I'm, like, not a science person at all.
There was a long stretch of time where I was making these videos, and everyone just thought I was a weirdo because I was making videos in my apartment instead of, like, going out, you know. And so I, like, it's hilarious now because everyone gets YouTube now. But, you know, in 2006, when I started making videos, like, no.
For me, like, my goal has never been, quote, unquote, 'mainstream success.' I've just always wanted to work in entertainment.
You have to realize that people are always going to be confused or sometimes threatened by someone who has the confidence to do something different.
I think that's the thing I love about making content online - you get instant response.
Women really love their hair. Like, our hair is very important.
Everyone's journey is their own journey. Everyone gets to where they are supposed to be. Everyone's journey works out the way they're supposed to.
Oftentimes people say to me, 'Oh I didn't know you could do so much with locs until I saw your videos or I saw photos of you at events.' So whenever I hear that people have been really inspired to experiment with their hair or their look because of me, it's very flattering and really cool.
I like to think my work is furthering black culture by educating and empowering black people.
My ultimate goal is to make people laugh and make them think, which isn't always an easy task.
Black people come in so many different bodies, genders, and sexualities, so it's important that we're conscious of that so we can fight for a world that embraces and uplifts black people of every kind. Our voices are powerful and have the ability to make change.
It's important to take time away from the Internet as much as possible. For me, I love working out, and my husband and I do it together in the mornings! And it's really our time to check in with each other, but it's also our time to really not think about work or what's happening on the Internet.
Self-care is really about taking care of you and focusing on feeling good about yourself - mind and body.
As much as we try to deny it, media plays a huge part in how we view the world.
I think society perpetuates a lot of mixed messages about what it means to be beautiful for all women, but especially for black women and women of color.
Self-esteem doesn't have to just be about the way you look; it can be about your talents and passions. All of those things can build someone's confidence and show them that they have self worth and they are important.
I think, even before social media, it was really hard to not look at other classmates and say, 'Well I wish I looked like her.' Or even to look at celebrities and wish that 'I looked like them.'
YouTube is an amazing platform to talk about social issues because it gives people the ability to tell their own stories and reach audience around the world who may otherwise never be exposed to these people and conversations.
Black women are so very often stereotyped in pop culture.
Black women come with all sorts of personalities. So it's time for media to wise up and show us in all of our complexity.
With 'Decoded,' the goal is to just keep pushing forward and challenging ourselves to tackle important subjects in creative and funny ways.
My consciousness is a process, and that includes my relationship with my husband. His being white doesn't make me any less black or invested in black issues, the same way him being a man doesn't make me any less of a feminist.
For me, at least with my parents, I feel that they wanted me to have all the opportunities that they did not have, and for them, that meant going to private school.
The Internet is a blessing and a curse. I mean, it's a place where lots of people can express themselves, which is amazing, but it's a place where a lot of people can express themselves that probably should keep those expressions to themselves.
I think the beauty of the Internet is that it's giving a lot of people the opportunity to reach people around the world that they never would have been able to, and for people to tell their own stories where they don't see themselves reflected in mainstream media, or the media is misrepresenting the truth, right.
Now I have a standard for how I make sure people do not speak to me in a way that I feel uncomfortable with. When I was younger, I didn't have that. I was like, 'Try not to make waves.' I wanted everybody to like me, and so I stifled a lot of the discomfort that I had.
I create videos for my YouTube channel Chescaleigh and for 'Decoded,' a series with MTV.
I left acting school really hoping that I could be on a television show of some sort, working in movies in Hollywood.
When I started in 2007, YouTube was just a fun hobby for others and myself.
My dream has always been to be in entertainment.
In reality, there are tons of unrepresented voices that we don't see in comedy.
Unfortunately, oftentimes people hire and give opportunities to people that look like them. They don't realize how much their own internal lives or privilege gets in the way of looking for people outside of the traditional spaces where they always find people.
'Decoded' is definitely close to my heart.
If I know you, and you want to touch my hair, you should ask me first, and most of the time I'll say yes. But if I don't know you, and you just reach out and touch me without asking or touch while simultaneously asking, I'm going to give you a side eye.
I can recall an instance where I was in a meeting at work giving a presentation in front of my board of directors. I was taking questions at the end and someone asks, 'Is that your hair real?' The man then reached out and started stroking my hair. It was completely bizarre to me.
I have been talking about social issues on YouTube for a long time now. I think it's very important in terms of being able to reach people around the world and people who have never been exposed to certain topics or are maybe misinformed about certain things.
I initially started making videos about my hair because I was struggling to style it and didn't know where to find help. Similarly, I started creating comedy content and doing characters and talking about things that were important to me because I didn't find a place to do that in the career that I wanted as an actress.
I think doing research is probably the most valuable thing you can do for any career you're interested in pursuing, and not just a career on YouTube or in media. Really take a look at people whose careers you admire and learning from their successes, but also their mistakes.
What's really great about social media is we have tremendous access, and there's a wealth of information about the people that we admire online.
I enjoy working out because I struggle with anxiety, and exercise has been a great way for me to combat that.
People feel really uncomfortable talking about race and identity, largely because the subject is so taboo.
I don't want to tell anybody who to vote for; I'd rather people just do their homework and make sure they vote for the person that they feel like is best to run our country.
Do not feed the trolls! Racist commenters usually troll the Internet looking for people of color to harass online. If you avoid responding, oftentimes they will get bored and move on.
People that are not happy in their offline life tend to turn to trolling to fill the void. Oftentimes, the people saying racist things do not even necessarily believe in what they are saying. They are just looking for attention they do not get in real life. When you keep that in mind, it is easier to avoid indulging those people all together.
For whatever reason, illiteracy continues to plague the racist troll community.
I think that the most important thing when it comes to achieving your dreams is just that you have to be realistic.
I think that everyone on the Internet has to deal with people saying negative things. It can be tough!
I think that if you stay positive and remain positive, you can definitely achieve the things you set out to.
I'm very fortunate to have a husband and friends and family that are super supportive of my career in all aspects. I do so many different things, it's really nice to have a support network that includes him and my parents and my friends that encourage me to continue to work towards whatever it is that I want to do.