Today we’d like to introduce you to Laysia Lee.
Laysia, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hmm…I cannot exactly pinpoint when it is I “started.” The pursuit of going after what it is I wanted out of life & what I was passionate about just increased gradually as I got older. Growing up, I had always taken an interest in expressing myself more creatively. I grew up around a very diversified group of family both cultural and background-wise. I grew up with the experience of different household dynamics both single-parent, co-parent, stepfather-mother, & stepmother-father households. I was born of an African-American mother that was adopted into a Caucasian family with Greek roots and an African-American father with family roots in the Deep South of the U.S. As a toddler, my parents had an “on again, off again” relationship. Throughout the years, my parents have been separated & in different relationships. I am the oldest out of 4 biological siblings (2 little brothers & 1 little sister). At certain points in time, I was raised around what I consider to be both older & younger stepsiblings. I am the daughter of a parent having had a criminal background and a parent having had a history of substance abuse.
I was born in Lynwood, California, and stayed in the Long Beach / Compton area. By the age of 6, I moved halfway across the country with my father to Pine Bluff, Arkansas. By the age of 9, I moved cities to Fort Smith, Arkansas. Academically, I had always been good in school. I would elect to take Pre-AP / AP classes in high school. If I did not do as well, I would retake exams if possible. For extracurricular classes, I chose to elect more business-related courses. I got my first job at 16 working in a fast-food restaurant during the summer. It paid minimum wage, but I’d just wanted to save… I am now at the ripe age of 20. There are many details in between the timelines and details I have already given; I thought to list the key points & traits of my story growing up. There were a lot of changes. There were a lot of things that I experienced that I feel built my character. These things of the past are how I got to where I am today.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Taking into account the key points of my story growing up that I have listed…no, it has not been a smooth road. Throughout the challenges I experienced, I found myself diving into all types of creative avenues. I would write stories, sing, make crafts, and draw. I played the violin in school. I had attempted to learn how to play an acoustic guitar. I had always been interested in blogging and videographing. Even though I was not yet 13 (haha), I remember having created a Twitter & Instagram account specifically tailored to a Disney fan page where I’d take pictures from different Disney shows and make collages of them. Also, as I was not yet 13…on that Instagram page, I had started doing ‘Outfit Of The Day’s, clothing hauls, and words of encouragement videos on an old Motorola phone. Once I turned 13, I created an Instagram account…Eventually, I separated my personal account (@curlylaysia) and made an account more tailored professionally (@thelaysialee) and across all platforms…thus ‘ The Laysia Lee ‘ was created.
You see…though I faced challenges, one may say it pushed me to explore the creativeness in me & one may say I used “exploring” as a distraction from the challenges. I say that it is all about perspective. In life, there can be obstacles/challenges, but it is what the focus is on that determines the outcome. I could’ve chose to focus on the obstacles in my circumstances and kept doubt in my mind that I would never get through the obstacles, but I chose to focus on how to overcome the obstacles themselves instead. Diving into more creative avenues is what allowed me to do that because I got to feel more of what naturally just made me happy… that inner child. With that feeling, it confirmed that there is obviously more out of life than the obstacles presented. The pursuit of going after what I felt passionate for gradually increased over time, and I began to challenge myself more creatively…breaking out of what I was accustomed to…exploring more.
Ahh yes…exploring…that is indeed what led me to Dallas. I had never been on a solo trip. I had also never been to a concert before, and an artist I listen to, Bryson Tiller, decided to go on tour after 6 years. So… I let my creativeness spark and took the leap of booking the concert ticket, train ticket to Dallas, a car rental, and a room reservation. I vlogged the entire time. Upon arrival, I quickly adjusted to Dallas traffic/freeways and experienced an issue with my room reservation. I was able to make the best of the trip and tried a lot of new places. I met an amazing group of people while waiting in line for the concert; we all had a fun time & made sure to check on each other’s well-being while standing in the crowd of people. It went smooth when it came to networking with others as I vlogged with my tripod camera out; I never received any complaints! I even met other creatives…even in small talk, a person could name one thing they were passionate about or pursuing. There’s definitely opportunity in Dallas for creatives and entrepreneurs.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am known for being an innovator & vlogging on my YouTube channel. In everything I do, I strive to show more of who I am authentically and to continue growing as such.
What are your plans for the future?
My Solo Travel Dallas Vlogs will soon be up on my YouTube channel: The Laysia Lee. Going forward, I would love to be able to use my story as a testimony and motivator for others that are in the process of pursuing after their passions. I am actually in the process of building more in entrepreneurial areas with my brand ‘ LAYLEE ‘, which will be naturally sourced & hold the value in being environmentally friendly.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelaysialee/
- Twitter: twitter.com/thelaysialee
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thelaysialee?feature=shared
