Today we’d like to introduce you to April Henderson.
Hi April, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Hey, y’all!
My name is newly April Henderson, better known as April Kristine! Like many of us, 2020 was a year of uncertainty and limbo for me. I was still “kind of” a nanny, even though I was not actively working with my adopted family of the past 7 years. I found myself with far too much time on my hands, trying to entertain my two active young girls.
During this time, I found myself turning to Youtube for an abundance of things. I needed workout inspiration, dinner ideas, and pure leisure time entertainment. Starting a Youtube channel had always been an aspiration of mine, but where do you even start?! The answer to that was LITERALLY ANYWHERE! I just needed to pull out a camera and start filming.
The start of my YouTube channel was quite honestly, all over the place. The overwhelming support I received from my hometown of Kerrville, Texas, was far more than I could have ever imagined. I uploaded many of my family’s daily routines, recorded hauls of all of the unnecessary items bought during the pandemic, and threw in a few fun videos of how I kept my young girls entertained. I had found the fun in creating various content with every new upload gaining a couple of views. Until one day I made the bold decision to go from my natural dark brown hair to completely platinum blonde.
It was this video of me recklessly bleaching my hair, in a horribly lit bathroom, that was my first huge upload. My subscriber count quickly jumped to over 1,000 helping me meet all of the requirements to be monetized on YouTube, and start earning an income from my weekly uploads. Today, that video has over 65,000 views. I was even featured on Brad Mondo’s Youtube channel, where he reacted to my video and gained over a million views there!
Since then, I have continued to upload regularly on my YouTube channel, as well as started to grow my Instagram. My social media platforms are wholeheartedly me to my core, while still being very different. On Youtube, I’ve shared so much of myself, from my dream wedding to the harder experiences I’ve faced learning to navigate the grief of losing my brother at a young age. Whereas on Instagram people get an energetic picture of my day-to-day search of fabulous local coffee and fun games featured in my stories.
I’ve learned that the internet can be a beautiful place if you are genuinely kind and supportive of the community around you. I love making content and meeting other amazing creators. This is only the beginning!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been smooth by any means. I struggled constantly with the idea of letting my Bachelor’s degree sit in a closet while I have fun on YouTube. I constantly have to fight the self-doubt in my mind, and just continue to push for my dreams. It is so easy to just quit uploading, but nothing worth fighting for comes easy.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Work for me looks very different week to week. Some days, I am filming videos, editing for days at a time, on others, I am searching the city for my next coffee review. I’ve had the pleasure of filming a YouTube video at the local favorite Medina River Coffee. That video catapulted me into the local coffee Community we have here in San Antonio. A lot of the owners are small business owners, grateful that their passion for coffee can be shared. They are truly inspiring!
Honestly, I am most proud of being authentically myself on the Internet. I take a lot of pride in being kind and supportive of my fellow creators. I want everyone to be able to live the life they are working so hard for. What sets me apart from other creators is that I am not afraid to be vulnerable or authentic about my emotions, my struggle with grief, or try to sell a perfect picture of what my life is.
It is so easy to fantasize about what we see on the internet and compare our lifestyles. I so often get messages asking how I do it all, and the truth is some days I don’t. We all have bad days, hard times, and overwhelming emotions. It’s how we handle our bad days and make the most of our good ones that speak volumes about who we are and how badly we will work for our dreams.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Be patient, be consistent, and be kind to yourself. It is not always the longest or best-edited video that gets noticed, or the full glam staged reel that goes viral. Sometimes, it’s the last-minute upload or the 5-second reel that will do it. Just keep creating and having fun!
Contact Info:
- Email: aprilkristine06@gmail.com
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Instagram: April.Kristine
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Facebook: April Kristine Henderson
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YouTube: April Kristine
Image Credits
Harmony Photography
