Influencer Eva Gutowski Takes Us Inside Her World

Instagram; Melissa Herwitt/E! Illustration

Eva Gutowski wasn’t all the time the YouTube famous person she is immediately.

As soon as upon a time, she was only a broadcast journalism main struggling to get by. However as soon as she picked up the video digicam, following her father John’s recommendation, and commenced sharing bits and items of her life on the video-sharing web site, all that modified. Her channel, MyLifeAsEva, rapidly gained a following that included extra than simply her pals, with individuals everywhere in the world tuning in to look at her newest add. 10.5 million subscribers and over a billion views later, she’s develop into one of many platform’s greatest stars, revealed a guide, and even landed a gig as one in all one of many rotating social media correspondents on MTV’s 2017 (and sadly, considerably short-lived) revival of TRL.

Right here, Eva completely solutions all our questions on what it takes to develop into an influencer, keep an influencer, and keep sane within the course of. And bless her, as a result of we had plenty of them.

E! Information: Inform us precisely how you bought began?

Eva: I acquired began freshman 12 months of faculty. I used to be going to highschool for broadcast journalism. I principally needed to be Oprah. Rising up I beloved to put in writing, produce and I beloved speaking to individuals and getting to assist them via their issues. I bounced round just a few jobs I is likely to be good at. I assumed I could possibly be a psychologist or a instructor. All of it led to the concept that I might affect a neighborhood. I all the time beloved leisure. I used to be performing, doing drama and was on the dance group. In school, I put them collectively and I assumed there was somebody on the market doing what I needed to do and I landed on Oprah and adopted her trajectory. She went to highschool for broadcast journalism and that’s how I acquired began. Freshman 12 months in school, I seen I used to be doing nicely in my broadcast journalism lessons. We had been doing workout routines at school once we would speak to the digicam and report tales. So, to get good at this, I began a YouTube channel and little did I do know individuals had been watching these movies. On the time there was no YouTube fame or cash in it, I used to be simply making movies to speak to no one. In order that’s how I acquired began. 

When you began placing out the movies and realizing you had an viewers, did you simply preserve doing what you had been doing or did you tailor it to particular content material individuals needed to see?

On the time, I used to be writing a weblog in school. Within the weblog, I used to be writing about school on a funds and I beloved DIYs so I did loopy DIYs I discovered on Pinterest. I had about 1,000 weekly readers on my weblog weekly however I all the time felt just like the feedback had been folks that had been older to me and never my demographic. My first YouTube video was a Black Friday haul. I used to be simply making YouTube movies about my life. I used to be noticing that the feedback on my YouTube had been individuals extra my age in highschool and school they usually appeared to essentially join with what I used to be saying. So, I took a break from my weblog and centered on my YouTube as a result of it felt like extra of my territory. 

What does the phrase influencer imply to you?

I hate calling individuals influencers based mostly on their follower quantity. I really feel like everybody has a very good quantity of affect they usually do not actually realize it. To me, I’m much less of an influencer, after I consider an influencer I consider somebody who acquired a social media following. I actually care about sustainability and conservation, so the issues that I get to submit on-line and share my experiences with is what I’m doing to be taught extra concerning the difficulty. I see so many individuals in my DMs doing that and taking my recommendation. To me, being an influencer is having the ability to have the facility to have an effect on individuals on a mass scale and do some good change on this planet and direct eyes to issues that matter to me like conservation and sustainability. 

What’s one factor that that’s completely different from once you first had been beginning out?

I went via a interval the place I resented the issues that I cared about as a result of I did not need to take time away from YouTube. You undergo the interval the place you assume, ‘I’m solely getting older. I have to benefit from the issues I love to do.’ So, as a substitute of spending eight hours staying up modifying a video, let me spend 4 hours modifying it and 4 hours on a ardour I’ve like taking the time to discover. For me, proper now, that’s music manufacturing. I’m splitting my time now between making YouTube movies and studying as a lot as I can about music manufacturing. Music manufacturing will take simply as lengthy to be taught because it did for me to be taught the ins and outs of YouTube. So positively factoring time in for that. 

Was there a time once you thought, ‘Oh my god, I am YouTube well-known,’ or ‘I’m Instagram well-known’? And what occurred in that second? 

I keep in mind the primary time I ever went to the Teen Selection Awards, this was again in 2014. Fairly Little Liars was the No. 1 present and everybody was obsessive about them. I used to be nominated for feminine web-star and after I walked into the venue, the forged of Fairly Little Liars walked in entrance of me. The announcer mentioned my title two minutes after and the gang screamed the identical loudness as Fairly Little Liars. That is after I thought, ‘Wow, individuals know who I’m and cared.’ Different individuals did not get the identical cheering so I do know it was of worth. 

What do you assume is the most important false impression on the market about influencers or YouTube stars?

I believe the most important false impression is that we now have it straightforward. There are positively some folks that make it appear to be they’re working exhausting they usually aren’t, however that is true for any trade. You should have folks that on the skin appear to be they’re doing probably the most however in actuality they are not doing something. I believe influencers get a foul status as a result of there are such a lot of of them now and plenty of them are born not doing a lot. However YouTube is who you comply with, I all the time say that. You select who reveals up in your feed on a regular basis. There are such a lot of superb individuals making content material on the web. You possibly can encompass your life with individuals who raise you up. You do not have to comply with individuals simply because they’ve followers. So, when you get caught in that lure I believe you begin to see the damaging aspect of being an influencer however there are such a lot of inventive individuals on the market you simply have to seek out them.

What would you say is the most important distinction between you as an influencer and also you in the actual world, if there may be one?

In the actual world, I’m very introverted which I suppose individuals might not take into consideration me. If I’m with my pals, all I need to do is chill and I do not need to be in management. I often am as a result of I’m a Leo and most of my pals are Cancers in order that they make me do all the pieces which is annoying. All I ever need to do is chill, rock climb, camp and take heed to Ben Howard. And on my YouTube, you see me as a hyper lady who does plenty of comedy. That’s nonetheless me in particular person, however I’m a reasonably chill particular person. Possibly I put all of my vitality into my movies, so when I’m not making my movies, I simply need to chill and take heed to people music. 

What’s your self-care go to once you need to unplug?

I’ve to take heed to music on a regular basis. I’ve audio system all all through my home. If there isn’t a music enjoying, I really feel like my life is on pause. Typically I stroll into peoples homes they usually haven’t got music enjoying and I believe that’s the weirdest factor. I wish to take plenty of baths. I acquire a bunch of tub bombs. I do not actually chill out that a lot. Even when I’m within the tub, I’ll deliver a pocket book and write music. My type of stress-free is portray and making music. 

For those who might return and provides your self simply beginning out one piece of recommendation what would it not be?

I need to say do not be afraid to be your self. I used to be by no means afraid of that, I believe that’s the reason I acquired to the place I’m. There was positively a interval on my YouTube in 2016 the place I felt like who I used to be as an individual was altering however I felt like I needed to keep true to who individuals thought I used to be. I believe at the moment I used to be extra of myself within the new transitioning model of myself that I want I stayed true to. Be genuine together with your true self. 

How do you resolve what you’ll share together with your followers/subscribers and what you need to preserve personal to your self?

I believe relationships. I all the time saved my relationships tremendous public, however now I do know I’m not going to try this once more. Nobody is aware of who I’m courting, however everybody has concepts. I am simply conserving it tremendous between me and the particular person as a result of it’s higher that method.

Who do you comply with and who’re you maintaining with? 

I’m maintaining with Nikita Dragun. She is all the pieces to me. Something she does, I like. I comply with plenty of my journey pals, like Chelsea Kauai. I comply with low key trend accounts, like little designers which can be getting larger. I comply with musicians like Rosalia and plenty of DJs. I like Skrillex. 

Is there something you want to promote?

Proper now I’m engaged on my clothes line, It is All Wild. We’re launching in October, so simply preparing for that. It should be actually thrilling.