Victoria Willie - On Making A Name For Herself Through Storytelling
Interviewed by Blessing Onyegbula
Officially, I’ll introduce today’s subject to you as Victoria Willie. But to the fans and community she has built online, she's Ria Kosher, the Storytelling Fashionista. She’s a writer who runs a fashion blog called Svelte Magazine, the brain behind the fashion brand Ria Kosher, and a Brand Storyteller.
Before this interview, I thought her passion for storytelling was fueled by her love for mills and boons like many young girls were growing up, but it’s something more profound. You’ll find how parental involvement and, very importantly, unlearning shame will play a long way in helping you become the woman of your dreams. Happy reading!
Victoria Willie
Blessing Onyegbula: Let's start from the beginning. I know you wear many hats, but at the core of it all, you describe yourself as a Storyteller. How did that happen?
Victoria Willie: Storytelling is an innate skill of mine. If I am not mistaken, I wrote my “first story” at the young age of six. It wasn't a story per se. More like a description or caption that gave meaning to the caricatures my elder cousin drew on paper. Though the memory is faint, I still remember looking at her drawings and thinking of possible scenarios that suited them before writing whatever my puerile mind whispered into my ears.
Also, my dad played a huge role in my becoming a storyteller. He used to buy me storybooks and tell me tales by moonlight stories. He’d buy me books like Gingerbread Man, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and other popular, published folktales that made our childhood memorable. He’d ask me to read them and narrate the plot to him, and I loved it. I not only narrated, but I also wrote summaries of the books too.
Here comes the best part— my dad is an unofficial oral storyteller, and I like to see him as a griot, even if he isn’t one. He used to tell my siblings and me stories while we were kids. And every night after he shared those folktales, I’d get imaginative. As I got older, the skill didn’t leave me. I began writing short novels throughout my secondary school days. And as I became a young adult, I fell in love with marketing and advertising and branched into other forms of writing.
B: Wow, that’s an exciting journey. As a fellow writer, though I do more B2B writing — I still struggle to identify as a Storyteller. And that’s because it sounds like another buzzword these days. How will you advise a beginner to get into storytelling?
V: That’s true. I also get turned off by how the word storytelling is tossed about these days. However, I don’t need to tell you I’m a storyteller before you know I am one. You’d see it in the way I write.
Beginners who want to get into storytelling shouldn’t focus on identifying as a storyteller. That’s not the goal. The goal is to BE a storyteller and not identify as one. So keep doing your thing. Keep reading and writing. Just as we know doctors by their coats and stethoscope, they’ll know you’re a storyteller by your words. Even the Bible testifies to that. By their fruits, you shall know them.
B: I feel you on that. A singer sings a writer writes, and a storyteller simply tells stories. Now let's talk about your fashion blog. I did my research and found out you've been at it since 2018. Babe, that's some serious dedication. Well done on that. What has been your biggest inspiration to keep going?
V: Poverty is my biggest motivation (lmao). I don’t ever want to be broke in this life. I’m not going to lie to you; money and all that comes with it motivates me and all of us. But beyond that, what keeps me going is my passion for fashion and the fulfilment I get from chasing my dreams.
So if I give up on my dreams and just make money, it’ll be sweet but…empty. I want to enjoy an affluent life filled with peace and purpose. And that’s what building Svelte Magazine and Ria Kosher promises me.
B: Money and passion, the perfect combo. Moving on to your different roles managing Svelte, your fashion wears brand and your personal brand. How has that been?
V: To be frank, it’s been one helluva ride. I’ve had to wake up at midnight and ask myself if I’m mad. I’ve also considered throwing in the towel, especially when it becomes so challenging that I feel all odds are against me. But then, if I quit building my personal and business brands, how would I get the fulfilment and money that keeps me going? (inserts a laughing emoji)*
B: Okay… so what will success look like to you at this point in your life?
V: Fulfillment. Being able to put smiles on the faces of my loved ones when they think of me. Being able to afford the life I desire. Seeing my parents look at me with so much joy and pride. Achieving the goals that give me sleepless nights. And helping others find and chase their paths too.
B: Awwwnn, I hope you get to actualize these goals soon. To round up, it's women's month, and while we're agitating against gender inequality, many young ladies still struggle with putting themselves out there in as many shades as they come. Kindly drop some advice for such a lady reading this.
V: Try to be shameless, my sweet sisters. Don’t be ashamed of the five likes or zero engagement you may get. Don’t even be afraid to make your mistakes in public. That’s how you grow. I made (and still make) mistakes when I started my fashion brand. Then, I had to cope with people telling me stuff like, "Your photography looks poor, your finishing is tacky, your designs are too edgy, this that." But one thing I always do is to take criticism, let it sink in, shake it off, and look forward to becoming better.
It’s the same with my social media content for my personal brand. It took me months to finally start positioning myself as a brand storyteller because I thought I knew nothing. But then, one day, I asked myself, if I kept hiding, how would I let people know I had it in me?*
So, sis, damn the consequence and put yourself out there. Sure some people would laugh and try to discourage you, But trust me, those same people would commend you when your light shines brighter.
B: Well said, Victoria. Thanks for making out time for this interview.
V: Thanks for having me, Blessing.