When did you start making videos?

I began making videos when I was in college, and that was eight years ago. Back then, YouTube wasn¡¯t as popular as it is now, but I was an avid watcher of beauty content and realized just how few YouTubers represented Asians. The makeup methods that were being shared all catered to Caucasian features, and as someone experimenting with makeup and skincare, I developed my own methods that I thought worked well for my smaller hooded eyelids and features. I simply wanted to share these with others. My first 100 or so videos were painstakingly made using an old camcorder and lamps in my house reflecting on my bathroom mirror. I¡¯d have to sit on my toilet from midnight until morning, when I¡¯d have to get ready for school and afterschool part-time jobs. The first few years were really challenging but I remember my passion for sharing good things with my subscribers. I did it with all my heart and soul, and it was definitely all worth it.

What brought you to Korea?

My husband and I decided to move to Korea five years ago, when we felt going on an adventure. Life was comfortable in Sydney and we had everything we wanted. But one day, it dawned on us that life would likely stay the same if we stayed in Australia for the rest of our lives. For me, I wanted to know more about my mysterious ¡°motherland¡± and what life was like there. Our move was quick and all documented on my YouTube channel to allow my subscribers to be part of our journey. It certainly hasn¡¯t been all sunshine and butterflies, but the road I took has taught me a lot and stretched me as a person and professional. Korea and Australia couldn¡¯t be more polar opposites in every facet of living—nature, culture, weather, language and people—but I am loving it at this stage of my life because Korea¡¯s fast-paced and quick-moving lifestyle is convenient and excellent for entrepreneurs.

What do you find unique about K-beauty?

K-beauty has become a worldwide sensation over the last few years. When it first took off, K-beauty offered the beauty world something unique and new, from its creative and often cute packaging, convenient multi-functioning ideas, constant product upgrading to fit trends and affordable pricing to unique color ranges, and of course, Hallyu (Korean Wave) to go with it. Since its original burst on the global scene, K-beauty hasn¡¯t remained stagnant. With Korea trending as both a culture and nation and K-pop, K-dramas and Korean celebrities boosting the hype, there was no way Korean beauty trends would go unnoticed. Korean skincare is in a league of its own as an effective, ingredient-sensitive game changer. As of 2019, I believe K-beauty is a category being tried and tested that needs to step up to prove its longevity to leave a one-off bell curve of popularity.

Why are your videos popular?

My YouTube channel is unique in that it¡¯s been around for what one might call the ¡°metamorphosis cycle.¡± Eight years is a long time, and within that period, people have grown up and changed as have I. My content has seen its fair years of popularity and leading the ¡°K-beauty content¡± scene, especially when I first moved to Korea and wanted to find out about this country together with my viewers. Arguably my most popular content has been my original ¡°Streets of Seoul (SOS)¡± series, which was based on finding out about Korea at the street level. Other popular videos on my channel are makeup tutorials, product reviews and my yearly ¡°Best of Beauty¡± awards, which I started five years ago when I thought of summing up the best of Korean beauty to help my viewers make their own shopping lists.

What¡¯s your favorite topic to cover?

The content that I always and consistently do well is my skincare routine videos and monthly product favorites, though this is now an out-of-trend content style. My viewers know that I¡¯ve been in the beauty arena for a really long time, have seen me through thick and thin and trust my opinions on the best products I¡¯ve been loving and wanting to recommend to them. I believe this is something irreplaceable and has simply been built up over years of relationship building and lots of effort. My TV experience as a K-style reporter and other real-world experience in the Korean beauty industry (giving consultation on global beauty brands, conducting in-house workshops and interviewing creative directors of brands such as YSL Beauty and Benefit, just to name a few) also plays a role in the standards I have for products I deem as ¡°bests.¡± Thus my viewers trust my insight, if I may say so myself, humbly yet factually.

What is the process of producing your content?

Because I¡¯m an artist at heart, I move when I¡¯m inspired. I get energized by beauty that I believe remains unseen. Thus when I see a brand that gets no credit yet creates amazing things that the world could benefit from, I am a passionate, voluntary ambassador to help the name soar until it¡¯s as possibly as well-known as those that monopolize the industry through name value alone. This is applied to a creative process I utilize. So while I used to be a scheduled weekly uploader, since I¡¯ve been a content creator for eight years, my uploads are rather sporadic depending on my creativity and inspiration. With so much beauty content that¡¯s pretty much all the same and an oversaturation of similar channels, I¡¯m trying something new in my genre: podcasts. While podcasts will be via simple regular weekly filming, editing and uploading, my other typical content is filmed on the spot and unscripted. I gather simple products to show, have the video topic in my head and then simply film. The editing and uploading processes all depend on the length and quality of the video.

What¡¯s the biggest challenge you¡¯ve had as a YouTube content creator?

Being a creator is a very new and millennial-type job that mainstream people find hard to truly understand. The biggest misconception is that being a YouTuber isn¡¯t a real job. This might be the toughest thing for those who are just starting out, but it helps educate your family, who might not necessarily be the most supportive at first. It¡¯s ironic because it¡¯s potentially the most flexible yet difficult job I¡¯ve had, with a ton of work behind the scenes that no one sees. Loneliness on the job is also a big hurdle that I and many other YouTubers I know face.

What do you want your viewers to get out of your channel?

I simply desire to better people¡¯s lives by having them watch my content, whether that means brighter and/or happier, more informed, encouraged, consoled, inspired or empowered. Be it beauty content or a cultural, lifestyle, travel or a simple talk video, it would contain a flavor of me and my friendship in their lives.

The First Lady Kim Jung-sook is taking a picture with Korea.net honorary reporters.

Do you have any advice for aspiring content creators?

Everyone is different so chart your own path of creativity and innovation. Don¡¯t be focused on the numbers because once you start that game, it¡¯s a dangerous place of no surrender and you¡¯ll eventually make decisions that increasingly compromise your values. Know yourself and your strengths and weaknesses, this will help you immensely in your journey. And remember, don¡¯t ever forget that behind each digit is a valued person watching and listening. Don¡¯t underestimate the power of your influence, and determine what kind of influence you want to have on others before beginning the process of creation. Shine your best light and good luck!