Today we’d like to introduce you to Abria Perry.
Abria, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am pursuing a dual degree in Finance and International Business at the “illustrious” Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA. I discovered my love of fashion and style at a young age. My mom tells stories of my desire to take my Garanimals and Gymboree clothing and restyle them to fit my fashion sense. I have been styling my family and friends for over seven years now. In my teen years, during high school days, I was a personal shopper for professional women and entertainers in the Boston area.
Upon graduation from high school, I focused my energy on college, but I continued to dapple in the fashion and style by launching my lifestyle YouTube channel, “Abria Perry”.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This YouTube journey has definitely been a learning experience. The 1st year was filled with many ups and downs. I felt I should have started the channel earlier instead of waiting years later. Things are a lot different now than they were when YouTube first started, but I didn’t let that stop me. YouTube is a very diverse but competitive medium. You have to constantly create unique content and show to the world why you are worthy of their subscription to your channel. I have had to learn marketing strategies and also learn how to use social media to my advantage. It has not been easy but all worth it and I am still learning more and more each day. I would not change anything, because I have learned so much, not only about YouTube but about myself. I have learned what type of person I want to be and how I want to impact the world.
We’d love to hear more about your career so far, as a student and as a content creator.
I’m a 20-year-old full-time student, YouTuber, and blogger. I’m a Christian and a strong believer in impacting the greater good. I’m extremely passionate about fashion, fitness and women empowerment. Based in Atlanta, GA, I am a young woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. I use my platform to inspire other young women. I also host events centered around lifestyle trends, personal branding, and women’s empowerment. When I’m not working on finishing school and my brand you can find me exploring the world through travel, hidden behind my computer watching Netflix, or nurturing my community service ambitions. I am most proud of my authenticity and I believe this sets me apart as well. I am not aiming to have a perfectly curated Instagram feed or vlogs where I always look immaculate. I want to share real-life experiences with real-life people with the hope that my journey can inspire someone else’s or make it a bit less rocky.
What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
To be completely honest, I feel that there are many barriers to female leadership today. However, I feel that we as women do not allow them to stop us. Being that my field is female dominated, I personally do not face as many barriers that are specific to me being female. As a finance major, I am aware of some struggles that are often faced by females in the industry but not very many as YouTuber/Blogger. However, I will say that being ones authentic self in 2018 can be challenging. I find this to be especially true for women. Modern beauty standards and the perceptions of others definitely have a huge impact on the blogger industry. I would not so much consider this a barrier as a hurdle, if you allow it to it will make you stumble. Personally I choose to clear said hurdle and continue on with my race.
As much as I hate to sound cliche: “It’s not what you know, it’s who knows you. My parents have always preached to me to build a network. So, that is what I am doing and would recommend to others. Clark Atlanta University is in the perfect city for creating. I have been socializing, mingling and networking with people from all different industries and this has meshed well with my style and helped me to really begin to find my creative path. While networking is very important it also extremely important to remember to keep it natural. I have made my most meaningful connections through genuine interactions. We are all human and while in professional settings there is always going to be a bit of give and take it is always important to remember the human aspects of the interaction. We are all so much more than our work, embrace that. You may have more in common with the individual you’re networking with than you know.
Everyone’s path is going to be different but what has made my path easier is being blessed with the opportunity to meet the amazing photographers, makeup artists, hair stylists, videographers, etc. Once you have that support and creative space to work with, it makes things fun and exciting versus being intimidating. I always remind myself that i’m human so i’m going to make mistakes and i’m young so i’m going to make even more. Allowing myself that level of understanding has really helped me to grow in this creative space. At the end of the day it is all just a learning experience.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambriperry/
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOlj3bovFJwLwz6LsqGgqfQ
Image Credit:
@VengeancePhotography
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