Student Spotlight: Youtuber Mary Linen
By Lena Zhu | Published by February 20, 2020
Summer of 2019 was overwhelmingly distressful for 21-year-old Mary Linen, working a summer job that did not offer her many hours.
“Mary Linen, 21, Youtuber.” Photo by Mary Linen
“I went almost a month and a half without any money and I was very depressed,” Linen, a senior Media, and Film major and Photography minor, recalls. “So my friend said, ‘Why don’t you just Youtube about it because somebody might be going through what you are going through.’”
Linen launched a Youtube channel and has almost 200 subscribers so far.
Her Youtube channel focuses mainly on life updates, skincare, haircare, and self-improvement.
For Linen, Youtube is an outlet for stress.
“I think that’s why I’m doing it. When you figure something out, you want someone else to figure it out, too,” said Linen.
This semester, Linen got into the habit of waking up early at around 6:45 a.m. and going to bed at 11:30 at night to get her full six to seven hours.
“[Getting six to seven hours of sleep] has given me energy throughout the whole day to do everything I need,” Linen said. “I don’t feel tired at the end of the day.”
As a senior, Linen has a lot on her plate. She credits time management, saying no and bullet journaling to keep her on track.
“I do bullet journaling in a minimalist way. I write out everything, making it nice and neat for myself,” Linen said. “I do it every Sunday for the week coming…and it’s easy for me to put [tasks] in.”
Right now, she schedules the weekend as her “no school, no work” days.
“I make Youtube more of a priority for myself. I do it whenever I can,” Linen said. “I like to schedule specific times when I am going to film and what it’s going to be about.”
Penciling in her film and editing blocks help her to manage her time in the most efficient way possible. Linen noted that she tries not to put too much on her own plate because that’s when things can get a little tricky and it can be easy to forget.
“I hate when I have to record and post in the same week because it makes the content seem rushed and not thought out,” Linen said. “I think they [the viewers] deserve better thought out [videos] because a lot of them come to me for college advice, hair advice, etc.”
Linen is a full-time student who, in addition to having a job on campus, also has a side hustle as a non-professional hairstylist.
“Mary Linen shows off her photography and hairstyling skills.” Photo by Mary Linen
Admittedly, at first, she was doing it for her mother, but then other students were eager to book an appointment with her even before she agreed. Now, she happily accommodates.
“It could be six to eight hours where I am on my feet,” Linen said. “I could start at eight a.m. and go until four p.m. and it’s just me constantly braiding.”
She uses the payment from her on-campus job to pay off bills and the hair hustle for pocket money. Linen is a true believer in investing in oneself. The money that she makes from hairstyling she spends on equipment to aide her channel.
“For videos, I do in my room, I use my Canon T6i, which is a DSLR camera. I have a tripod and lighting equipment because I am a photographer,” Linen said. “I have mics because I like to have things with clear sound. When I vlog, I use my phone because it has 1080p HD. I have a mini tripod for my phone and am also working to get a specific camera for vlogging.”
Linen aspires to have two personas for her YouTube channel and follow in the footsteps of Issa Rae, creator of HBO’s Insecure and ColorCreative, a company that represents underrepresented writers.
“Basically what happens is that people submit her videos to her company and they post on their channel so [the creators] can get a bigger recognition,” Linen said. “That’s what I want to do.”
Linen also hopes to start a channel in the future where the content will feature films and shows that she helps to produce.
“Mary Linen, senior Media and Film major smiles for the camera outside her house.” Photo by Mary Linen
“I’ve always wanted to see an Asian superhero or a Muslim girl whose image isn’t centered on the fact that she’s a Muslim. She just happens to be Muslim,” Linen said. “We never get to see that. I think people dehumanize others because they don’t see them on other lights.”
For students who are wary about starting their Youtube journey, she advises doing what makes them happy.
“Do what you like to do and I promise you will make money or get a following from it because people love people who love what they do,” Linen said.
You can follow her on Youtube at MaryLanae or Instagram on @therealmarylanae and @lanaethecreator.
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