BYE FOREVER PAULAPACESETTER!! HELLO PAULA MELISSA – EXCITED NEWS!!

I am very excited to share with you that after nearly SIX years of PaulaPaceSetter, this blog, is finished! What started as my online diary to share the muslings of a passionate teenager, has grown to become a place to share stories, advice and education. I have learnt so much by creating and developing this platform over the years. I have received so many opportunities through this blog and have met some amazing people.

But alas, on to the next thing!

WWW.PAULAMELISSA.COM

Paula Melissa is a hub to feature and discuss real life stories! It still has blog posts written by me but will also feature interviews, videos and podcasts from other people! I am looking forward to this new journey with you all. And do not worry, all my old posts will remain on this site!

All my social media links have also changed to PaulaMelissaXX!

Make sure check it out and let me know what you think!

Peace&Love.

Paula Melissa xx

THE DOS AND DON’TS OF CVS AND COVER LETTERS

After working in recruitment and screening hundreds of CVs, cover letters and portfolios at work, I have picked up a few best practices for CVs that I thought I’d share with you all. Make sure to share too!

[Feature image from Unsplash]

DO use headings and sub-headings to make your CV clear. Remember, recruiters often glance over your CV quickly, especially with roles they have recieved a lot of applications for. DON’T make it unclear what, when and where your previous experience was. Dates and locations need to be easily identifiable.

DO briefly outline who you are in your cover letter/CV’s opening paragraph. DON’T write paragraphs and paragraphs about how great you are! Your experience and education should speak for you.

DO outline your education/qualifications, particularly if they are relevant to the role you are going for. DON’T break down every single GCSE and A-Level you got, especially if they aren’t relevant to the job or were achieved a long time ago. If you got a D, E, F or U in any subject,  DON’T include it. I would say when talking about any educational qualification before an undergraduate degree, summarise: ‘9A*-C GCSEs including Maths and English, ABB In A-Level subjects Maths, Chemistry and Physics’

DO have your CV ready to attach to jobs you are applying for. DON’T attach a cover letter when applying for a role by email. You can just copy and paste it into the body of the email.

DO concisely talk about your relevant past roles and work experiences, always starting with the most recent or split your experience into ‘relevant experience’ and ‘other experience’. DON’T outline every job you have ever had, especially if it isn’t relevant for the job you are going for, at all impressive or was a million years ago!

DO get someone to look over and check your CV for mistakes. DON’T leave your tutor’s comments/notes on your CV. That is a straight delete.

DO have a nice, smiley, appropriate image on your LinkedIn profile, which you can have a (hyper)link to on your CV (post on LinkedIn dos and don’ts coming soon!). DON’T add your photo to your CV if you are applying for a job in the UK. It’s cringe.

DO use the space on the page well in your CV. This way you can have all the key information you would like the recruiter to know without over/under doing it. DON’T have more than 2 pages for a CV, unless it is a specific technical CV. If you can make it one page without loosing good details do so, but if not, two nice full pages is the way to go.

DO put dates (at least the month and year) to your education and experience. Recruiters want to know how long you were in role for and when. This is especially crucial in early careers where you may or may not qualify for certain roles, internships and placements depending on when you started university or when you graduated. DON’T put your age or date of birth on your CV. Ageism is REAL in the workplace.

DO read the job description, and read it well! DON’T apply for the job when you know you are not suitable for the role. DON’T annoy the recruiter. Three is good number of similar roles within one organisation to apply for. Any more than that – BYE!

DO try and explain any technical/specialist terms on your CV and cover letter as simply as possible. DON’T deliberately try and use fancy terms that confuse the recruiter.

DO save your CV’s file name as your first and last name. DON’T save the document as ‘My CV’, ‘Doc 2’ or ‘fhhjbasbdsbj’. Not helpful.

DO save your CV in pdf form as well as as a word document, especially if it is a creative/art and design CV. This keeps the formatting the way you intended it whereas the format of word docs depends on which year of Microsoft the recruiter has. DO have a visually attractive CV, especially if you are applying for a creative role. DON’T save your CV on any other program other than Word (or as a pdf) such as Adobe InDesign or Sketch as the recruiter may not have these programs and will not be able to open your CV. And you won’t get the job!

 

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any points to add and make sure to share with your job-hunting friends!

Peace&Love.

Paula Melissa xx

#6 Gracey Mae interview – ‘Multiple Streams of Income!!’

Interviewed, filmed and edited by Paula Melissa

Interview date: 24/02/2018

It was amazing interviewing TV & Radio Host, Online Content Creator and Serial Entrepreneur, Gracey Mae. Enjoy part 1 of 2 (subtitles)

 

Peace&Love.

Paula Melissa xx

#4 Hannah Ajala – BBC Journalist – “I was obsessed with film-making and story-telling!”

Interviewed, filmed and edited by Paula Melissa

Interview date: 29/01/2018

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The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is one of the world’s largest media organisations. A national treasure! It was absolutely amazing interviewing BBC World Service journalist, Hannah Ajala as she talks about her creative journey. Here is our two part interview where she discusses her start in the industry and gives advice about networking effectively.

Part 1

Music: CASS – CAN’T GET ENOUGH (Carlos Herrera Music Remix)

Part 2

Music: Trey Kennedy – Amy

Visit Hannah’s blog and follow her on Twitter and Instagram!

 

Peace&Love.

Paula Melissa xx

#3 Ronke Lawal Feature: How To Start Your Own Business When It’s Hard!!!

Interviewed by Paula Melissa

Interview date 26/01/2018

Pictures by Nuraan Ackers

East London’s very own, PR and Communications professional Ronke Lawal is no stranger to the power of Public Relations, social media marketing and brand management for businesses.

After founding her own PR agency, Ariatu Public Relations nearly 14 years ago, Ronke has gone on to work with and for established businesses and brands all over the country. She specialises in B2C (Business to Consumer) businesses in the entertainment industry, varying from beauty to food.

She has now become a respected name in the UK PR industry and was appointed a director of the Chartered Board of Public Relations (CIPR) last year and officially started this year.

But how did Ronke get to where she is now and what can you learn from her to push yourself closer towards starting and successfully running your own business?

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With 90-95% of the PR industry being white, the odds were already stacked high against British-born Nigerian Ronke, but that has not seemed to stop her! She is audacious and bold in her conversations on race; a topic often avoided in the corporate office.

She said: “I don’t see why there should be a problem with being vocal in my blackness and in my womanhood.”

With a large percentage of her clients being Afro-Caribbean business owners, it can be assumed that British BAME (Black and Minority Ethnic) people appreciate going to someone who looks and sounds like them for their PR needs.

They value the comfort it brings, knowing their business is safe in the hands of someone who understands their background.  Ronke celebrates this and ensures her clients feel they are getting the best from her.

She said: “I love that I am using my strategic skills. I love doing the work I do and I am doing it well.”

You may be able to relate to Ronke in the sense that you are trying to be a part of a rather exclusive industry. An industry full of people that perhaps grew up very differently from you – how do you intercept an industry like that? An industry which, like very much of the rest of the Western world, generally favours the white narrative.

Well, Ronke has good advice for you: “Put yourself forward in positions you’re not comfortable in. Challenge yourself but being in places and spaces people do not expect to see you in.”

Ronke, herself, did this when she was appointed a Director for the Charted Institute of Public Relations.

“They recognised that there was an issue of lack of diversity and representation in the industry. I appreciate that they were willing to do something about it by appointing me.”

Ariatu Public Relations was started slowly while Ronke was still working in her finance personnel manager job and living at home in London to save to buy her own house. This demonstrates to young entrepreneurs how necessary it is to be realistic with yourself about sacrifices you may have to make.

Being self-employed, being your own boss, sounds fun but business can be hard.

“It was an investment!” Ronke said: “It was a hustle. The tough times have really strengthened my internal drives.

“People expect entrepreneurship to be amazing. It’s great but it’s a journey. Open your eyes to your journey!

“Look at it down on paper: can what you want to do feed you! Be realistic. Don’t quit your job if it can’t.

“There are ups and downs. You have to know if you can cope with the lack of consistent income that can happen with being self-employed.

“Late payments can be a dream killer. Be wise.”

Deciding to leave a stable 9-5 job for your 5-9 (also known as your side hustle) sounds great in theory but do not confuse belief and excitement for your brand, product or service for pure foolishness. In our capitalist society, you need money to exist.

That being said, there are a lot of ways you can start an enterprise with limited resources:

• Consider crowdsourcing
• Consider sponsorship from venture capitalists
• Using free webinar platforms to build a clientele
• Monetise videos on YouTube or add ads to your site
• Start somewhere or with someone who will pay for what you do
• Use social media to shout about your product or service.

Ronke, who has an active following on LinkedIn and YouTube primarily as well as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, is a huge fan of the power of social media, especially for businesses and brands.

She said: “I can use the tools of social media as well as traditional PR skills. My use of Instagram, Twitter and YouTube with brands and clients is significant.

“They are basic, free platforms that can be valuable in projecting clients. People overanalyse the creative process when you can use simple tools and get effective results.”

Drawing on the example of Michael Daapah and his success with Big Shaq’s Mans Not Hot – the comedian-turned-musician used his social media platforms to get his brand out there – you do not necessarily need to wait for media coverage or exposure from a mainstream platform.

Ronke said: “We don’t have to wait anymore. You can just go and make what you want to happen, happen. I love that we can harness social media and get PR out there.”

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Thanks to Ronke for the interview! You can see more of Ronke on her website, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.

 

Peace&Love.

Paula Melissa xx

#2 HOW TO BE A CREATIVE!! ALL THE LINKS YOU WILL EVER NEED!! – #CareersForCreatives

By Paula Melissa

Want a creative career* in Marketing, Journalism, Music or Technology but you don’t know where to start?

You’ve come to the right place!

When I first decided I wanted to be a creative, I did not know where to start! There weren’t many people doing what I was doing. It wasn’t like today where Twitter is full of likeminded people (Why does 2010 sound like SO LONG ago?)

So I decided to make this list of a few links** and organisations I’ve come into contact with over the years. There is a real mix here- from bursaries and scholarships to job boards and internships. I know I would have loved something like this so I’m hoping this is super helpful for you.

*Also, I should make it clear, because I have so many lovely readers outside of the UK, that these links are specific to the UK.

**All links should open in new tab

As always, please contact me with any questions!

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General Creative:

Sanctuary Graduates

Guiding graduates through the recruitment process

Graduate Fog

Career advice to help with navigating through the changing career market

We Heart Mondays

A space for creative female entrepreneurs

Foundervine

A community for entrepreneurs

The Middle

A platform highlighting creatives and entrepreneurs in the middle of their creative journeys.

City Career Series

Detailed resources and handbooks on different City careers e.g. Law, Investment Banking and Business

The Dots

A professional network for creatives – like a creative LinkedIn – where you can find creative jobs and brands can find you!

Lively Stones

An online platform for inspired and entrepreneurial Christian students

Pursue Your Passion

Guidance and support through GCSEs, A-Levels, Degrees and Graduations through networking events (FB)

PressPad

Offering free accommodation for journalism students/graduates on unpaid internships

LinkedIn Learning

Thousands of courses on different careers and skills, from graphic design, to personal development

SocialFixt

A Facebook group enabling people to share internal opportunities to make you aware of creative jobs out there that you may have missed! They also organise career events.

Women in the City  (WCAN)

A large group of Black women, both students and professionals, working within different industries across the City (corporate). They provide mentoring, networking opportunities and advertise vacancies.

Creative Access

Present career opportunities for BAME young people in the creative industries: Book Publishing, Film, Museums & Galleries, Music, Newspaper & Magazine Publishing, PR, Advertising & Marketing, Radio, Television, Talent and Theatre.

uptree

An online professional network & careers platform

Livity 

A youth-led creative organisation that do everything, from music to film making to photography! They also offer co-working space and workshops.

Google’s Digital Garage

Learn digital skills to use in business through free training courses

Hiive

A network for professional creative people to connect with people, brands, jobs and opportunities

GoThinkBig

Provide help, advice, work experience and internships for different creative paths

GetMyFirstJob

An extensive database of apprenticeships, placements and internships

Government – Apprenticeships

National apprenticeships in England

Apprenticeships

Help with apprenticeships all over the UK

TargetJobs

Graduate jobs, grad schemes and postgraduate courses

Student Ladder

Job/work opportunities from year 12 to graduate

RateMyPlacement

Reviews on internships and placements with large companies

The Muse

A careers site with jobs, articles relating to careers and BTS on large companies worldwide

employeeREDEFINED

Articles and one-to-one help for young millennial ‘stuck’ in their careers

Creative Toolkit

Advice and information for new entrants about working in entertainment – including your legal rights!

Young Barbican

A scheme for 16-25 year olds, giving them discounted tickets to art and entertainment shows and creative workshops

Girl Got Faith

Beauty, lifestyle and faith blog for teenagers (I’m including this as inspiration for creative ventures and I love the way they run their social media)

Refinery29.uk

Global media company focusing on Women

Amplify

Joining dots between people, brands and culture

LDN_LAB from Facebook

Offering mentoring, office space, workshops and chance to network with key people at Facebook!

Urban Nerds

Culture and Youth marketing agency specialising in influencer, events and content marketing

Black Sisters Network

Space for Black Christian women

Journalism:

Studying Journalism at University [VIDEO]

Here’s a video I made at the end of my second year studying Journalism Studies at the University of Sheffield talking about the course.

Journalism.co.uk

Industry website with information on jobs, placements, courses and other things to help trainee journalist.

The Guardian

A portal for jobs and training opportunities in The Guardian – mainly in London, New York and Sydney.

Media Trust

A media and communications charity connecting media professions with charity organisations to communicate their message with the world.

Media Diversified

An UK-based online magazine focusing on hearing from writers of colour

Black Ballad

An online publication written by and primarily for Black women, founded by freelance journalist, Tobi Oredein.

TCS Network

A 100% publicly funded online news publication

First Employ

Professional development and careers website that advertises jobs but also provides courses and workshops to improve employability

Sky Early Careers

Career opportunities for students and graduates

Clarity Mag

A young Christian female magazine (I included this one as website and product inspiration! Their magazine is beautifully produced.)

Broadcast and Digital Media:

Edinburgh TV Festival – Talent Schemes

Schemes to help you break in to TV (brought to you by YouTube and BT)

VIACOM – Breaks

Work placements and internships with VIACOM and their corresponding brands: MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and Channel 5.

news:rewind

Digital media events by Journalism.co.uk

Bauer Media

Bauer Media UK manage a LARGE amount of the entertainment media we see on TV, Radio, Magazines and Online

The Talent Manager

A large database of jobs primarily in broadcast media in the UK

BEBB

An online media platform founded by BkChat presenter and content creator, Nissy Tee

Espire21

An online lifestyle women’s magazine

MoCunks.com

A lifestyle platform founded by online content creator and host, Mo Chunks

Mediaworks

Digital marketing agency that literally do it all: SEO, paid media marketing and content creation

Marketing/Advertising/Graphic Design:

D&AD

A global organisation and forerunners in the creative design and advertising

Adobe – Forums

Discuss design ideas and het help from others

Creativepool

A network and job board for agencies, brands and individuals to showcase their work, connect and look for creative jobs.

Branding/PR/Comms/Publicity:

Adzvice

Content on personal and business branding

We Heart Mondays

Co-working office spaces and social communities of female influencers, freelancers and entrepreneurs in London

FBL Bloggers

F.B.L (Fashion Beauty Lifestyle) Bloggers network connecting bloggers and YouTubers with branding opportunities

Sixteenth

Influencer talent agency

Photography/Videography:

Digital Camera Photographer of the Year 2018

A major photography competition with great prizes and an opportunity to present your photography to professional judges

YouTube Academy 

Lots of courses on how to start and grow a YouTube channel

TriForce Short Film Festival

Film makers competition to have your film played at BAFTA

Scholarships/Bursaries/Awards/Youth Services:

Leweeza’s application handbook

A handbook of CV tips, cover letter, application helps, assessment centres etc

The Amos Bursary

Leadership programs and opportunities for young men of African and Caribbean descent

Amazon’s Women in Innovation Bursary 

helping young women from less advantaged backgrounds fulfil their ambitions of a career in innovation and technology by providing financial support.

Amazon’s AWS re:Start program

AWS re:Start will provide free training and job placements to help 1,000 out of work young people as well as military veterans, reservists and their spouses, to launch a career in technology.

One Pound Something

Content on personal finance, money and saving

UK Youth

National charity providing life services for young people primarily from disadvantaged backgrounds, through local charities and organisations.

Big Lottery Fund

National organisation that provide funding for community groups, charity projects and social enterprises all around the UK.

Royal Television Society

An educational charity working within TV, Broadcast and Film. They have different bursaries and scholarships – I’m actually an RTS member myself!

D&AD Awards

An award for creative branding and graphic design

Elevation Networks

Youth employment, recruitment, training and education

Aleto Foundation

Organisation that runs leadership programmes

Music:

SheSaid.So

A global network of women who work in the music industry, offering networking and mentorship opportunities.

Roundhouse

An organisation helping young artists, primarily in music but also in media and performing arts, with career help, life skills and help with equipment and facilities. They have rooms and studios for SUPER cheap for young artists.

Technology:

Code First: Girls

Free coding and tech lessons for women in tech

Google Internships

Google offer internships and entry level jobs and also sponsored programs

Amazon’s Women in Innovation Bursary 

helping young women from less advantaged backgrounds fulfil their ambitions of a career in innovation and technology by providing financial support.

Amazon’s AWS re:Start program

AWS re:Start will provide free training and job placements to help 1,000 out of work young people as well as military veterans, reservists and their spouses, to launch a career in technology.

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Let me know if this has helped you!

Peace&Love

Paula Melissa xx

FALLING OFF – Guest Blogger – Amber-Simone Gayle

by Amber-Simone Gayle

‘Falling off is perfectly okay, unless you are on a bridge, then it may not be so wise to do so.’

How many times have you felt like you’ve got it all together? Like every aspect of your life is finally under control and going in the direction you want it to. Like you’re finally on top of everything you need to be?

Then bam, all of a sudden, life hits you.

You’ve forgotten to do one of the many things you needed to do, you’re slacking in some area in your life, you’ve compared your progress to someone else’s and suddenly feel like you’re not doing ‘enough’ – and just like that, you’ve fallen off.

Personally speaking, I am currently juggling part time work, learning to drive, being consistent with my personal blog, applying for internships/placements as well as researching what I plan to do after my final year of uni – working in industry or a graduate scheme – and that’s just to name a few things.

When you’re juggling so many, very different, things, its so easy to say ‘you know what? I can’t be bothered to do this today’’ and that’s okay. It’s easy to let something slip, as long as you don’t allow it to get completely forgotten about. The point is:

• It’s unlikely that you’re going to be on top form 100% of the time, and when you aren’t, don’t beat yourself up about it.
• Allow lazy/rest days, or even days where you only do the things you enjoy doing, yet still have to do. You’re still being productive, but doing something enjoyable – issa win win.

Falling off is actually a good thing, and this is something I learnt recently thanks to a good friend. When you fall off, it allows you to completely evaluate what you should be doing compared to what you are doing. You can then act accordingly, budgeting your time for what you aren’t paying enough attention to, and maybe reducing something you are spending too much time on. Don’t beat yourself up about what you may not have done yet; just make significant changes so that you actually will do them. Pattern yourself, and get back on track.

As for comparing yourself to others, don’t do it.

I know that is a lot easier said than done, but trust me, it’s not worth it. You can never truly know what someone else is going through, yet here we are comparing ourselves to them, wanting to be more like them in a certain way. For all you know, they could have packaged and presented themselves in a way to appear like they have it all together, but when they’re alone, the whole façade crumbles, and really they’re in the same position as you. Aspire to be the best version of yourself, not a copy of someone else. As long as you are consistently improving, and aiming to be better than the person you were yesterday, that’s all that matters.

Don’t feel like everything needs to come together instantly, in all areas of your life, as that will only lead to disappointment. There is no time limit to success, so keep falling off, getting back up and coming back stronger.

 

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Amber-Simone Gayle, editor of lifeofambs.wordpress.com

Twitter @ambsimonee             

Instagram @ambsimonee/ambssimoneart

Closing Remarks – Bye 2017, Hello 2018

This year has been.. a journey, to say the least!

Everyone I’ve spoken to seems to feel the same way – this year was one for the books. This has been a year of pruning and growth. A year of preparation and maturing. And for that we should be grateful.

For 2018, I wish you all joy, peace and hope. I pray for direction and vision to be in excess next year for you all.

Remember, with January the 1st comes another opportunity to reflect on life and reflect on yourself. Another opportunity to make those changes that you continually put off all of 2017. It is also important to note those changes you did make and be grateful for how far you have come.

So here’s to 2018! Happy new year!

Peace&Love.

Paula Melissa xx

WORDS TO LIVE BY – WORDS OF SELF-AFFIRMATION ARE IMPORTANT

 

You’ve probably heard that words are powerful so be careful what you say.

I’m here to tell you, you are, or rather you become, who you tell yourself you are.

As a Woman of Faith, it is so vital that I speak positive things over and into my life. I say, out loud or in my heart, my goals and dreams, because this is the first step towards taking the actions to reach them.

I remember the first time I said out loud I want to be an Online Content Creator – not just as a hobby, as a full-time job! – I laughed! I thought it sounded silly and childish to think I could actually get paid enough to live on doing what I have been doing for the last five years.

I laughed every single time I said it out loud to someone, or even just to myself and God, for a very long time. But eventually I stopped laughing and started actually believing it could happen.

This is why what you say about yourself is so powerful and so important.

In the same way positive words work, negative words can carry a lot of weight. Especially when those words are coming from yourself, about yourself. You feel like they must be true because you can’t really lie to yourself, can you?

I’m here to tell you, you are, or rather you become, who you tell yourself you are. Even if you were that negative person before, you don’t need to continue to remind yourself of that and you don’t need to allow yourself to believe that that is all you’ll ever be.

Proverbs 18:21, in the Bible, says “The tongue [mouth/words/language] has the power of life and death [positivity/growth or negativity/stagnation].” (Brackets added)

And Deuteronomy 30:19 (Also in the Bible. The Bible is lit.) says “…I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life…”

I don’t know about you guys, but I choose life. Always.

I choose to speak words and think thoughts that build me up.

One practical way you can get into a habit of choosing life and speaking positivity over yourself is Words to Live By. I got this from this amazing sermon by one of my favourite Pastors and speakers, Pastor Craig Groeschel, of Life Church. I recommend anyone dealing with low self-esteem and negative toughts to give this a watch:

Words to Live By: step-by-step

• Write a list of positive statements that relate to you specifically. Any areas of improvement you have in your life? You need to be honest with yourself!
• Find scriptures (or if you are not a person of faith, find motivational quotes) relating very specifically to every statement and write them next to each statement.
• Every morning (or every night if your mornings are half as crazy as mine!!) say these statements, either out loud or in your heart. And use them as daily prayer points to pray to God.
• If you are likely to forget, set an alarm named Words to Live By to remind you to say them
• Write them on post-it notes and put them in places you will see them throughout the day to remind you.
• As you go through your day, make conscious actions towards fulfilling your Words to Live By.

I thought I’d share a few of mine, just to give you some ideas. Feel free to pinch/adapt them.

I am strong through Christ who gives me strength – 2 Corinthians 12:9

Self discipline is my middle name and hard work does not scare me – 2 Timothy 1:7

God would not allow anything that is stronger than me to try me so I find joy and peace in trials – James 1:2

I shall not be anxious or worry about anything – Psalms 94:19, Philippians 4:6, 1 Peter 5:7

 

Peace&Love.

Paula Melissa xx

You’re doing great, sweetie – Don’t be in a rush, hun x

Pictures by my little sister, Pamela who often doubles as my photographer 😂

I’ve always been too fast and too smart for my own good. That kid that wants to get involved in everything. And now I am at the age where that translates into being the woman with all of the ideas and the mentality that she can do them all. Superwoman, basically.

At the beginning of this year, I wrote a blog post titled YOU DO TOO MUCH!! in which I talked about how I was used to people telling me I have too many ideas and get involved in too many things. It was me saying to the world that I am a passionate whirlwind and I intend on continuing to be.

But let me just tell you what I’ve realised only seven months later – you do too much, and it is not a good thing.

What is the point of dipping your toes in multiple pools but not actually swimming in any of them?

I am reminded of a phrase that I love to hate and hate to love – ‘Jack of all trades, master of none‘. I do not want to be someone who can do lots of things but nothing well. I am not saying I am that person but as of late, I saw myself becoming that person.

Like I mentioned in my last blog post, I have been very overwhelmed by my new job alongside all my other projects. I got stuck in my head after comparing myself and my craft to other bloggers, YouTubers and photographers and kept feeling like I fell WAYYYY short.

I’ve had people near and dear to me encourage me, and I’ve also encouraged myself (shoutout to Donald Lawrence ).

I have come to realise – You’re doing great, sweetie. Don’t be in a rush, hun x

I am doing just fine – all things considered. And the only person I need to be comparing myself to is myself.

Am I the same person as last year? Am I progressing? Am I becoming the woman God made me to be?

That’s the ONLY standard I need to be looking at!

After speaking to my friend Yemisi, who is the Founder of Lively Stones UK, I began to learn practical ways to overcome this feeling of helplessness and feeling overwhelmed. And I thought I would share them with you!

Practical ways to overcome feeling overwhelmed:

• LISTS ARE YOUR FRIENDS! – write down to-do lists, lists of things you need to accomplish, time tables etc. Basically write it all down! The Bible literally says “write the vision, make it plain”.
• WHAT’S COMING UP AHEAD? – Plan your ideas and projects by asking yourself what the future for it is. Think about it in terms of time scales: Is this a year long plan, 2 months, a week?
• BE PREPARED – if you start a new blog/vlog series, try and write or record two or three parts before announcing it. When Yemi said this one, it REALLY hit home because I have stopped so many series’ that I start on my YouTube channel or this blog just because I realised that I didn’t have the time to do it or I don’t realise where it is going anymore. If I had planned ahead and been prepared, I could have avoided that.
• IF YOU NEED TO TAKE A BREAK, TAKE A BREAK! – this is very much self explanatory! Take a break, have a Kit Kat. Sometimes you just need to step back, block out the noise and keep to yourself for a bit. It is very healing.
• TO QUOTE MJ, YOU ARE NOT ALONE, I AM HERE WITH YOU! – A couple of weeks after having my lil moment about my blog and channel, I saw someone tweet some similar things to how I was feeling at the time. I was astonished to learn that other people feel the same way I did. Girl. Boy. You are not alone – everyone feels overwhelmed some times. You just may not see it, but believe that it happens. Just do not stay overwhelmed.

If you take anything away from this, remember, everyone gets overwhelmed. Just don’t stay overwhelmed.

Peace&Love.

Paula Melissa xx

Drastic steps to growth

Sometimes getting to the next level, in whatever context, really requires you to do something drastic. 

Something a little different from what you would normally do. They say foolishness is doing the same thing each time and expecting a different result. I am starting to really understand that.

This year, 2017 and generally this academic year (Sept 2016- now), I have been going on and on about how I want to reach the next level with God. I want to really REALLY know Him. I want to love what He loves and hate what He hates. I want speak like Him, and act like Him. And while this is starting to sound like something out of the Jungle Book, I am deadly serious.

I have seen such growth in my life: emotionally, mentally, spiritually (and of course physically!) and that has always been something that has made me so proud of myself. But why should I be proud about reaching new levels – isn’t that exactly what life is about? A baby reaches milestones every single day. And while the parents may like to act like their baby is the smartest baby to ever set foot on the face of the Earth for taking five steps before falling, it’s not. That is just the next stage in that baby’s life.

I am at that next stage. I have almost finished my second year of university. I am about to start my year long placement (more on that in the next few posts – we thank God). And now, I am at the stage where I want to fall in love with the Lord.

I’ve been reading a Full: Food, Jesus and the Battle for Satisfaction by Asheritah Ciuciu (amazing book btw, book review is definitely pending) and learning more and more about how to find total satisfaction in God and in myself.

So I’ve now hit a crossroad where I have to be real with myself. Saying the same words and doing the same things will not create a new result. If I say I want to grow in God and grow in who He made me to be, I must take a step (in literal, practical faith) towards that.

So I made a list.

All good things start with writing a list.

I’ve written a list of practical things I can do, in a bid to shift my priorities to God and things of Him. The first thing (and the only thing on the list that I’ve done so far lool) is delete all social media. I know I speak of drastic actions and this does not sound like it is, but trust me it is. If you know me, you’ll know how much social media means to me. I means a lot. Too much. And taking a break from it (a proper break, not those silly three-day social media fasts I go on quite often that don’t do anything at all) for however long I feel led to, is one way to reconnect to God.

I am excited to share this journey with you guys. As this blog turns FIVE (How crazy is it that a quarter of my life is on this blog?!!) I will get to share with you all some grown-up truths as I learn them myself.

The site title says Paula Melissa: Here to Inspire. All I have ever wanted to do, with my blog, my YouTube channel, my life, is inspire people. But it is now time for me to find my source of Inspiration. And to hopefully to inspire you to look to Him too.

Peace&Love… and growth!

Paula Melissa xx

HOW TO: CREATE AND SUSTAIN YOUR OWN SOCIAL MEDIA BRAND

MLM

Two of my friends asked me for some advice about starting online projects. It made me realise that over the years I have gathered some tips and tricks and I am the type of person to share my knowledge, no matter how limited.

Firstly, I’m going to blow my trumpet a little and tell you all why I am qualified to be giving out this kind of advice. This blog, this very blog you’re reading, is five years old this summer. I have been in the YouTube world for just over three years. I have been ‘online’ since 2010 and pretty much have an account on every social media network worth pursuing. I’ve worked with lots of different brands and groups, on both sponsored and non-sponsored content. And the icing on the cake is that I study Journalism Studies at the University of Sheffield, so I basically get taught all this stuff too!

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People, Faces, Names

People react more to people. A lot of the time, when someone is trying to use social media to promote their business or brand, they are reluctant to promote themselves. While the business or brand is the thing actually making you money, you, as a person, is the thing attracting people to that business. You are the face of your brand. People are not only investing into your products and services, they are investing in you because they believe in you.

Linking this to social media, you will need to create social media accounts for your brand/business/service but also for yourself. You need to establish a personality for yourself and a separate one for your business.

People like to see the face behind a brand but they also appreciate the differentiation between the two.

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Online Personality

Continuing on from the last point, you need to create online personalities for both yourself and your brand. When we were younger on the internet, parents, teachers and the government would constantly warn us of the dangers of the internet. “Don’t use your real name!” “Don’t tell people about yourself!” “Don’t say where you live!” and to be honest, they were right. The internet was uncharted territory then and everyone was weary of it. Nowadays, we can be open, while still being careful.

Some people go down the whole pseudonym route and will create a whole persona for being online. Many of the first ‘YouTubers’ and bloggers did that – y’all didn’t think Zoella was her real name, right??

On the other side of the spectrum are people who really blossom because of how open they are about their lives. We’ve watched my girl, Patricia Bright get married, have her first baby, move into her own house, and all the while felt like we’ve been on the journey with her!

Both of these, or even a mixture of the two, can be effective and have their pros and cons. Find the balance that works for you. Using myself as an example, I am fairly open – I say where I go to Uni and share a fair amount about my life. But I go by Paula Melissa and not my actual surname and withhold a lot of details.

That’s my balance. Find yours.

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Formally Known As

Continuing (my GCSE English Language and Literature teacher would be so proud of my structuring here because they’re all linking and flowing), you need to decide what tone of voice you’ll have on your social media.

• Will you be formal and only use it for business and networking?
• Will you be totally informal and write like you’re speaking to your friends?

Again, both have their perks but also their qualms. Here’s where I slot my opinion – a mixture of both is needed!

When I started to work on my Paula Melissa brand, I consciously decided to change the way I tweet and post. I could not be writing in slang (Lord forgive me for ever writing like this in the first place: “yo wuu2 b??xxx” *gags*) and expect brands and companies I wanted to work with to take me seriously.

But at the same time, the USP (unique selling point – GCSE Business Studies, come throughhhh) is that my brand is based around me. My bubbly, friendly personality is my brand and potential clients need to get that through my online presence. So again, it is a balancing act. You can tweet about things that interest you and retweet funny videos of cats singing all while still tweeting updates about your products/business/content professionally.

Find your voice and showcase it, unashamedly.

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#TEAMFOLLOWBACK

The title of this section is paying homage to an old-school trend on Twitter – if you know, you know;)

It is important to learn who to follow/contact when starting your brand. This is obviously specific to what online project you are creating. For example; starting a YouTube channel. Subscribe to other people creating similar content to what you’d like to make. Drop some genuine comments (oh, and by the way, we can tell when a comment is genuine and when it is just there to get me to sub back. Girl bye.)

On Twitter and Instagram, follow people posting similar things to you or in the field you want to be in. In terms of using social media to networking and find jobs, I’ve done a detailed post here.

The gist of it is, do not be afraid to contact people. Message them. Tweet them. Most of the time, people want to talk to you.

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Which One’s Right?

Lastly, I want to talk about which social media network is the best for you.

When I started and in the first few years, I took the ‘bull in a china shop’ approach, meaning I just made every single social media network I could. I was hilarious. I struggled to update them all often and some of them where completely pointless for a teenage girl from London to be on at the time…

Social media can be so powerful if used right. People connect with brands and opportunities, get jobs and placements and can become self-employed through it.

TWITTER – Pros: instant interaction with audience, wide demographic of people (age, gender, race, class, geographical audience), Cons: can often be hard to get a following immediately, can be hard to stand out from people doing similar things

Twitter can be used to find your audience (people who will buy your product/watch your videos/care about your brand) and promote yourself to them. I would not limit Twitter to a specific sector – it is definitely one I would say can be vital.

INSTAGRAM – Pros: Visually displays products and creates strong brand visibility, wide demographic of millennials, Cons: not very useful for people selling a service that isn’t visual, harder to reach certain demographic e.g. older generation, people in ‘developing’ countries

If you are creating something visual, like a YouTube channel, blog, product, IG is for you. Visual services e.g. hair styling and make-up artists, also work every well on IG as people like to scroll through pictures of what you’ve done before. If it is a service like consultancy or news-gathering, Insta may not be the best, although I have seen some brand making it work, so don’t quote me.

FACEBOOK – Pros: Most used social media network, wide demographic of users, especially globally, Cons: can be rigid, ineffective in sharing options, younger generations using less

The power of Facebook cannot be overlooked, as much as I (secretly) hate it. A large percentage of the world is on Facebook so you can reach such a wide audience, especially if your business is transnational. I would say be careful about privacy settings though or you will get random people adding you and seeing all your details. I made a separate Facebook page for Paula Melissa – the brand try and avoid this.

Also, Facebook and YouTube are now apparently rivals so if you are creating videos I would recommend making short versions (with subtitles as lots of Facebook videos play without sound) to upload directly to Facebook. Sharing YouTube links onto Facebook does not work as well anymore.

SNAPCHAT – Pros: Useful in creating a personal rapport with audience, effective for bloggers and vloggers who’s brands revolve around themselves, Cons: very limited demographic (only people who have actually added you so often just friends and family), mainly young people – ineffective in translating that to sales/money

Here’s my opinion again, I would avoid Snapchat as a form of social media branding. It just will not grow your brand as effectively as the others will. Of course, use it to promote your stuff to your friends and family – to let them know a new post video is out – but it is quite an inward facing platform.

Personally, I do not give out my snapchat as freely as I do Twitter and Instagram. I use it randomly vlog my day and share my spontaneous adventures etc. It is not one I’d use to find clients and brands – although it is looking like this may change too, with the addition of ads.

OTHERS: LinkedIn, YouTube, Soundcloud, Pinterest, Tumblr, WordPress etc

There are loads more social media platforms, all effective in some ways.

YouTube is obviously the best video platform but do not forget that all of the top four above can use video too. WordPress is the best blogging/content sharing platform (Yes I am biased but I’ve used others so whatevs) but don’t forget Facebook can take a large amount of text on its statuses. Twitter and Instagram have many blogging/content creator groups. Pinterest and Tumblr can be great for finding inspiration and designs – visuals that you can share on Instagram.

Don’t forget – Social media is powerful.

I hope this has been helpful. I am happy to help further – contact me. Make sure you connect with me!

Ya girl, Paula Melissa xx

CAMERAS AND COACHES

Welcome to February 2017!

We’re only a week in and I already know this is going to be a super blessed month, with lots of opportunities for us to grab!

MLM (IG: _ManLikeMike)

On the first of Feb, I was in Birmingham filming with and interviewing Chelsea Monye, who is  the CEO and Founder of The Esquire Network. My friend, Layomi came along with me to help with filming and we had such a great day in Birmingham. A post and video will be released later this month, so look out for it! I took the opportunity to catch up with my friend Yemisi, who is the founder of Lively Stones!

PMP – (IG: PaulaMelissaPhotography)

PMP – (IG: PaulaMelissaPhotography)

PMP – (IG: PaulaMelissaPhotography)

The next day, Thursday 2, I went to London for the day to attend a YouTube Space London Open House event! I had so much fun, with my fellow YouTuber friend Micheal, meeting lots of other YouTubers and online content creators!

MLM (IG: _ManLikeMike)

Misha B, former X-Factor finalist, was the special guest performer of the night. I absolutely LUV HERRR so of course I was fangirling, especially when she hugged me. I took the opportunity to do some photography, and took a few snaps of Queen Misha.

PMP – (IG: PaulaMelissaPhotography)

PMP – (IG: PaulaMelissaPhotography)

PMP – (IG: PaulaMelissaPhotography)

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Okay so this post was not her to boast that I’ve had an amazing week, which I have. It is to explain how I can afford to keep up my travel and filming habits – I am a university student without a full time job, after all!

MLM (IG: _ManLikeMike)

Firstly, while I’m not the best at budgeting, I always make sure I have enough in my everyday-use bank account for rent, transport, uni related expenses and of course food. When that’s all sorted, I look at my ‘spare’ money.

When I first started university, I was so reluctant to spend a single pound. My mum let me know that it was unhealthy to look at money as something that is ‘too’ precious to spend, even when I needed to. Obviously spending needs to be controlled, but allow yourself to buy things that you want. Money is just a ‘thing’, and like any other things in this world, it has a purpose. It is not to be stared at and admired, it is to be spent in the exchange of products and services. That’s how it works in our capitalist society (channelling my inner Leonie tbh).

A lot of people spend their ‘spare’ money on clothes, make-up or nights out. I don’t, lol. Most of my money is spent on food, travelling around the UK and filming equipment.

Since the beginning of this year, I’ve treated myself to a new vlogging camera (which is swiftly returned because it was utter rubbish, be careful when buying compact cameras because the filming quality is very close to filming on those slide up Samsung’s from 2008, you’ve been warned..), a new tripod, a flashgun and an extra battery for my camera. I’ve travelled on about 4 different coach journeys and 2 train journeys and I’m planning trips to London and Littlehampton (near Brighton) this week. I love it.

But HOW do I afford this?

Well, I’ve changed my eating habits which has changed how much I spend. I eat a lot more veggies and pasta dishes which means I rarely eat out or buy food on the go. I bring a pack lunch to work on Tuesdays and go home for lunch when I can. I meal prep (chop up veggies and meat in preparation to quickly cook later on in the week and keep them in the fridge) which means I’m less likely to be lazy and just order a pizza!

The main thing for saving money when travelling nationwide – 16-25 railcard. I travel to London all of the time (it’s home<3) so having a railcard allows train tickets to be significantly reduced in price. If you’re a student and you’re between 16-25 and you don’t own a railcard – what u doing????

The next step is taking a coach instead of trains. Coach journeys are considerably cheaper than trains, especially if you take a Megabus over National Express, however they do take almost double the time a train would. A train from Sheffield to London would be a little over 2 hours – coach took 4. Not ideal.

Megabuses are the bane of my existence – they’re usually late, packed out and either suffocatingly hot or bitterly cold. But they’re cheap and meant I went to Birmingham and back for £6.75 and to London and back for £7 so I AM NOT COMPLAINING.

Hope you’re having a blessed 2017 so far! The plan is for us to all succeed together 😉 so go out and get your own!

MLM (IG: _ManLikeMike)

Peace&Love.

Ya girl, Paula Melissa xx