It’s crazy how we are entering the last third of the year. I’m grateful to still be here after all 2020 has thrown our way. With that, it’s time for another Q&A!
Blogging and Influencing
Do you prefer taking pictures with your phone or a DSLR?
For makeup/skincare selfies like this one, I prefer using my phone, an iPhone X. For all other pictures and lifestyle shots, I prefer using my DSLR. My Canon DSLR just does a better job of giving me the quality that I desire. Check out this blog post and this Instagram post for more info on the equipment I use. I recently purchased this sigma lens and I’ve been loving it lately as well.
How’d you make a decision of what preset to use for your photos?
I’m not sure I had much of a decision to make in terms of creators. I was obsessed with Marrica Evans’s photography and how she captures amazing content for creators. When I learned she also created and sold presets, I knew one of them would be for me. She sells a number of them so I picked based on the description Marrica provided, as well as my preferred content style. I went with Brown Sugar because I love warm tones in my photos and I knew the preset would enhance that. I prefer to use presets from Black creators as they understand how to make presets that work on deep skin tones (and also #supportblackbusinesses).
How did you get started with your blog?
I established my presence on Instagram first through my weekly #EniGivenSunday style posts that I took every Sunday after church. After a year of doing those, I decided to start a blog to talk about other topics and also because I like to write sometimes. The short answer is I had no intention of starting a blog when I started doing my thing on Instagram. Similarly, I never had the intention of becoming a “micro-influencer”. I just did me and tried to do so in an authentic way.
What do you use to get captions on your Instagram story?
I use an app called MixCaptions. It does a pretty good job of transcribing what I say, though I make a couple of edits occasionally to the punctuation. It’s a little extra work but worth it for accessibility. (Also let’s be real most people watch their stories without sound, right?)
Law School
Tips for undergrad students interested in law school?
My short, transferable advice is to work hard and try your best in undergrad. Aim for a high GPA. A solid GPA is only going to help you, whether or not you decide to go to law school. It’s also probably the only thing you can control right now. If college started off rough for you and your GPA reflects that, it’s OK. Try your hardest to improve your grades so your transcript shows an upward trend. You don’t need to be pre-law or study a particular major to go to law school. Do well, regardless of your major. Also, don’t be afraid to give yourself some time off after college to reflect on if it’s something you still want. I took two years off after college and I talk about the reasons time off was helpful for me here.
How are you managing to stay on top of school now that everything is remote?
The short answer for “how” is the same way I was managing to stay on top of it when it was in person. Time management and organization were big for me then and they are helping me a lot now. Remote learning definitely requires a bit more effort to stay focused. For example, I got in the habit of disabling iMessage on the computer and turning off my phone during class in order to pay attention. One big plus of remote learning has been the time I gain from not having to travel from one place to another. Before quarantine, if I wanted to work out for 45 minutes, I’d have to block off an extra fifteen minutes before and after to factor in walking to the gym. Now, I have those extra 30 minutes to spend elsewhere. You can see what a day of remote learning was like for me this past spring here.
How did you decide what to study in your law program?
There are no majors in law school like there are in undergrad so I don’t have to decide what to study. Because the first-year curriculum is set, I only have to decide what classes I want to take during my second and third years. There are graduation requirements I had to keep in mind. There are also factors I had to consider such as whether I want to clerk, the fact that I’m interested in litigation, where I might want to practice after law school, etc. But for the most part, not taking a particular class in law school won’t keep you from job opportunities, so I try to take classes I’m interested in..
Fitness
Your top workout/fitness motivation tips?
I’ve got a full post dedicated to answering this that you can check out here. But accountability through “checkouts” has been very big for me. Also, being able to see automatically archived IG stories serve as progress pictures.
Travel
How do you feel about traveling right now?
I’ve basically abandoned thought that I’d be getting on a plane in 2020. I’d only be comfortable doing it if it were to see loved ones or family, but I live in the same city as my immediate family so there’s no need. Airplane travel solely for leisure doesn’t make sense to me personally right now. I’m open to things like road trips and driving to explore towns nearby because I understand firsthand how tough being socially separated has been. But bottom line: 2020 will be a year that I do not travel out of the country, and I am totally fine with that.
Skincare
What are some of your favorite Black-owned skincare companies?
I’ve got a full post about that here! I’ve also added some Shani Darden products to my routine. Check back next month for my thoughts on those!
Life
Tips for Black college girls in undergrad?
Check out this post on one of the biggest mistakes I made in undergrad. My biggest tip would be to work hard and have fun, but also to do the things you want to do because you want to do them.
How do you balance college, blogging, creating content, and your social life?
I answer this a bit in this post and I share how I stay organized, which is a huge part of balancing everything, in this post. Don’t let an appearance of “balance” fool you though. There’s pretty much always something I’m sacrificing (or not prioritizing) at a given moment. Sometimes balancing school work and a blog comes at the expense of my social life. Sometimes doing my law school work has to come at the expense of my blog. It’s always a give and take. But for the most part, passion has fueled my ability to balance. If I weren’t passionate about my blog, I wouldn’t be able to maintain it. If I didn’t want to be the best possible lawyer I could be, I wouldn’t care so much about putting in the work now. Doing the things that I’m passionate about makes it easier to balance them.
What keeps you motivated?
The awareness that life is really bigger than me. I want to be able to provide for my family and my future children, as well as myself. I want to be able to give back to my communities. I want to be able to inspire. All of that keeps me motivated. On top of that, an awareness of the fact that I’ve made it through all the times I thought were the toughest. I’m still here now and that has to count for something.
What is your daily routine?
Check out my daily routine during the school year here. My schedule now pretty much looks the same except I’ve been working out in the mornings and going on walks in the evening.
Thank you to everyone who submitted questions. I’ll be back at the end of October with another Q&A.
“This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” 2 Chronicles 20:15
