Finding your “why”

What’s your why?

[@lauriseirl] My "why" is black youth.

[@nicolemclaughlin] My inspiration or purpose for being a creator is really to push myself to innovate and to make things that I've never seen before in the world of sustainability.

[@carolinegelen] My main purpose for being a creator is to empower home cooks.

[@meganjaynecrabbe] My inspiration behind becoming a creator was just wanting to change the way that people felt about themselves.

Why does purpose matter?

[@nicolemclaughlin] Having a "why" as a creator is really important because although we can create things in the moment and things that just feel fun and feel right at the time it's really important to be able to have a driving factor, something that's going to have longevity and something that you can rely on.

[@deepica] I think for me, having a purpose behind everything I do is something that just helps you through the hard times. And there's gonna be a lot of hard times. I'm gonna keep it real with you and building a brand and building your dreams is not easy, but if you have a purpose behind it when those really hard days happen, you still wanna keep going because you're like, "You know what? This is greater than myself."

[@lauriseirl] I personally do not think you can define success without first defining your goals and the want and the why, the purpose, you know. And even if that purpose is just to have fun, you can define that goal.

How did you find your purpose?

[@meganjaynecrabbe] If I could give aspiring creators one piece of advice about finding their purpose on the platform, it would be to create what a younger version of you needed more of. Look at what is currently on Instagram and think about what the platform needs more of. What did you need when you were scrolling through and feeling lonely or like something was wrong or you weren't good enough, make that.

[@lauriseirl] There was not always a ton of successful confident black creatives in my eye line.

[@presidentkennedy] What's the thing that I would talk about for free? What's the thing that I like doing when no one's watching? That's how I figured out what my interests and hobbies were. Just trying everything and really honing in on the things that really made me feel good.

[@nicolemclaughlin] My number one advice for young creators who are trying to find their purpose would be not to focus too much on the word purpose, but more about the journey that it takes to get there. So the personal projects that you do when you're alone in your bedroom, those are the truest and purest forms of yourself. And I think that's how you're gonna find your purpose.

How does it shape what you do?

[@deepica] I think when you have your purpose, it's kind of your north star and it really helps you make or not make some decisions for the company. And for me, for example, hiring decisions, production decisions, who we want to feature in our campaigns. We always think back to a purpose of the brand, which is really changing the face of diversity in the beauty industry. So, you know, it might take a little longer to find the people that you want in your campaign but it's worth it because it goes back to your "why" and why the whole brand exists and what gets you fired up every single day.

[@carolinagelen] Because my main purpose is empowering home cooks, whenever I create a recipe I try to keep the beginner cook in mind. I want you to read a recipe of mine and figure out what to do, whether you've been in the kitchen for 10 years or you've never cooked a day in your life. And because I have this purpose it really allows me to keep my content clear and consistent.

[@lauriseirl] My Instagram has very much become a space where I'm allowed to be a friend and mentor and big sister to so many people. And it's really special. And with some of the career tips I post, I'll get messages from people being like, "Yo, I just did this thing that you told me to do." And, "Girl, I got a raise." Or, "I got the job." And I love that for everybody. But when I get that message from a little black girl who looks like me, is special, it's really special.