Divine Okafor

UWRT 1101-039
September 16, 2016

Narrative Assignment
It was a usual Saturday morning. The clashing of pots and pans and the drumming of
my brothers snoring filled the air as I opened my eyes to greet the day. Today was just
another Saturday. My legs swayed to and fro under my soft cotton sheets as I mentally
prepared myself for the day. Stretching my arms to the ceiling, I started to wipe away
the crust left on my eyes from the night before. Since my shift at work did not start for at
least five more hours, I was in no rush to leave my beds warm embrace. The sun
glistened through my blinds with a warm salute as birds in the horizon chirped their
morning glories. I reached under my pillow to soothe my phones soft buzzing.
Mindlessly, I scrolled through countless notifications before beginning my Saturday
morning routine of watching makeup tutorials on YouTube until I was rushed to get

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September 16, 2016
myself ready for work. Usually, Id watch a few videos, get an idea of how I wanted to do
my makeup that day, and then subsequently get ready for work right after. However, this
particular Saturday, nothing seemed interesting. I stared into my phones gaze as my
favorite Youtubers instructed video after video on different makeup looks, yet nothing
seemed to get my gears going. It was as if I was bored with every video I watched. With
a deep sigh, I laid back in my bed, dropping my phone by my side. An hour had to have
passed with me still laying in the same position. My mind was racing. Thinking and
willing myself to do what I have always longed to do. Visions of myself sharing my own
ideas and creating my own following filled my head. My very own visions of grandeur.
Today was not going to be just another Saturday. Today was going to be a new
beginning. I grabbed my phone again and instead began searching videos on how to
start a YouTube channel. They all said the same thing, just start filming and everything
else will come naturally, I jumped out of bed and grabbed everything off of my makeup
table. Throwing every single makeup item. I could find in front of my window, I formed a
pile of cosmetics in front of my window. I rolled up my blinds and placed my phone on
top of my windowsill. Just breathe, I told myself. Hey guys my name is Divine and
welcome to my channel!
I had no idea what I was doing. I sat down in front of my phone and stared at myself in
the screen before finally pressing record. My voice shook and my eyes were dazed, but
I was still able to apply my makeup correctly. Everything seemed to flow and I had an
idea of how I wanted my makeup to be. I also knew how I wanted the video to be
perceived and after thirty minutes of filming and re-filming, I finally captured it just as I

Divine Okafor
UWRT 1101-039
September 16, 2016
envisioned it in my head. My hands graced my face in gentle strokes to and fro. It
seemed like once I got the confidence, nothing felt forced and it was as if no one was
there. With a huge grin I posed and waved to show off the silver smoky eye and bold
red lip I had created. This was the start of my YouTube journey.
Even though I had watched thousands of YouTube videos, I had never given a
thought to how much work went into them. From the initial shooting of the video to the
actual editing process, there were so many steps to be taken before my video could be
published. I realized that I had only completed one step by filming and would now begin
the treacherous process of editing. Most YouTubers recommend iMovie as a good
editing software for new users and considering that I had an iPad and iPhone it was
fairly easy to get access to. However, when I opened the app, I immediately felt
overwhelmed. There were so many options, so many choices, and so many ways to
mess up. I opted to mute my video and delete any clips where I was talking because the
sound of my own voice quickly annoyed me. Carefully, I examined each clip and
removed unnecessary information. I sped up clips with long content, slowed down the
final result, and after two long hours I finally had the video I had the video I had hoped
for.
So after creating my video and editing I knew that I was now ready to publish my
video. However, I had yet to create my actual channel. All of my social media have the
same name of OhThatsDivine, so choosing a name channel was quite easy. The
difficult part came when choosing a layout that was inviting yet intriguing. I wanted my
viewers to know what my channel was about at first glance and also know how to

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UWRT 1101-039
September 16, 2016
contact me personally on other social media outlets. I started with just a basic picture of
myself and a banner with my Twitter and Instagram handle attached. This would be
enough for now. I was too eager to post my video to be worried about the fine details
that would haunt me later. With a few clicks my video was live and listed on both my
Twitter and Instagram accounts. I sent links to all of my friends and family while I waited
anxiously for their feedback.
Shock, to say the least, was the reaction I had. I expected to only have 10 or so
views and gradually build my following. However, overnight I awoke to over 100 views,
tons of encouraging words, and a subscriber count of over 30. Almost one year later, I
can boast of having 300 subscribers exactly and over 25,500 views spread out over 18
videos along with multiple videos that have well over 1,000 views. I am proud of all that I
have accomplished so far, but no success comes easily and my YouTube channel is not
an exception. However, learning how to navigate my audience and making my videos
more sophisticated is what helped me the most. I began planning out what I would say
in each of my videos before filming them, created my own backdrop so that it created an
illusion of a studio, and reached out to my viewers to see what they were most
interested in seeing. My first video to reach 1,000 views did so in less than three days.
This was because I purchased a product the day it went on the shelf and reviewed it just
days after. Currently that is my most watched video with well over 15,000 views. I know
I have many more improvements to make with my channel but I am grateful for what I
have accomplished and look to the future for more.

Divine Okafor
UWRT 1101-039
September 16, 2016
Any form of social media allows you to visually track your life. YouTube, for me,
was no different. I have been able to watch my old videos and compare them to my
videos now. Every video had a lesson and every video taught me what I can do better.
Whether that change was choosing a better time to record so I could have better light or
choosing my wording better so that I could get my message across a bit better, I always
saw an improvement and a place that could be improved. Choosing to create my
YouTube channel has helped me to grow as an individual because it has allowed me to
explore my strengths. Content, to say the least is how I feel with my channel. I end each
video with Thank you for watching. Dont forget to rate, comment and subscribe and as
always have a great day guys,! I hope to end my narrative in the exact same way, sort
of. So here goes. Thank you for traveling with me through my initial thoughts up until my
journey in my YouTube channel now. Also dont forget to rate, comment and subscribe
to my channel for more updates. Have a great day!