Who are you and what kind of content do you create?

Hello! My name is Larisa Khabarova. I live in Russia. I create content for YouTube and Instagram. I teach my subscribers to make crafts out of cardboard and paper. I based my content on what I love to do even when I was younger. At one time, I knitted, then I sewed bags. I was looking for different types of creativity. And in 2017, I decided to work with paper and share my expertise on YouTube. And it happened by chance that I gathered an audience on Instagram, as well.

Content creation is my main job now. I was in business, but I realized that it was not for me. One day, I decided to run a channel on YouTube, and nothing more since it is an excellent option to do what you love and make money. I opted for an income that would allow me to support myself. At first, I did not take this work seriously. But over the past 1.5 years, I have worked hard and achieved results. Now I can proudly say that I can provide for myself. Almost a year ago, I hired an assistant who does routine work, and I just come up with ideas and shoot. My dream job is precisely like this.

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Let's go down memory lane, tell us your backstory! 

As mentioned earlier, I was in business, and I didn't like that at all. I understood that I was not in the right place. One evening, I came home, and I shot my first video and posted it on YouTube. A week later, I told my husband that I was always dreaming of becoming a fairy. So, that's how I named my channel. One particular quote that inspires me and helps me achieve my goals is “Если сильно захотеть можно в космос полететь,” which means, “If you really want to, you can fly into space.” 

How do you brainstorm ideas for your content and your advice in getting the creative juice flowing?

There are always a lot of creative ideas in my head. At the very beginning, it was a challenge of how to execute those ideas. It didn't work out all the time. When I opened the YouTube channel, there was little I could do. But now, watching my videos, you can see how my skills have improved. I sometimes run out of ideas because I post videos two times a week. But I always know what to do, but I do not want to do everything that comes to mind. I want to show my subscribers only the best and the most interesting. Sometimes I look at the work of other artists for inspiration, but I don't copy them. And there are magical moments when ideas come in a dream. Through my dreams, I came up with three ideas for which I made videos about that got many views. 

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What are the tools and platforms you use to help with your brand?

I learned how to edit on my own using Movavi Video Editor and Photoshop for the photos. But now, my assistant does the editing for me.  I publish content on  YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

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What were your fears starting out? How did you handle it? 

Filming the video was not demanding; it was easy for me to start. Also, my husband strongly supports me. He always believes in me.  Nasty comments used to spoil my mood, although there are not many of them on my channel. Sometimes people write and just want to offend and hurt me. But I don't think I'm the reason. It's just that there are evil people. If the criticism in a comment is constructive, I will initiate a dialogue; I reply. And if what they write insults me, I block that person and delete the comment. I don't want him to leave a  bad mark on my YouTube channel.

How did you build your brand to where it is now, take us through your process.

I realized that to achieve success and gain subscribers, you should work on your channel continuously. I made a schedule for posting two times a week and have been doing it regularly. Neither for YouTube nor Instagram, I have not used advertising and have not invested money. My pages grew mainly because of my content. My TikTok and Facebook accounts are now growing in the same way, but they are not yet making money.

The only challenge for me along the way is discipline. It is challenging to work on a schedule at first. Laziness often won. The first 100 subscribers took a long time to come. But I tried not to pay too much attention to it. When one of the videos started to gain popularity, subscribers added faster. As mentioned, I have been working on the channel for three years, but I started seeing significant progress for more than a year ago.

For someone who wants to get into content creation, what is your advice?

To achieve your goal, you don't have to wait until you become a professional to start. Let your followers see you grow and learn with you. Nobody is perfect.

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You won't be able to shoot a captivating first video. You just need to create the best you can. Learn and improve. And when you achieve good results, you should not consider yourself perfect, but always find ways to make better.

I have heard many times that to make a popular video; you have to find a video that has gained many views and do the same. But it doesn't work for me. What works for me is the originality and nothing more. I just have to be creative.

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How did you finally commit to X platform rather than your regular day job?

I didn't do anything else from the very beginning. My husband provided for me. But I finally realized that I don't want to work at a job that I didn't like, then I decided to commit to YouTube full-time.

Tell us your best milestones in being a content creator.

The most pleasant thing about this work is that subscribers write to me every day and thank me for my work. I am pleased that I am doing a job that I love and making others useful for them.

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What are your marketing strategies to grow your brand?

At the very beginning of the journey, I struggled with deciding on the topic/content. I didn't understand what I wanted to do. Then finally, I realized that I want to work with cardboard and paper. It is an environment-friendly material. And I am glad that I get to recycle and repurpose old boxes and magazines. I adhere to the rule that you need to do what you like, and not what is fashionable. This way, you will not lose yourself, and fans will find you anyway.
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How do you handle brand deals and sponsorships? 

I collaborate with brands sometimes. I try to choose large and well-known brands. I don't like how some bloggers take any advertising to make money. I believe that in this way, you betray your subscribers who trust you.

Now I am currently working with a manufacturer of silicone molds. I don't ask them for advertising money, only products. I think this is a good deal. These shapes help me decorate my crafts, and in return, I tell my viewers where to buy those. 

I also advertised a paint manufacturer. They sent me a massive amount of paints, which I still have not run out until now! And now, they want to work with me again. But I said that I would do it for free because the paints are excellent. And I don't have to buy them.

I also shot five videos for the glue manufacturer UHU. I knew that the quality of the adhesives from this manufacturer is good, so I agreed. But they paid me, and I don't like working for money. I am afraid that the right inspiration will not come to me, or the product’s quality will be low. And if I take the money, I will have to deceive my subscribers and tell them a lie. Therefore, I rarely take advertising and just opt on a barter basis.