What The Ween Awards Taught Me About Connecting With Peers And Women In Power Positions As An Introvert
When the date for the 6th Annual WEEN (Women In Entertainment Empowerment Network) Awards was announced, I couldn’t have been more excited. The event, held in New York City, is an awards show dedicated to honoring women who are leaders in entertainment, social justice, and entrepreneurship.
This year it would be no different – eight trailblazing women including Yara Shahidi, Dia Simms, Music Executive Ethiopia Habtemariam, Sandra Bland's mother and activist Geneva Reed-Veal, Meagan Good, Lil’ Kim, Teyana Taylor, and Teen Vogue EIC Elaine Welteroth were hand-picked for their commitment to empowering women, and for having overcome adversity to thrive in their respective fields.
Beyond my sheer excitement at hearing what these inspirational women had to say, I was also just as eager to network with my peers and top female executives, entrepreneurs, and entertainers who all share a passion for media, the arts, and female empowerment. However, with that excitement, came fear.
As an introvert, over-thinker, “Type A” personality, making meaningful connections at networking events has never been easy for me. In fact, at times it has been terribly, and sometimes embarrassingly, hard.
I never feel like I know the right thing to say, I get easily discouraged if my “hello” isn’t met with the same enthusiasm, I become sheepish about expressing my aspirations—the list goes on. But after moving to a new city where I knew only a handful of people, I was forced to confront my fear of networking in order to meet new friends and peers in the music and arts community.
Ween co-founder Valeisha Butterfield, Lil Kim and Entertainment attorney Londell McMillan
“Nobody can do what you can do, the way that you can do it. All that you have to do is be the best version of you.”
– Meagan Good, Actress
Over time, I have learned by trial and error what helps me to feel comfortable and confident in any room whether an intimate happy hour, or a high-profile event like the WEEN Awards:
Stylist June Ambrose with Teen Vogue Editor Elaine Welteroth and Apple Music Exec Bozoma Saint John
Practice your elevator pitch.
Whenever someone previously suggested fine-tuning my “elevator pitch”, it always took everything in me not to roll my eyes. Surprise, they were right. When interacting at networking events, you often encounter the same questions – what do you do, what do you want to do, and how can we help each other. Sit down and really think through the answers to those questions – it will lead to more productive and meaningful conversations.
Make sure your website and social media profiles are up to date.
It is always good to have business cards on hand, but I have found often when I mention my blog or my music, people go right to their phones to check out the site or follow me on social media. Don’t blow that opportunity to impress your future boss or collaborative partner by having a defunct website or inappropriate content on your social profiles. Take pride in your brand!
Do your research before approaching an industry titan.
If you see someone on the event bill that you are interested in connecting with, make sure you review their web presence. You may have a very brief window to catch their attention, so why not try to make the most of that opportunity by having some topic points in mind – you may find they are working on a new project, and you have the perfect tools to add to their team.
Scope out the event space and arrive early.
If you’re like me, particularly before larger events, you will have some (or a lot) of nervous energy. Don’t add to it by lacking a plan to travel to the event, or underestimating the number of people in attendance. Give yourself plenty of time to adjust to the energy of the event space, that way as the event is underway you are calm, cool, and collected.
Be prepared to be uncomfortable.
I always try to anticipate those first few moments when you arrive at an event and make eye contact with another person standing alone. Everything tells you to quickly turn away, but that is precisely the moment to engage. Take a deep breath, hold your head high, and lead with a smile —you can’t go wrong.
Teen Vogue EIC Elaine Welteroth and Blackish actress Yara Shahidi
[Tweet ""What a time to be alive. To be black. To be female...And to be empowered." - @ElaineWelteroth"]
Watch an exclusive recap of the WEEN Awards below:
Janay is a UPENN grad navigating her mid 20s. By day, a communications and marketing consultant, by night inspired creative — recording music, writing blog posts at ayminor.com and promoting her collection of short stories, Climbing Vines. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter at @ayminor.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Between the rise of the creator economy and the gig economy, the window of opportunity to leverage your creativity for long-term gain has never been more potent.
For the last four years, I’ve worked as a full-time freelance writer and content creator. A year into this journey, I knew that if I wanted to create a sense of structure around my life outside of a traditional 9-5, I would have to create it.
To my surprise, that came in the form of social media.
Now, you might be wondering how someone might be able to juggle their work in a creatively-dominant career like writing while still having the mental capacity to produce ideas for their own personal brand, and well, that answer didn’t come easily.
In 2021, I hit a wall with writing and content creation.
With the stress and uncertainty that came as a result of the pandemic, to being burned out from having to live off my creativity, I reached a breaking point. For me, writing was always a space to explore my thoughts, process heavy topics, and express concepts that only words could bring reason to. However, when I didn’t have the brainpower to write or create content, I knew it was time to set parameters around my hobby of content creation and my passion for storytelling.
In this case, the biggest challenge was finding the balance between the two by releasing the guilt and shame of taking a break from both in order to reconnect with them.
Through years of trial and error, the fog finally cleared, and I was able to hit my stride in 2023. From garnering over 10K followers on TikTok, building an Instagram community around lifestyle and creative encouragement, along with my wellness collective, Black Girl Playground, and writing for xoNecole as a lifestyle contributor, the creative juices have been flowing steadily.
And it all happened by creating a strategy that allowed space for planning, resting, and creating. Today, I’ll be sharing my top tips to help you find your balance between your side hustle and passions.
On staying inspired and motivated when working on various content creation and freelancing projects:
Early this year, I came to the bright conclusion that I needed to shorten the gap between ideation and execution — and it completely changed how I create.
Oftentimes, when we have an idea come to us, we let it sit for too long, and then before we know it, we’ve either lost the enthusiasm to put it into action, or someone else grabs it. If you want to stay in a flow of creativity, whether side projects or full-time work, it’s important to not get slowed down by self-doubt, procrastination, or perfectionism.
Give yourself permission to act on your ideas as they come to you. Even if they’re a little muddy or not “perfect,” you can always fine-tune them later.
@yagirlaley shrinking the gap between [ideation] + [execution] 🧠💡#fyp #creativeadvice
On the importance of choosing a niche:
If there’s one thing that has helped me balance my work as a writer and content creator, it’s putting each in its own niche (or category). By definition, a niche is a specialized segment of the market or a specific area of expertise.
When you are creating in the same niche that you’re also making a living in, that’s an easy way to get your wires crossed. And at times, this could lead to feeling as if you don’t have any ideas for yourself because you’ve given them to the other area you're juggling.
When balancing two, you want to have enough fresh ideas to give to your personal projects and your full-time work to avoid any overlap. This ensures that your personal creative vision isn’t compromised when working on client projects while still having some for yourself.
On the strategies that have helped to maintain a consistent workflow in both areas:
I can’t stress enough how important it is to create a workflow and structure for yourself as a freelancer — this applies to those with a 9-5 in the day and a 5-9 at night, too.
As someone who admittedly has ADHD tendencies, object permanence can sometimes create a block in time and project management. That’s why I encourage creatives and professionals to create systems that allow you to see the work that’s ahead of you.
Personally, I can’t live without having multiple calendars going at once. My Google calendar keeps track of interviews for articles and events, while my physical calendar helps me keep track of important dates. I also work out of an Excel sheet where I can log in ongoing stories and track their status from drafting to submission. I’ve also heard great things about the Notion app for planning and tracking.
When it comes to creating content, spending time doing bulk content days has been an asset to my creative workflow. When I complete the videos, I save them to my drafts and upload them as needed.
Credit: Amberita
Courtesy of the writer
On the best advice for someone who is considering pursuing both content creation and freelancing simultaneously:
Don’t be ashamed of taking a break and resting — because both are essential to the life of a creative. Last month, I returned to Instagram after taking 6 months off from posting. During that time, I worked on growing my TikTok page, using the platform to practice vulnerability and allowing myself to put the fun back into creating content. Without the time, I can’t say I’d be able to approach Instagram with the same ease and playfulness; but thanks to that time away, it was possible.
Resting, letting our minds wander, or simply doing nothing are all just as productive as creating. No one can produce at all times, we have to allow ourselves the space for new concepts and ideas to flow to us. In addition to that, when we take breaks from social media, it allows us to stop the wheel of comparison and consume more than we create. So if you feel like you’re in a creative rut with all you want to balance, it may be time to take a step back, unapologetically.
Your creativity will thank you for it.
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Featured image by Sir Taylor