Welcome to "Seasoned Chats", a spotlight where we get to know some incredible Black creators! We'll be sitting down and learning more about everything from the world of being a content creator to favourite party songs. Been looking to get into more Black creators? Then let's get to it!
Bri Hall is a creator through and through. From her motivational natural hair focused YouTube channel to hosting her first-person narrative driven podcast "Count to Ten" — if there's an opportunity for creativity, Bri's had a go at it.
So, naturally, we had to hop on a call with Bri to chat about all things from hosting a podcast, being a prominent Black creator, and taking time for your mental health in a world of career burnout.
To start off, when you started your YouTube channel, you were making natural hair videos — that wasn't a popular thing yet, especially not with your format of being a sort of "big sister." What inspired you to take that role in your content?
"I feel like that's always been my personality. My mom use to call it 'information hoarding' haha, like I just have this infinite capacity for facts. So with that, I've always wanted to teach and help people and social media became an extension of that — like, if my comb is breaking then I know someone else's is too, so let's figure it out. It's even helped me learn things from people who've followed me, as well."
And with your starting point as basically one of the "pioneers" of the natural hair community way back when, where do you find yourself in the movement these days since it's grown so much?
"So, in the beginning, it was like 'I don't know what I'm doing, let's all be lost together' to then turn into 'rules, rules, rules' and the rules started evolving like every two months, right? It kind of turned being natural into a monolith, which I didn't really care for.
I basically cycled back to focusing on my hair health, but now I'm more in a place where I want to have fun with my hair again. Frankly, just about everything can damage curls, and you only have one life to live, so I'm getting back to the fun part of having natural hair. I do love that wigs have gotten so much better now though, because I feel like I can also express my colour interests through wigs and even hair colour waxes or temporary colours — so we get a lot of options without the damage."
Speaking of having fun with things, how and where do you find the motivation and inspiration to do everything from DIYs to all your other projects?
"I think one of the crucial parts of my journey is that I am someone who is neurodivergent — I have ADHD, so my brain will make time for whatever is interesting in my life. Not even make the time for, it's just that I can't do anything else if I'm fixated on [something].
It's just the way my mind works, and I feel as though that's what has led me down a pathway of passionate projects and things that I'm really intrigued and interested in...and I have no regrets!"
"If you're a passionate person, pursue those passions and try to just find balance."
So then, out of everything you've worked on, do you have a favourite project?
"I would say Count to Ten, honestly. I love to talk and I love to listen — it's given me an excuse to learn things and go down rabbit holes of information. I have to carve out the ideas for episodes, so now I have an excuse to read like, three books... I can be like, 'hmm, I wanna learn about Indigenous heritage this month' then it's like alright cool, that's an episode."
In fact, your podcast Count to Ten is such a cool passion project, and you cover such a wide array of topics from the C.R.O.W.N Act to "WitchTok". How do you walk that line of turning your personal experiences into conversational and teachable moments?
"I feel as though, [doing that] was my biggest coping mechanism as a kid, haha. So, being raised by a single mom, I knew that I loved attention as a kid... not in an unhealthy way, I found that I loved finding these little treasures in the world and then getting to go to the people that I loved and being like 'hey, this is cool!'
I think that's how I've been able to channel my passions into teachable moments... Having that coping mechanism where I really do want to share these things — because they bring me joy, so maybe they'll bring someone else joy, or if something's hurting me then someone else is probably hurting from it too.
It still brings me the same sense of fulfilment to this day that it did when I was two or three years old with my first drawings and stuff so, I think that's going to stick around for life, honestly."
"My dream podcast guest would probably be Issa Rae, I think that would be a lit episode. Also Ava DuVernay! I just love seeing Black women in TV, film, and media — it makes me very very happy."
With all of that while being not only a Black creator, but a very prominent one, do you feel like you're given enough opportunities and engagement? Do you feel properly represented?
"Absolutely not, haha. It's something that puts a strain on your creativity after a while, right? As human beings, we just have it naturally ingrained to have a reward system — I'm not saying like 'oh, worship me' or anything like that, but a fair amount of recognition would be nice.
Some of my videos that look like they were shot in a day, were actually shot in seven or eight days. It's like if I spend 67 hours on a two-three minute video I'd like people to watch it, and when algorithms and things like that come into play it can get super discouraging. Even for someone that's very self-driven and motivated, it can feel like you're shouting into a void when these systems are working against you.
I feel like its so important for me to pour into myself because I used to really get into these big slumps where it felt like everybody was just taking from me... and if you feel that way as a Black creator, your feelings are 100% valid, you have a right to feel frustrated."
So during a moment of unwinding, what are your current guilty pleasures? Or do you have any hobbies you've taken up?
"Reality TV — specifically, Too Hot To Handle. Definitely a guilty pleasure, I am here for all of the mess!
And, I've embraced cosplay. I didn't know that as a Black girl there was an avenue where I could do face-painting and stuff, and now I get to do my favourite things year-round. I've also gotten to use my animation degree to make characters come to life, and it's been my big passion project right now."
"My advice to other Black creators is: don't ever stop living, even once you start getting a following, have those guilt-free moments. You don't have to be a conveyor belt of ideas for people."
Could you describe yourself in three words?
"Nerdy. Chaotic. Artsy.... Yes."
Do you have a bucket list project then as well?
"Yes, ironically I wanna just do a road trip. A vlogged road trip up and down California, and maybe even through some parts of Central and South America. I really just want to go live life, take lots of pictures, and just engage with different cultures — oh, and try lots of food in the process!
I think that's a project I'd want to do eventually, and I'd also like to make it sort of documentary-style, for my audience."
Okay, so you've mentioned in the past that you have a knack for spotting underground talent that's about to be on the come-up. Are there any artists or brands you can predict to be on the rise soon?
"Oh, my list is so long! I think the rapper Iamdoechii is great – she has a song that's going viral on TikTok. Also the writer Nija Charles — I love Black women who are writers doing solo projects. Also, Muni Long is going viral right now, and I feel like she's about to change the music scene. Then, my friend Mannywellz who's on my podcast... I feel like he's on the way to superstardom!
I even see, in the cosplay world, so many of my followers I've engaged with for years doing numbers on TikTok, and it's amazing."
Lastly, do you have a quote that you absolutely stand by?
"Oh I have a couple, but the one I'll go with is:
"The burden of regret is heavier than the burden of fear"
I think a basketball coach said it one time, but it basically means regret is worse than failure so try things!"
Note: Answers have been edited for length and/or clarity.