Scope this week’s spotlight on business, fashion, lifestyle blogger, and future venture capitalist, Kaamilah, aka @styleprose, to see how she’s going to make her impact as a Black, female creator.
Finding Her Passion
Q: What sparked your interest in being a blogger & content creator?
Growing up, my favorite way to creatively express myself was with words. I would write poems every year for Thanksgiving, I wrote a 60 page thesis dissertation in high school, and throughout college I would jump at any and every opportunity to write. Writing has always come naturally to me and quite frankly I believe that I’m talented at it.
I initially created my Instagram as part of the Style Guru internship program with a media company called College Fashionista. Essentially it was my duty to take photos and write articles that captured fashion, trends, and the latest happenings on my college campus. I had so much fun creating this content, and my peers loved it too. My classmates would always compliment my style and ask me for advice on how to put pieces together. This internship was what sparked my interest in blogging and the world of fashion and content creation. 
As much as I loved being behind the camera, I also wanted to be in front of it. Instead of sharing the styles of others, I wanted to showcase my own personal style, which is why I decided to launch my blog. I consider myself to be both right and left brained – I have an analytical and creative side to me. Blogging helped me to embrace both. Creating content served as an outlet that enabled me to truly showcase who I am and what I’m passionate about. The rest is history.
Inspiring Others
Q: What is the mission of your blog?
The mission of Style Prose is to inspire, educate, and motivate others by providing authentic insights on fashion, finance, and fitness. Think of Style Prose as a personal blog that covers business, style, health and lifestyle topics for millennials. My hope for you is that upon visiting my blog, you will feel inspired, learn something new, and ultimately, be motivated to become the best version of yourself. 
Coming Into Her Own
Q: You have lived in Little Rock, AR and Los Angeles, CA. How was that transition as a Black American woman?
In high school I went out of the country for the first time and it truly opened my eyes to the world around me. From that point on, I had a strong curiosity and desire to explore the offerings and opportunities that existed outside of Arkansas. I knew that I wanted to go out of state for college so it is no surprise that I decided to move from Arkansas to Pennsylvania for my undergraduate experience. Although I was apprehensive about leaving my support system behind and having to endure the winter months, this giant jump across states had resulted in a challenging, yet rewarding experience for me. As thankful as I am for my experience on the East Coast, the truth is, ever since I was little, I saw myself living and working in California. 
Although I attended predominantly white schools growing up, my parents still ensured that I was aware of my history and my identity. My Dad graduated from a segregated high school, and the stories he told gave me insights into the racial injustices that existed and still exist in America today. (Fun fact: I’m also related to one of the Little Rock 9, the first African American students to enter Little Rock’s Central High School in 1957.) Education overall was emphasized in my household, so reading books and watching the news was something I started at a very young age. My Blackness, black history, and black culture was emphasized and instilled in me. I knew the uphill battle that I had ahead of me as a Black woman in America. Overall though, I feel that living outside of Arkansas has truly helped me to embrace my culture even more. I became involved in minority-led social and professional organizations, which ultimately made my transition easier, because I had a support system filled with people who looked like me. 
Looking Ahead
Q: Having a background in Finance & legal research, what are your long-term career goals?
Whenever I take the time to examine what I envision myself doing in the future, I see myself involved in a career in which I am on the legal and financial side of entrepreneurship. I want to work with highly innovative, motivated individuals and help them to transform and protect their ideas. I am interested in investment banking, law, entrepreneurship, and technology, and I hope to merge all of these fields by one day entering into the world of venture capital. VC is a type of financing that a small business or startup receives from investors. As a Black woman with a Finance background, I find it so important to emphasize financial literacy and group economics within my community. Overall, I want to play a role, financially or legally, in assisting underrepresented entrepreneurs transform their ideas into products.
I’m ambitious and always working towards something – I thrive off of being busy. Although I have several interests and potential directions I wish to take professionally (in addition to VC)…one underlying factor that has always reigned true is my love of learning. So wherever I end up in the future, whether it’s running my own business or helping someone else to run theirs, as long as I’m enriching my brain with knowledge I’ll always be fulfilled.
Follow Your Dreams
Q: What advice would you bestow upon recent graduates during these unprecedented times?
At the end of the day, all you can do is your best, and the rest will fall into place. The life you want is right there in front of you, all you have to do is go after it. When you go after it, people and situations will either be on your side, by your side, or in the way. How you choose to react to those people and situations will determine your level of happiness between where you are and where you want to be. There is power in timing, patience, resilience and perseverance.
During those trying times when nothing is going your way, everyone and everything is irritating you, and all you want to do is complain, it is imperative to pick a piece of good news and hold onto it. Think about one good thing: something good that happened to you, something good that brings you happiness, someone good who has unconditional love and support for you, etc. and focus your energy on that.
Last two pieces of advice: 1) don’t sweat the small stuff and 2) compete with yourself, not others.
Words of Gratitude
Q: Anything else you would like to add?
To everyone, whether you know me or just discovered me…no matter how you got here, thank you. Thank you for supporting me and Style Prose with your readership, clicks, engagement and feedback. Whether it’s every day, once a week, once a month – it means a lot. I work so hard on this corner of the internet I’ve created. So thanks for stopping by, I truly appreciate it.