Inside Natural: Evelyn From the Internets

Editor in Chief, Often found reading a book, writing down…

Evelyn Ngugi a.k.a Evelyn From the Internets is a magical Black girl who mixes cultural commentary and comedy to create some of our favorite YouTube dialogues online. Earlier this week she took some time away from “Instasnaps” to answer our questions. Check out what’s she’s up to below!

What are you doing when you’re not Evelyn of the Internets? What’s life like for Evelyn away from social media?

It’s so glamorous! I get up and go to work for eight hours 😉 While I enjoy being in front of the camera, most of my after biz hours projects are behind the screen. In my free time, I co-produce a non-fiction web series called Austin While Black, shoot for a documentary, and I’m getting back into writing!

This November you’ll be hosting a trip to Thailand with a few friends. How did the idea of hosting a travel group meetup come about? Why Thailand? Any future destinations in the works? Where can interested parties sign up?

It wasn’t my idea! Chloe El is a #magicalblackgirl and founder of One Love Travel Club. She organizes trips all around the world and asked fellow YouTuber Jouelzy and I to come to Thailand, which was always her planned destination. I’m down for whatever travel opportunity presents itself. Putting it out there — a euro-trip would be amazing. #manifest

You were already well-known before Beyoncé sampled a clip from your YouTube channel for her Formation World Tour–since she’s been putting your name out there—all over the world!—has it impacted you?

The Bey Blessing has definitely put me on a lot of people’s radar. It’s given me access to potentially contribute to different publications and upped the number of Internet Cousins (YouTube viewers) I have! The initial influx of interviews has slowed down, but I get to do cool things like speak on a Beyonce Feminism panel!

In recent videos (“7 More Questions Buzzfeed Should Ask Black People” and
“Zoe Saldana “Nina” Trailer Reaction”) you’ve called out the media for failing to accurately portray Black narratives. Your commentary video on the recent popularity of Wakanda after Captain America: Civil War is a good example of how positive representations can impact a culture. What suggestions do you have for your viewers to foster more of these narratives?

Amandla Stenberg Starring in Black Lives Matter Film

…it’s more about the creators remaining encouraged to create more narratives. The internet levels the playing field. You don’t have to make the next Captain America to have an impact. My peers and I on YouTube are proof of that!

Your goal for 2016 is to be a visionary by creating the life you want and pinning down the things that will help make it better. What steps have you taken to fulfill your goal so far? How will this reflect in your projects next year?

This year I realized being visionary means saying no. No, I won’t participate. No, I don’t have time. No, that project isn’t in line with my beliefs or goals. I don’t know how to climb the “ladder” to success. I just have a bucket list to be completed in no particular order. That makes being visionary difficult. There are so many things I’d like to do, but realistically I probably won’t be able to do them all to the best of my abilities in my lifetime. Next year, I’ll be even more focused!

You can always find Evelyn somewhere on the internet…or just visit her YouTube channel.