Get to know Miss Ava Jules!

Tell us a little about yourself and what you do! 

I'm Ava, I'm 19 years old (turning 20 this year.. crazy!) and I live on O'ahu. I make content on pretty much every social platform, which is fun because you get a different side of me on each one!

Why do you think it’s important to use your platform to advocate for such an important issue like environmental justice? 

Using my platform to talk about issues like the environment and the ocean is so important to me because I am blessed to have a platform where I can spread awareness and share ways to make a difference. After I graduated high school, I realized there's so many things that are more important and bigger than me, and that's when I found my passion for sustainability and the ocean. I feel like I have a responsibility to use the platform that I've built to talk about these things because even a small difference that I can help make is still a difference. I think there needs to be a realization for people that this is our one and only home and it's up to us to take care of it.

What does environmental justice look like to you? 

I've made a lot of small changes in my everyday life that have become a normal part of my routine! For example, I only use reusable cotton rounds for skincare and makeup removal. Seems small, but if you think about the amount of cotton balls and makeup wipes I would go through over the span of my life, it adds up! I also carry reusable utensils with me and keep some in my car.

What do you do on a daily basis to make sure you’re living a sustainable life? What can everybody else be doing?

My biggest message I like to spread is that small changes are still changes. If everyone can change a few small things in their life to live a little more sustainably, collectively it makes a big difference! I think some people are scared to "make the jump" to be sustainable when it isn't an all or nothing thing. It's not very realistic to tell people "go zero waste!" Instead, I encourage people to do what they can because it does add up and help. Let's talk a bit about your youtube channel! 

When and why did you start making videos?

I started making YouTube videos when I was 13, which was when I was a huge fan of Justin Bieber, so that's what I made videos about haha. Eventually, I found the beauty community, made a new channel called beautybyava, and the rest is "history!"

What is your creative process like? Do you just pick up your camera and start filming when you feel like it or do you type up a whole concept and then make it happen?

My creative process can take minutes to days, it all depends. Sometimes I'll be on the verge of sleeping and a wave of ideas hit me and other times I like to sit down and brainstorm content. Usually, the video ideas that come to me randomly are my best ones. From there, I outline the general flow of the video, but never plan out exactly what I'm going to say because I like when it comes naturally. I do love to spontaneously film random things, which is why I have a second channel that's a lot less produced!

If you could say something to younger people that are wanting to start a youtube channel, what would you say?

I would say, stop waiting and start creating. I feel like so many people overthink making YouTube videos and end up never doing it.