Common Hardships Really Bring People Together

1. Tell us about your background and journey.

Hi, I’m Alyne! I was born in LA with a Jewish father and a Mormon mother, so I always felt like someone would be disappointed! It helped me be my own person from a young age.

I went to University, and when I graduated, I didn't know what to do! So I got married. Then, I got divorced! So I was a 25 year old divorcee. I felt like “OK, I do not know how to life!” And I just wanted to think about my future in peace so I flew to Albania and stayed alone in a villa for a whole month to decide what life I wanted for myself.

I was also working from home during this period, building the website and social media for a small travel agency. Albania was not expensive so it was easy to manage.

While I was alone I started reflecting on my life and thinking about what’s next, and at 28 I started making videos (more on that later in the interview!) about some of my most vulnerable moments.

“How Loneliness Changed My Life” and “What I Learned from Divorce” are great examples of videos dedicated to my life challenges that resonated with a lot of people.

2. When did you first decide that you wanted to create content and how did you start?

My love for video started since I was very young, when I would shoot little scenes and show them to my parents. It became my hobby, so I also took a filming major in high school. Before moving to Albania, I worked in a company that created advertising videos for big brands, so as you can tell, I always loved this field.

I then resigned and worked at the travel agency. But while I was in Tel Aviv one winter I met Nuseir from NasDaily, and we got along and started traveling together. I loved helping him with videos and always gave him ideas on what to make videos about.

So much so that sometimes I annoyed him and he started telling me ‘Make your own videos!’, so I did!

3. Is vlogging and YouTube content creation a financially sustainable career?

I am not a vlogger, but I make videos to raise awareness through what I call edutainment (education + entertainment!). I am a perfectionist, so my videos go through a long process before being put out there. Therefore, the rates for my videos are on the higher side, which allows me to have financial freedom.

Ad money can also be a good source of income, but this always varies from month to month so I’d say it is not very reliable! It’s always good to have multiple income streams to be safe. So yes, if you're good at this job, you can make a good living. BUT IT’S SUPER HARD.

4. Who is your favorite creator and why?

I love Queen Oprah, though she is not a creator, she is an amazing inspiration to millions of us! She is like a mother to everyone.

5. How and where do you find inspiration to churn out content?

A lot of inspiration comes from my personal life, because all of us struggle or have had lower points in our journey. I just take those hard moments and turn them into relatable topics for my viewers.

It might sound strange, but common hardships really bring people together because it makes them realize they are not alone! Of course, a lot of my videos are also based on my unique travel experiences and on daily things that impress me.

A lot of people don’t realize that pretty much anything around you can be a video if you open your eyes to the world!

6. What does your typical day look like?

Lately, especially now in Corona times, I spend most of my day preparing the Dear Alyne Digital Retreats that I’m organizing for aspiring content creators. Me and my team put a lot of work into it weeks ahead in order to make the whole process go smoothly and seamlessly throughout the week.

I also shoot once every few days in order to make new videos, which takes many hours off my days, but luckily now I can afford an editor so I can create more efficiently!

7. Which is your favorite book and why?

I have read over 1000 books, so I really cannot pick only one favourite book!

8. What piece of advice would you like to give to future and aspiring creators?

The most important thing is to be consistent. Your first video will suck, and your first 10 might suck too. But if you keep being consistent and putting your work out there you will eventually make it.

Being a content creator is a lot of work despite what many people might think, so prepare ahead of time with a lot of ideas and post at least once a week. You have to really want it. There’s no correct path to success, so you have to find yours!

Instagram ID - @dearalyne