Creator Stories: Sarah Destiny 🇬🇧
Meet Sarah, a fantastic CGC creator from the UK who creates content for Vidsy as well as videos on YouTube and Instagram. We sat down to discuss her humble beginnings creating content while at university, advice on looking after her mental wellbeing and who her personal and creative inspirations are.
Hey Sarah! Tell us a bit about yourself, and how you got to where you are today.
Hi everyone, I’m Sarah. I’m a CGC creator from just outside of London in Kent. I’m into faith, wellness and lifestyle content. I love travelling, nature and beaches! And I’m a huge fan of hot Ribena.
I started creating content back at uni after a bad breakup. I was gutted and heartbroken but filming content was like I had the persona of someone who was actually doing okay. I noticed people enjoyed hearing me speak and I enjoyed speaking but I didn’t know how seriously I would take it. My followers grew as I was consistent and started investing in equipment.
In your experience, what has changed in the creative/content creator space since you started?
It’s changed so much over the years! One way that it has changed is the amount of people that create content now. When I first started creating content on YouTube there was literally a few of us. And now someone could have a page for a cat, that has a million followers! Nowadays, there’s a push towards short-form content as well as long-form where people are trying to be trendy and intrigue the audience in a couple of seconds. That can be hard when you’re used to longer videos and now you’re trying to condense an idea from a 10-minute video into 15 seconds. It’s a skill and thankfully it’s a skill I’ve learnt to navigate.
How did you learn to navigate the freelance/business side of content creation?
When I first started YouTube, one of my first paychecks from YouTube was like £1.02 and I’m thinking: “Everyone is saying they’re making money from YouTube but how? Because I’m not even making up to £5!” But you have to keep going! I would have never thought that years later I’ll be on platforms like Vidsy earning way more than £1, working with incredible brands!
In regards to freelancing, it’s just about stepping out of your comfort zone as that’s the only way these opportunities can find you!
Tell us a bit about your work setup. Where and how do you work best? What is your creative process like?
I started filming and editing in my room, literally on my bed. Now I actually do have a filming room which is so refreshing. That room is solely for filming so I’ve really decorated it to match my style so it’s quite peaceful when I’m in there. When it comes to self filming, my tripod is honestly my best friend! If I can’t get my sister or cousin or someone else to help me, I know that my tripod will never let me down!
What is your creative process like when you get a brief from Vidsy?
Depending on the time frame for the brief, I give myself maybe a day or two before I get back to it. That way my creative juices are as fresh as ever. I read through the brief and sometimes I get creative input from my family and friends because a lot of them work in the creative scene as well. Sometimes, I think of an idea and they’re like: “No, that transition isn’t going to work, you need to do this instead!” And I’m like: “Okay! Loving the little team!”
Then I start making my notes on my iPad for each of the videos, the concepts and the guidelines with bullet points. I write down the scenes that need to be filmed if I need to change my clothes, furniture needed or props that I need to have as well. I don’t always like to film all the videos in one day because I find that to be overwhelming. Sometimes I decide video 1 and 2 I’ll film on Tuesday and video 3 and 4 I’ll film Thursday or Friday.
After I have all my content, I put it on my hard drive and then transfer it over to my laptop. I usually spend a full day just on the editing process. Then, what ends up usually happening is after I finish watching the videos, I take a break and come back and notice I need to change a couple of things. I get my forms signed and then I submit! It’s quite a long process now that I’m saying it out loud but it’s a process I quite enjoy! Once you’re organised with these things, it makes everything flow easier.
You’re probably no stranger to the pressure that can be placed on a creative mind. How do you manage your mental wellbeing?
I take a lot of breaks when it comes to my mental health. I just feel like, if you’re not your best self, you can’t give your best to other people, to yourself, to the things that you’re in.
One thing that I’ve always been very very serious about is my mindset. I don’t remember the last time I told myself something negative about myself. Because in all honesty, what ends up happening is, you tell yourself something negative and you see that manifest.
I take breaks quite a lot. If I start to feel that I’m getting quite overwhelmed or there’s just a lot of work, I just take a break i.e. log out of my socials and not log back in until I’m fine. Maybe I’ll book a solo trip somewhere if I can, go on a spa break, a little massage sometimes can help. Even just spending time with my family and friends. Sometimes as a creator, you can get so condensed with “I need to do this and that!” but there is also life outside of the money that you make and outside of the creative scene. Sometimes you just need to shut your brain down and remind yourself that you have family and friends. You can go to a restaurant, you can take a little break. Taking breaks is healthy and very necessary.
On top of that, a hot Ribena before bed! Sometimes I just take the first sip and I’m like “Ahhhh… life is worth living!”
You’ve been building your social media and youtube channels since you were at university! What’s some advice you wish you were told when you first started?
To not compare yourself. I know everyone always says that, comparison is the thief of joy. But it really is!
Sometimes I think about some things that I could have done but I was too busy thinking: “This person has better equipment or a better setup than me.” When you compare yourself to other people, you’re going to forget about the light that you have yourself. You’re too busy comparing yourself to other people but there’s an audience that love you for you! There’s an audience that have come here for you because they like you as you are.
No one is saying don’t level up your content, but don’t allow yourself to compare yourself to other people. They have their own niche and their own audiences. It’s about you comparing yourself to who you were yesterday rather than someone else, who you don’t even know their story.
What is your favourite project to have worked on - within or outside of Vidsy?
There’s loads but the bulk of it has been working within Vidsy! I’m going to say, number one, because I’m never going to forget it, the Lancome brief with Vidsy. When I got chosen for that brief, I was like: “Wait what?!” because I’ve been wearing Lancome for years. The first designer/high-end foundation that I got was from Lancome. My Lancome perfume, the second it runs out I buy another one. There are certain stables I have in my kit. That brief was really fun because not only was I given a new perfume, it was a brief that allowed me to just be feminine and girly and wear pink. I absolutely loved that brief.
Another one that I really liked was Tinder. It was centered around seasonal dates, mainly Christmas. My boyfriend - who’s like my creative director when it comes to my briefs - was like: “Let’s really go out and really film for this.” So we drove around London, looking for different spots that had nice Christmas lights. We saw a restaurant that had a whole Christmas display and it was really nice because not only were we able to go on a date but the creative process of him being so involved in that brief.
Who or what inspires you, both creatively and personally?
Personally, my mum is my biggest inspiration. She has always been. We argue a lot but I know it’s because of love. My mum is the most phenomenal woman I know. She single-handedly raised me and my two other sisters. We’re all doing well in our careers because of the input, the faith, the love and the prayers she’s had for our lives. She's the most amazing, hard-working woman I know. We’re working towards retiring her because we just want her to live her life. So we’re just like, “You know what mum, don’t worry. One day we’re just going to come and be like, quit that job! We’re taking you to Dubai!” She inspires me to continue working hard and not give up on myself. Because of her faith in me, I’ve been able to achieve so much.
Creatively, I’m inspired by my favourite creators because I’ve literally seen the way that they’ve grown. It’s not just about the money and fame they’ve got, it’s literally them as people. Seeing how through so much faith and belief, what you can go on to achieve and what you can make out of your life. My biggest inspiration, she was the first person I ever subscribed to when I started on YouTube, Patricia Bright. I have loved her from the second I could say mumma and dadda! I think she’s phenomenal. She’s achieved so much. Even when she receives backlash or hate, she just manages to rise on top. I think it’s very important for you to have people in the creative space you look up to. Not because you want to be like them but just to remind you that if you keep going and if you keep striving, you can get there and be happy with the life you’ve created for yourself.
What’s your favourite thing about being a Vidsy creator?
The amazing opportunities! My friend introduced me to Vidsy years ago and I remember thinking, what type of platform is this? But over the years, I have grown to love this platform so much.
Number one, it gives me a steady income for doing briefs.
Number two, it allows me to be very creative. There are times I feel like “oh maybe I’m not as creative as I thought I could be” but then I do a Vidsy brief and the excitement to create more literally comes back again.
Number three is the community. The team are phenomenal and so helpful. There have been times when my video has been glitching and it hasn’t even allowed me to upload it and everyone is just so helpful in helping me get my content out, following up with me, giving me opportunities that pretty much changed my life. I can say I’ve worked with Lancome now!
Vidsy is an amazing platform. Every creator should sign up. I love it so much. I don’t think I’m ever leaving, you guys are stuck with me forever!
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