Alice Wheeler @coffeecreamgirl
This is the second installment of my Behind the Camera series on my blog where I zero in on someone to interview in the entertainment industry. Anyone who is behind a camera on either side of it is eligible to be interviewed as a person of influence.
If you have any suggestions on who I should pick next, feel free to email me at blancosbranding@gmail.com or DM me on my Instagram @curlyblanco.
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I had the pleasure of interviewing one of my personal Youtube favorites. I have been watching this girl since my freshman year of high school and I am now creeping upon my sophomore year of college. This woman is Alice Wheeler, or more commonly known as Coffee Cream Girl. She has made a name for herself in both the Youtube game and now in the world of graphic design. She initially started her Youtube while she was attending the illustrious, Langston University. This is where I was introduced to her with her college advice videos on topics such as HBCU lifestyle, scholarships, and makeup tutorials.
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I had the pleasure of interviewing one of my personal Youtube favorites. I have been watching this girl since my freshman year of high school and I am now creeping upon my sophomore year of college. This woman is Alice Wheeler, or more commonly known as Coffee Cream Girl. She has made a name for herself in both the Youtube game and now in the world of graphic design. She initially started her Youtube while she was attending the illustrious, Langston University. This is where I was introduced to her with her college advice videos on topics such as HBCU lifestyle, scholarships, and makeup tutorials.
Alice started off in school as a track athlete pursuing a college career in Biology. While she enjoyed what she was in pursuit of, something was still missing. Though she had been doing Youtube for an extended period time, she truly began to love it when she diversified her content. Youtube was her free space to be openly expressive, before the monetization of course.
"Something about being behind the camera made me feel comfortable." She stated when referring to her experience with Youtube.
Alice was shortly after met with the struggles of running a "company". This was known as the Youtube series she was apart of while in college titled, Living At Langston. With having to suddenly face copyright infringement charges from her school-based off using the logo, color, and other things linked back to the school, this really took the fun out of something that was intended to just highlight events and things going on at her university. It went from simple videos to more in-depth productions and merchandise. Following this, she began to find herself becoming somewhat detached from her college experience after her memories and dedication to the series that she loved were being altered beyond her control. Alice later left Langston University to focus more on herself and her mental health after things became hectic at school.
However, she did not let any of this stop her. Though unaware of where her journey would lead her next, she still had her own Youtube channel which at the time had three to four thousand subscribers.
When asked about her favorite thing about being a Youtuber, she said that it was "good being recognized for just doing what you do." Many people don't always think about all the time that a Youtube channel truly takes. Not to mention the money you have to spend on equipment and software. You always want to advance yourself and in any industry, it can become competitive, but making yourself stand out on your own is what will be helpful.
When asked about her favorite thing about being a Youtuber, she said that it was "good being recognized for just doing what you do." Many people don't always think about all the time that a Youtube channel truly takes. Not to mention the money you have to spend on equipment and software. You always want to advance yourself and in any industry, it can become competitive, but making yourself stand out on your own is what will be helpful.
"Dont base yourself too much on what other people achieved." Alice advises for anyone looking to become a Youtuber or enter into the field of graphic design.
This is to say that as you watch other people's success in their prospective career, detach yourself from trying to replicate what they do. Create your OWN lane and don't let others box you into a category that you do not want to be in. Versatility is going to be your best friend when it comes to growing your brand-- whether it be an actual business or your personal brand. She also emphasized being authentic with your content.
The Birth of Coffee Shop GFX
Though things seemed to be going beautifully on the outside, internally there was a strong change taking place in Alice's life. After her issues with Living At Langston, she found herself becoming detached from her academics which later resulted in her leaving Langston.
Following this, she eventually got a job at a hair salon which was to maintain the salon. One day, she noticed the owner was in need of a logo. Alice offered to help make the logo which was the start of her taking graphic design more seriously. She also gave credit to friend and "big brother", Paul Pugh, (@theepaulpugh) who is an experienced graphic designer for helping her more with her graphic design skills.
Coffee Shop GFX, LLC. has been around for over a year now and has a collective social media following of close to 4,000. The company has become Alice's true pride & joy, and she is growing in clientele daily. Alice hopes to have her business continually grow and eventually go back to school to become certified in Adobe Software to make this her full-time career.
Transitioning from a college influencer to a graphic designer can be challenging, especially when life throws you curves but just remember that it IS possible. Sometimes your true gift can be something you least expect.
Her social media handles are here... Instagram: @coffeecreamgirl Twitter: @CoffeeCreamGirl
Always a pleasure sharing with you, thank you.
