Known for her hilarious daily vlog style videos, sharing her journey navigating the cat mom life, beauty and fashion tips, and GRWM content, Kristi Howard has mastered the art of virality and is loved online.
Kristi stops by on Close-Up Culture to chat about her wonderful work.
Hi Kristi, welcome to Close-Up Culture. Let’s start with the most pressing question: what’s the biggest challenge of being a cat mom?
Being a cat mom is easy and so rewarding however it does cause me to constantly worry about my babies any time I’m not home.They are all very smart and can care for themselves however I worry about their separation anxiety since they are used to me working from home being there majority of the time. Having all white furniture and three black cats also is a bit of a challenge but I’ve found little hacks around everything in order to keep my home clean and my kitties happy!
And what is the great joy from being a cat mom?
Having cute little fluffs to love on and care for without too big of a responsibility. Cats are very easy to take care of, they just need a little love! I found all of my kitties outside so just knowing I give them a better life than they could have imagined makes my heart happy everyday.
If aliens came down to earth, how would you describe your profession to them?
I’d say that I create little videos through a device that people watch for their entertainment. I’d also probably take them into my office space/PR room to show them all the products I make videos with and maybe make them a goodie bag or two if they told me what it’s like in space.
What’s the most rewarding part of what you do?
The heartfelt messages I get on a daily basis are little reminders that what I put out matters. Sometimes I feel like I’m in a “flop era” or my views are down and I’ll go out somewhere in public and get recognized by strangers and get to hear people’s stories. It feels like I have so many friends because they already know about me from following me. It’s such a rewarding feeling knowing I make some kind of impact in strangers lives, even if it’s just a laugh or smile on a tough day.
And the most challenging?
Getting misjudged by strangers or perceived a certain way before anyone actually gets to know me. Some people just feel entitled to make so many false accusations about a content creator online from watching them and they take it almost personally when something is said or done they don’t agree with. Parasocial relationships are a strange and sometimes a scary thing. I’m still trying to wrap my head around and figure out how to properly deal with upsetting strangers from time to time.
If you could change anything about the internet and social media, what would it be?
I wouldn’t let people be allowed to create fake/anonymous accounts. I think that if you are going to say something you shouldn’t be allowed to hide behind a fake account.
Where’s your favorite place to be in the world?
Seaside (30A) in Florida! So many places I’d still love to see and travel too.
What’s next for you?
We’ve got a few things in the works hopefully coming this summer that I don’t think anyone is expecting from me. I’m really starting to plant my roots here in Nashville and work more locally so stay tuned for something entertaining coming in the next month or two!