Alumni

Alumna Mary Elizabeth Shares Her Goals for the New Year (An Interview)

Mary Elizabeth is a social media influencer who graduated from FIDM in 2007 with her degree in Fashion Design. We caught up with her to see what she's been up to, and to get some inside tips on how to break into this field.

Tell us a little about yourself and your brand: I’m a self-taught interior designer with a lifestyle YouTube channel called Hey Mary Elizabeth. I share design hacks, makeovers, and thrift ideas to democratize style and prove it’s about how your feel in your space, regardless of your budget. Design doesn’t have to be serious! My motto is feel good, look good, do good.

How do you feel FIDM prepared you for what you are doing now? I gained a ton of confidence while a student. I entered FIDM insecure in my skill set. Once I began meeting like minds, my creativity compounded, and I finally felt like I found my people.

How did you get your start? I said yes to everything remotely related to my ambitions. I looked at every job or internship as an opportunity for free training. Soon I turned a volunteer wardrobe assistant position into a paid fashion stylist job and began dabbling in interior design with personal clients, eventually forming my lifestyle firm, ME Creative. As I continued my social media endeavors, the industry was growing in a parallel way and soon, all the dots connected.

Tell us about some of the milestones you’ve achieved along the way: Reaching 100k on YouTube was a big milestone that took me a while to get to. After that, the growth became easier. I sold my trademark to ABC Disney and while that felt confusing at the time, it was a great opportunity to reinvent myself. TV appearances and hosting gigs became routine but I try to remember how long I wished and hoped to be at this level as I set my ambitions to the next phase.

Tell us about some of the challenges of being an influencer? Staying both motivated and authentic as you change personally and creatively.

The rewards? Connecting with people all over the world and getting to be your own boss.

Any advice for someone who wants to become an influencer? Do it! Don’t think. Don’t worry. Just start. Everyone evolves and you will too — if you start.

What is your biggest goal right now? 1M subscribers on YouTube and the opportunity to connect to even more viewers across the globe. I want to push what I’m sharing creatively and support ideals that leave the planet a kinder, more sustainable place.