! Save… as much as you can. Make a vision board or a list of places you want to go and start crossing them off your list once you make it happen. If you are a struggling college student or have no one to travel with, join a travel club such as, ‘Onelovetravelclub’ or ‘Travelnoire.’ They set up payment plans, travel in big groups which make it easy to make friends, and pretty much plan out your whole trip which makes the traveling process a lot easier and stress free!

**Watch some of Neiicey's travel vlogs on her vlog channel!l: "Being Neiicey"

8. Are there any YouTubers or other social media stars you admire or look up to and why?

There are so many other Youtubers and Social Media stars that I look up to and admire for different reasons, whether that’s because they are making an impact in their community, making money moves, or honestly they are just amazing human beings. Some of my favorites are, Jackie Aina, DK4l, Winnie Harlow, LatoyaForever, ShanBoody Shahd Batal, ItsMyRayeRaye, Jayla Koriyan, Grace F Victory, Daina Murel, LipstickNCurls, SoulBeautyChat and Jouelzy.

9. Do you have any short or long term goals that you plan to achieve with or through your channel? Will you be expanding your platform into other areas of your life?

A short term goal I have is to be more consistent on all my channels, I would love to upload 2-3x a week every week. I also want to revamp my blog (shaneicecrystal.com).

A few of my long term goals are to expand outside of my channel and create a business or businesses. I would love to eventually have my own clothing or haircare line. A bigger dream of mine is to turn traveling into a business. Possibly, having a travel club/tv show or even be invited to travel the world to review hotels/excursions etc.

10. What has been the most rewarding part of your YouTube journey and why?

I think the most rewarding part of my Youtube Journey is traveling to different countries/cities and meeting my supporters. They are the reason I continue to do what I do, and it’s so inspiring to actually put faces to the names in my comment section. Connecting with people all over the world is definitely the best and most humbling thing I’ve experienced as a youtuber.

Any quick tips for aspiring YouTubers?

Be yourself
Be Consistent
Don’t be afraid to make other Youtube Friends
Try to keep up with trends, but don’t lose yourself in the process
Video quality, lighting, and sound are VERY important.
Be creative, don’t be afraid to upload whatever you want! You never know what may go viral or become the new trend!