STORY BY KENDALL BOLAM PHOTOGRAPHY BY TIA LIU
LEIGH-ANN KAMIFUJI, a travel and lifestyle influencer from Orange County aims to exhibit realness and positivity across her social media platform. Kamifuji’s demeanor on-camera is both fun and laid back, inviting the viewer into her life and making them feel like family. A native of California, Kamifuji has enjoyed living in ‘The Golden State.’ “I originally grew up in Orange County and college brought me out to LA,” she says. “I just love how one moment you can be catching some waves, and the next you can be snowboarding down mountains. Everyday feels like I’m ‘California dreamin’ for sure!” Kamifuji’s Instagram feed includes numerous pictures of herself snowboarding across snowy slopes or lounging at the beach— she’s living the California dream and inviting us along for the adventure. Like many other successful content creators, Kamifuji has expanded her social media presence to YouTube. She began her YouTube channel with the purpose of self-improvement and getting herself out of her comfort zone. “I started my YouTube channel as a ‘video diary’ to look back at memories and reflect on them for self-improvement purposes. I used to be such an introvert so when I first started I was so far out of my comfort zone. No joke, I would have to re-record things several times because I would get so nervous and tongue-twisted!” Having started less than a year ago, Kamifuji’s personal channel has already gained over 11K subscribers and is growing steadily everyday. Living so publicly comes with it’s ups and downs. Kamifuji says the most difficult aspect of her career is the tendency to compare. “The most difficult thing is trying not to validate myself based on how my social posts are doing,” she says. “I was never one who would necessarily care how many ‘likes’ I was getting, until it became my full-time job. It’s hard not to get caught up in it all.” An advocate for healthy and authentic living, Kamifuji describes meditation and yoga as the most impactful practices in her life. “I started doing yoga and meditating a couple months ago. It has taught me how to slow things down and enjoy life for what it really is. I think it started spilling into all aspects of my life and has changed everything for the better.”
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