Behind the Camera: Youtuber's Edition

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. 

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.

"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 website is listed here.... https://www.coffeeshopgfx.com/
Her social media handles are here... Instagram: @coffeecreamgirl       Twitter: @CoffeeCreamGirl

Always a pleasure sharing with you, thank you.

The Importance of Black-Owned Business

As many of you may know, there are many black businesses in existence but few are actually known about to be patronized. For the ones we do know about, we tend to complain about buying from because of the prices. What we fail to realize is that if they're not making sales like they should, the prices are going to be higher because they business still needs to make profit.

Not only that, but if you can spend the same amount at another store or even more-- why not just keep the money circulating within your own community? The African-American community gives so much money to other races when we don't even support our own how we should. This is not to put-down other business owners in any way, shape or form nor of any other ethnicity but it is to shine a light on black owned businesses that deserve more credit & actually have some pretty cool products. Don't let the prices intimidate you because higher quality costs more.

Buying from these business additionally helps to.. I hope learning about these businesses inspires you to create your own or spread the word about them. If you're feeling unsure of a brand, it also helps to try and look up reviews on them just to make sure it's what you think it is. (YouTube is great for this!)

Listed below are various black owned businesses categorized by skincare, apparel, hair care/grooming, and makeup. There's hundreds of others that exist whether locally or even internationally. Let's help them grow this year!

Disclaimer: All black-owned businesses were found with my own research. I have not been sponsored in any way. The pictures are also not my own. 

Skincare

• Bolden

https://www.boldenusa.com/

Their mission is to help women of color not only embrace their natural beauty, but also to create products that give representation to dark skin tones within the skincare product field. Their products also help cater to women that suffer from hyperpigmentation (when melanin is produced on more areas of the body than others naturally; creates dark spots.) I would recommend this brand because after speaking to them personally, they not only care about their consumers genuinely, but they also take heed to their customer feedback when it is provided.

• Scotch Porter

https://www.scotchporter.com/  (Also sold on Amazon)

Y'all know I couldn't leave my guys out the equation!! They have to keep their skin up too, right? Scotch Porter is a brand that has products for both your body & hair along with products specifically for shaving and for those of you that rock beards! One product that stuck out to me was their masculine wipes. It probably sounds weird, but it actually could probably be a life saver for a lot of people. Especially when a lot of guys tend to be more active (gym, sports, etc.) I didn't even know these were available for men so now that I do I'm lowkey interested for someone I know to try it and let me know the results. 

• Bevel

https://getbevel.com/  (Also sold on Amazon & Target Online)

Bevel is a brand that specializes in producing products that can reduce both irritation, and razor bumps from shaving. They also offer a shave plan that includes a razor with 60 extra blades, a shaving brush, priming oil, shave cream, and restoring balm (pictured above).  I like the design of the product line both minimalistic and masculine. They also make it a point in their brand to cater not just to your shaving needs but your overall hair needs as well. This brand is also safe for women to use for their shaving needs. If your skeptical in any way, just check out the reviews!



Hair Care

• Delish Condish

http://www.delishcondish.com/

I remember seeing this brand somewhere on social media awhile ago, and found it so neat how their products were named after items considered natural & food such as mango or  I personally plan on buying from this brand because I like the vibe I receive from their platform. They have products for both your hair, face, and body needs. When the time comes for me to buy products from them, I will do a review & follow-up. Their site is currently shut down to fill orders, but they will be back like they never left soon. 

• NaturALL

https://naturallclub.com/

I've seen this brand featured on YouTube multiple times, and from what I could see they have very nice packing and make it their initiative to have each product within their line to be made with all natural products and essential oils. One of which being avocado that is good for adding slip when washing natural hair, and the nourishment of vitamin A to the hair follicles. For all my natural hair readers, this brand is definitely one to try if you're looking for a brand that has ingredients that aren't too harsh on your hair. 

Makeup

• Juvia's Place

https://www.juviasplace.com/

I already was aware of the brand Juvia's Place because of it's constant reoccurrence in tutorials on various social media platforms. What stuck out to me the most about this brand was how high of a pigmentation their palettes have. This can range of eyeshadow, blush, and even highlighter. I've always been interested in trying out this brand so potentially in the future I could buy a product from them & review it. If you're interested in seeing more shades they have & palette reviews yourself, just search them up on Instagram, @juviasplace

• IMAN

https://imancosmetics.com/ (Also sold at Walmart, Target, & Amazon)

Iman is a well-known model of color that has been in the modeling industry for years now. IMAN Cosmetics was launched in 1994 , and is still a brand that promotes diversity for all women of color who are looking for a product to cater to their needs. Since in some cases it's considered a drugstore brand, the products within the line are cheaper and easier to find. They also do not test their products on animals (as addressed on their site), and has a three-shade range collection for skin shades of dark olive, light brown, ebony, and backtracking to regular olive as well.  

Body

• Nubian Heritage

https://www.nubianheritage.com/ (Also sold on Amazon & at various healthy living stores.)

Nubian Heritage is a brand that is all about promoting wellness through their product line. These products being in the categories of  body wash, deodorant, body scrubs, hair products, and even vegan hair care. I've personally used their Indian Hemp & Haitian Vetiver deodorant, and enjoyed it very much. The smell wasn't too strong, and actually did what was advertised on the packaging. When using various brands, we're not always aware of the impact those products can have on our bodies. Many ingredients in those products are actually harmful, but we would never even know. With their products being all natural, it can prevent those bad affects in the future, and still work just as good if not better.

• Legendary Rootz

https://legendaryrootz.com/

I've personally bought from this brand, and I can attest to them being very responsive when emailed about my order. It also came in a decent amount of time, and the product came out better than expected. (I ordered the Beaute Noire shirt in the color pink) They have such cute designs and accessories if you're looking for new items with great quotes to add to your closet! I would highly recommend this brand, their quotes are always so creative and inspirational. Their brand caters to men and women, but also offers unisex clothing in general. 

• My Pride Apparel 

https://myprideapparel.com/

Let me just say how much I genuinely do love the message that this brand is trying to spread. Every time they pop up on my timeline when I'm on social media, they always make me smile. Their career collection (pictured above) is what they're most known for. Any career you can think of is on there, I can guarantee it! It's important for us as POC to represent ourselves, along with our culture, not just in any classroom, but in any board room or room where you are in any way challenged or made uncomfortable because of your skin tone. They have various quotes and designs of sweatshirts, tanks, and hats on their site that could fit close to anyone's style. They offer clothing for men and women, along with children's sized clothing.

To find more black owned businesses, use the device you're reading this post on & type in "black owned ____", insert whatever type of business you're interested in. Hopefully you find what you're looking for.

Always a pleasure sharing with you, thank you.