Creators are the heart and soul of Tealfeed. As they continuously work towards feeding us more information every day, it's only fitting to bring out their journey for the world to know.

In this series “Creators Spotlight”, we are asking our creators about their journey. Watch out for them sharing their journey and getting candid with us.

Today we have with us Kathryn Lichlyter. Kathryn, a user experience designer in Denver, CO, talks about how she firmly believes in content playing an important role in our personal and professional lives in the years to come.

Continue reading to find out more!

Who has been the biggest influence in your life? What lessons did that person or those people teach you?

Some of the biggest influences in my life are my school teachers. I am very fortunate to have teachers who went above and beyond to make sure we learned what we needed to succeed in school, life, and our careers. Many of my teachers have a long history in our community, teaching here for 20+ years, and they genuinely cared for the betterment of future generations.

Tell us about your childhood, what was the best part? Is there any specific incident that has largely influenced the kind of person you are today?

I was very creative and curious when I was young. I was encouraged by my parents to follow my curiosities wherever they led me, and over time I learned to harness my creativity into content creation. 

Where is your hometown, and what was it like when you were young?

I grew up in a small city outside Denver, Colorado. Outside of school, I practiced martial arts and was a member of the Girl Scouts. 

How important a role does content play in your life? Are you a full-time content creator? Why did you start creating content?

I started creating content as a way to reflect on my budding career as a user experience (UX) designer. At this moment, graduating college is my main priority, but I hope to one day make content creation a prominent aspect of my UX career in the years to come. 

These days, we’re completely surrounded by content, both in the digital and real world. I’ve learned a lot about the UX industry from other UX designers who wrote about their experiences. At this point in time, online videos, articles, and blogs are what I use to help prepare me for future UX endeavours. 

What’s that one aspect of being a content creator no one talks about?

Before I started writing, I didn’t realize how scary it is to be opinionated in your work and take a stance on a topic, especially one that’s heated and/or trending. Having to defend your stance after publishing your work takes a lot of confidence.

What’s the most satisfying part of being a content creator?

I love seeing how my opinions and skills evolve over time. The work I created a year ago best represents my approach to UX design, mental health, and life back then. Compared to my most recent work, it’s interesting to see how much I’ve changed, yet among that change seeing what’s remained the same.

What are you up to currently and what are your long-term career goals?

I am currently finishing my undergraduate degree and taking freelance work when I can. As for my long-term career goals, after graduation, I hope to maintain a strong UX career, share my findings along the way, and hopefully get to a position where I can mentor and guide others through tech and UX design.

What drives you to create content regularly?

Most of the content I have created recently has been for school or educational purposes, but outside of these special circumstances, I create regular content to keep up with my skills, research, and development as a designer.

The UX industry is changing at rapid rates, and in order to remain relevant you must keep on conducting your own research and analysis of the new developments in tech and design.

What’s the most challenging part of being a content creator?

One of the most challenging parts of being a content creator is making sure what you’re publishing is accurate and/or good information. As a creator, you should prioritize presenting people with the right information, not just information that might make you money or have a more emotional reaction from your audience.

How do you make sure that you aren’t affected by nasty comments and negative things said about you?

Nasty comments or criticism are bound to occur at one point or another, no matter what type of content you create. Whenever I come across some negativity, I usually try to give the benefit of the doubt and refrain from lashing back at them. If they provide constructive feedback, I’ll take what they say and apply it to my work to improve my craft.

Why did you start creating content on Tealfeed?

I started creating content on Tealfeed because I saw it as an up-and-coming content platform that I wanted to try out! 

How would you want people to remember you?

I want people to remember me as someone who might not know all the answers but tries their best to uncover them.

What's success for you and when you would consider yourself to be successful?

Success has always been hard to define, especially when it comes to personal accomplishments. Over time, I’ve come to realize success is highly contextual, even from a day-to-day basis.

I consider myself successful when I accomplish something I want to do, that does not hinge on other people’s validations or feedback.

Who’s your favorite creator? Why?

My favorite creator at this time is Devon Price, a social psychologist, and published author. His work discusses autism, the necessity for equity and inclusion, and breaks down popular social phenomena.

To every individual who’s planning to start out as a content creator, what would you like to advise them?

If you are planning on becoming a content creator, find a way to distinguish yourself from the crowd.

How are you going to stand out among the thousands of other creators on the internet?

You might not have a definitive answer when you begin, but after some time it’s important for you to understand how you will position yourself as someone people should give their time to reading or viewing your work.