Study With Jess VidCon Interview

How to Live a Happy, Healthy and Productive Life

Top YouTubers and online video creators from Australia, New Zealand, and the United States " with millions of fans and subscribers between them worldwide " are confirmed as part of the exciting lineup for VidCon Australia 2018.

The latest lineup of video creators who will be present at VidCon Australia from 31 August to 2 September includes Damielou Shavelle, AJ Clementine, Shaaanxo, Lana Kington (SketchSHE), Madison Lloyd (SketchSHE), Alright Hey, Maaz, Maya Cumming, Brianne Worth, Jayden Rodrigues, Jordan Sweeto, Eystreem, Tanya Hennessy, Armando Hasudungan Faigl, AngelMelly, Christian Hull, MacDoesIt and Study With Jess.

Each with their own niche, ranging from beauty and fashion to comedy, dance and esports, they have turned creativity into a career and built enormous followings through showcasing their hobbies and sharing relatable aspects of their personal lives online.

The content creators named today join the initial line-up, announced in earlier this year, which includes Ashly Perez (itsashlyperez), Jazza (Draw with Jazza), ChoppA (Cakes by ChoppA), Mathew McKenna, Shae-Lee Shackleford (SketchShe), Anna Akana, Damian Parker (HeyoDamo), Safiya Nygaard, Georgia Productions, Hannah Hart and Hank Green, with more YouTubers announced each month.

Set to return to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 31 August until 2 September, VidCon is the world's largest celebration of online video. Its incredible Australian debut in Melbourne last year resulted in thousands of millennials descending on Australia's creative capital to meet their favourite online stars to learn and create together.

Interview with Jessica Holsman (aka Study With Jess)

Question: What and who are you looking forward to most at VidCon Australia?

Jessica Holsman: There's always so much happening at VidCon that it's hard to choose just one thing! Personally, I've found the seminars to be really helpful in learning more about social media and how to best connect with my viewers. Of course, you can't beat the flood of emotions you feel when a fan recognises you and runs up in excitement smiling, screaming and sometimes even crying. It can be hard to remember that all those numbers we see on the screen represent real people who resonate with our content online. It's so rewarding to be given the opportunity to connect with fans face to face and see the impact our work has on other people's lives.


Question: Have you attended VidCon before?

Jessica Holsman: I was fortunate enough to fly up to LA last year to attend my first ever VidCon! I attended a lot of the panels and workshops and it was really inspiring to be surrounded by like-minded and creative individuals. I was also a featured creator in last year's VidCon Australia and had the pleasure of hosting a few panels, as well as being interviewed for a couple. Did I mention I got to interview the one and only Hank Green, CEO of VidCon? That was pretty surreal and amazing!


Question: What can attendees expect from VidCon Australia?

Jessica Holsman: A lot of attendees eagerly wait for VidCon because it's an opportunity to meet their favourite YouTube creators and hear them present on panels, as well as perform on stage. There are meet and greets with a tonne of creators over the weekend, as well as lots of panels featuring a variety of online creators, where attendees can hear first hand from them what their lives are like, as well as advice they have for others entering a similar space and trying to carve out a niche for themselves online. I find the industry track seminars and workshops to be really beneficial, especially as someone more experienced with social media and looking to learn some handy tips and tricks as well as hear from the experts themselves.


Question: What originally inspired you to start a YouTube channel?

Jessica Holsman: I started my main YouTube channel Study With Jess 3 years ago as a way to create a platform where students of all ages could access more support and advice to help them navigate through what is a really pivotal and sometimes challenging part of their lives. I wanted to be a positive role model and help students find a love for learning. I think it's easy to loose sight of why we are working so hard, to feel an excessive amount of pressure and to neglect our own needs, especially during the final years of high school when our grades can begin to feel like the be all and end all. My YouTube channel is a way to offer support to students in a holistic manner, covering everything from how to study effectively, stay organised and maximise productivity, to how to manage stress and anxiety and develop a positive mindset around studying and life as an adolescent or young adult.


Question: What do you hope to achieve from your YouTube videos?

Jessica Holsman: I hope to inspire students and young adults globally to see life as a series of learning curves and opportunities to build a life they love. I hope that my viewers will learn to have more self-compassion, to be confident to dream and set goals for their future and to feel less alone when challenges arise. I try to allow myself to be more and more comfortable with the idea of being vulnerable and authentic online in the hopes that people connect with what I have to say and can empathise with my own personal challenges so that they feel less alone.


Question: How do you decide what to share on your social media?

Jessica Holsman: I always try to listen to my gut instinct. If it doesn't feel right to share something, I don't. If I feel compelled to open up about something that's going on in my life, I do. I only want to put content online that has a positive intention behind it. I always ask myself, "what can people learn from this post or video?" or "will this help people or is it just me wanting to vent or use social media as a means to create a seemingly perfect life?" I steer clear of any bikini shots, any posts that allow me to use my followers as a soundboard for a rant, and anything that just doesn't feel authentically me. It's so common and understandable that people want to only show the best of themselves online but you run the risk of creating a façade and keeping people away from the real or true you. I never want viewers to compare themselves to me, to feel inferior, to think my life is always perfectly filtered, or as though they can't approach me for help.


Question: What advice do you have for someone wanting to start a YouTube channel?

Jessica Holsman: Find your passion. What makes your heart sing and gives you a sense of purpose? As long as you put something online that has a positive intention behind it and that you genuinely enjoy doing or learning about, people will be interested. There seems to be a channel for everything I can think of nowadays so I think it's about being genuine and giving viewers or followers something of value as well.

Question: What are your top five tips to living a happy, healthy and productive life?

Jessica Holsman: 1. Meditate every morning. Even if only for a few minutes, over the last 6 months I have really carved this into my morning routine and it helps me to enter my day with a positive mindset and with more clarity. I personally started with mindfulness apps and now just do my own thing but it's so helpful!

2. Practice self-compassion. Remember that you are perfect exactly as you are and life is a learning process and journey. Everyone has something they are struggling with from time to time and no one has "it" perfectly figured out. We just don't talk about our problems as openly as we should so it can feel a little isolating at times and we place excessive pressure on ourselves to be more and do more.

3. Keep a diary. I started using a diary to schedule all of my appointments and even block out when I would complete my to-do's, homework and assignments in high school and it really helps me to feel more in control and less overwhelmed by the busy life I live.

4. Let go of the "shoulds". I stopped doing what I thought I "should" do and started listening to myself and what I really wanted and needed to do. I chose a career that makes me happy and not one that would guarantee pleasing others. We have to please ourselves first.

5. Practice work/life balance. I'm not a pro at this just yet, but I try to strike a healthy balance between work, exercise, socialising and having down time so that I can nurture all aspects of my life.


Question: Can you tell us about The High School Survival Guide?

Jessica Holsman: Okay, funny story! I was actually on a flight to Queensland with my family a few years ago and decided to write my first blog post for Educationery, my stationery line's website. In that moment, I turned to my mum and filled with inspiration, I told her I was going to write a book! I remember her looking at me, smiling and saying "I know you will!" It was only 6 months later that a publishing company in the US emailed me to ask if I wanted to author a study skills book! The High School Survival Guide was released a year later and it was my way of creating another resource for students. Every chapter shares personal stories from my time at school and covers a range of topics from how to prepare for the first day back at school, socialize, and manage nerves, to how to study for exams, create a structured study schedule, procrastinate less and even prepare for life after school.


Question: What's a typical day like, for you?

Jessica Holsman: It really varies! Recently I've been working on a documentary web series that involved quite a few long filming days and travelling with the production crew. Now my weeks have quieten down momentarily so I have more time to film and edit for my YouTube channel. I'm actually about to commence working on another web series later this year so I try to film and prepare in advance to accommodate for those busier periods. Typically, I try to balance writing scripts, filming and editing for YouTube, with blogging, posting on social media, tending to emails and fan mail. I also like to break up my days with yoga or a beach walk as I do sit at my desk a whole lot! I always try to clock off from work by 5pm, to make sure I devote my evenings to myself and my husband Adam.


Question: Congratulations on your recent wedding, can you tell us a little bit about the day?
Jessica Holsman: Thank you! Yes, we got married in March and had our wedding down in Melbourne where all our family and friends are. It was quite an intimate day with our nearest and dearest which is exactly what we wanted. We had the ceremony and reception at one of our favourite restaurants in the Yarra Valley called Zonzo Estate and it was lovely! Being situated amongst the wineries and rolling hills, we wanted the style of our wedding to complement the beautiful backdrop of the venue. We went for quite a relaxed and somewhat boho-chíc vibe, with flowing dresses and no ties for our bridal party. We had an outdoor ceremony and then two long dining tables for the reception with loads of food placed down the centre. It added a really relaxed an intimate feel to the night. Afterwards, we had dessert, a DJ and saxophone player surprise guests in the barn adjacent to the hall and we had lots of fun dancing with all our friends and family. Overall, it was a really beautiful and exciting day! – Did I mention I may not have slept a wink the night before? Those butterflies all subsided though once I saw Adam and everything just seemed to fall into place.


Interview by Brooke Hunter