I, like many other people in my generation, am obsessed with YouTube.  No, I’m not talking about the fail videos that seem to go on for ages or the amazing singing auditions from The Voice Kids Australia (we really need a version for the United States). Though I do find myself watching those as well, I usually gravitate towards crafting videos.  Anything that involves creativity, whether it has to do with paint, string or a hot glue gun, I’m there 100%. So I have to say stumbling across Lauren Riihimaki one day a few years ago is still what I identify as my greatest online discovery to date.
Lauren, also known as LaurDIY on YouTube, is a female influencer from Canada.  She started her YouTube channel when she was in college after running a blog for awhile.  Her channel is focused around simple DIY projects for all ages, though in recent years she’s evolved the channel into something bigger.  She also does parody music videos (there have only two but they were both great bops), DIY challenges with other YouTubers and she even weekly vlogs on occasion.  There are so many reasons why Lauren is someone I feel all female crafters should watch and learn from.
For one, she’s extremely innovative and you can tell how much thought goes into her content.  For awhile, she was making the typical voice over DIY videos which there is nothing wrong with, as that’s the usual style for this category of YouTube.  However, she pushed her limits and made a series called DIY Master, in which she challenges herself to recreate more advanced projects. I really enjoy this series due to its conversational tone.  It makes you feel like you’re just crafting with a friend and you get to see a lot more of Lauren’s silly personality. The camera work and side conversation from her friend Matt really adds to the series as well. Â
She’s an all around total girl boss.  She has 8.9 million subscribers on YouTube, 4.9 million followers on Instagram and 5.98 million followers on Twitter.  She has her own merchandise line that consists of cute hoodies, t-shirts and more (I admittedly have bought or been gifted way too many pieces from her clothing line).  She recently released her own craft line this past year that is sold in stores such as Michaels, Target and many others. She’s collaborated with Pop Socket where she’s released a handful of cute designs and she’s even made dog clothing to sell.  Her work ethic never ceases to amaze me and make me proud of the growth she shows, and that’s just the growth in front of the camera.
Behind the scenes, she is a normal human like any of the rest of us.  Sometimes it can be hard to separate the fame from the person, but she’s brought a lot of awareness to that over the past year.  She went through an extremely public breakup back in September that just about shocked everyone, but the way she handled all the hate and negativity surrounding it was admirable.  She took the time she needed to recover and get her thoughts together before she made new content and made sure her mental health was her first priority. She suffers from anxiety, which I know a lot of people struggle with every day so I find her openness about the subject really helpful.  She’s never one to shy away from talking about her own life experiences and the things she’s learned, which is why I feel she’s an amazing role model for a younger audience as well as an audience in my age range.
At the end of the day, Lauren is unapologetically herself.  She loves her dog more than anything on this Earth and isn’t afraid to show it, she cracks jokes about herself and she always tries to have fun with her content.  I really think young crafters could learn a thing or two from her, both inside and outside the craft room.
https://www.youtube.com/user/LaurDIY/videos
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