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WYATT DEYSEL
Tiktok Exclusive: Wyatt Deysel – “Never Limit Yourself or Your Purpose”. In a Social Media obsessed world, it is easy to lose yourself amongst the content, comparisons and endless trends. South African Content Creator Wyatt Deysel certainly made his mark online by sharing various parts of his life and experiences with others.
He has impacted many young lives with his words and fun-filled skits. As well as sharing his growth by showing the significance of being vulnerable and expressing yourself online. We wanted to know more about his journey. This is what Wyatt shared with us.
One word that perfectly describes the world of Wyatt Deysel?
One word, definitely Chaotic. Usually spontaneous, adventurous and so unexpected. I often Pride myself in creating different types of content and I am all over the place. I never limit myself.
My content is the perfect example of this, I’m either doing a POV, Cooking with Wyatt or something completely different. I believe in pushing myself in more than one niche or genre of content. I want to be able to always try something new and see what I am good at without limiting myself online.
With my content, I thoroughly enjoy the unexpected. I love creating content that others might not expect from me. Pushing the boundaries, whether it is transition videos, cooking or even playing piano. It’s refreshing to always try something different and expand on the content I create.
You have created an exciting yet safe space and community through your Tiktok platform. Your content includes fun filled skits, expanding on cooking skill sets, spoken word/poetry, motivation and more. How your journey online start? What inspires the significance behind most of your content?
I actually started my journey on Snapchat. Making funny and silly videos on my Snapchat stories, which then led to me making those videos on my Instagram stories. The videos were similar to my TikTok content. I made random videos just for laughs. It was pure fun with no expectations.
Eventually, tiktok came out and at first, I was so hesitant to join the app because I thought that it mostly consisted of younger kids making silly videos. I never thought much of it and last year, September, I decided to try it out and made my very first video. I made a video just ironically making fun of a tiktok creator and I enjoyed making the video to the point where I made even more. By the fourth video, I was stunned.
The video went completely viral and I had about 1 million views on it. In complete shock, my following grew from 0 to 2700. I soon realized that I was enjoying the idea of making videos and people were actually recognizing me on the platform.
I started working on my content and taking it more seriously. My content went from me making videos once a week to now making them every single day. I pushed myself a lot in the beginning because I felt a certain level of expectation due to the viral post that I had.
It was disheartening in the beginning because I had such high expectations after the viral post. I expected an insane amount of views and following. When I wouldn’t get the same views, I would feel despondent and as if making videos were stupid and not worth the time. I gradually just started working on my content and in February, I posted a video that somehow went viral and I told myself “okay, I’m enjoying this. I should just keep on going.”
Along the way, I realized that it is so easy to become so caught up in views, likes and comments. You forget the reason why you started and the fact that you want to make people happy. I create content to make people laugh and work towards furthering my acting career in the long run.
My content is inspired by making others happy and having them know that there is someone that understands them and their struggles. I have grown as a person to know that you are not always going to get the most views or likes but what makes it worth it, is having someone understand your content and being able to make someone’s day. Your platform should be a gallery of you and different phases of your life.
People should see who you are through the content that you create online. If you’re continuously worried about the numbers then it’s not worth creating content and you start hating the idea of creating content because you are so worried about whether or not it’s being seen rather than the message behind it.
You motivate so many young people with your content each and every day. It is so authentic. Authenticity is so important with an online presence. How has sharing so much of yourself online impacted on your everyday life and others?
The community of people that support me online impact me each and every day. They are so supportive and understanding towards my personal struggles and taking social media breaks. I remember going on a break and everyone supported me. I wanted to take care of my mental health and I was surprised to see how my followers supported me rather than expecting me to just carry on with the content.
The impact that they have is insane. I remember crying in my room once I posted the fact that I needed a break because of the enormous amount of support I got online. It made me feel heard and understood. It made me proud knowing that I had a community that cared about my well-being.
I post videos not knowing the impact that I make. It has led to me receiving so many heartfelt messages from others, telling me how my videos have brightened up their day or helped with their struggles. Some days I just take time for myself and go through those messages. Tears in my eyes well up while I read them, because I am doing exactly what I am meant to do.
My whole view of life is to change someone else’s one way or another. I say this to people all the time, I could lose 17499 followers today and only have one left.
I will continue to create so much of content for the rest of the month, or year just to know that I am able to impact that one person. That person can change someone else’s perspective and the impact will continue. It’s an amazing chain reaction, knowing I am not only helping myself but other people along the way.
Above all, I get to be there for others and let them know that they are not alone. They are never struggling alone. I want people to be able to feel open enough to share their experiences like I do. My content should reflect that.
I want people to see me sharing myself with the world, so that they find it easier for them to be vulnerable enough to speak about their own struggles. Even if I share something uncomfortable, I want people to feel impacted enough to know that they are not alone. They are worth more and deserve to be happy.
You share a segment with your mom on your platform called ‘Cooking with Wyatt’. The segment has captured so many hearts because of your amazing relationship with your mom. What do you enjoy most about the segment with your mom and what are some of your favourite moments?
I have a lot of favourite moments with my mom. A lot of people enjoy the segment I have with my mom, mostly because they get to see the bond between a mother and a son. There are people out there that aren’t fortunate enough to experience a good relationship with their parents or have a particular bond with a family member which is the sad reality of our world today.
Growing up, my mom and I never actually really had a close relationship. We hardly spoke and cooking with Wyatt actually started with my sister. I remember thinking of a video idea and she was busy making spaghetti downstairs. The idea came to me, I was going to go downstairs and peeve her off beyond comparison. The camera was on and immediately said “Hi, Welcome to Cooking with Wyatt and Zandalee”.
People watch the videos and assume that our family dynamic is perfect. It’s definitely not perfect. We have our disagreements and we fight a lot through our own issues. I’m happy to say that I get to bring that little bit of joy to the screen. It’s beautiful to be able to show others that there is a possibility to have a good relationship with your parents, siblings or other family members.
So many people have reached out to me about the segment, telling me how it has impacted them and their relationships with their parents. Some reach out to their own parents to rekindle their relationships and I love that we are able to do that for others through our videos. I thoroughly enjoy creating content with my mom, especially dance videos. They are fun to choreograph and just let loose. You get to see us actually enjoying ourselves on screen and it has definitely brought us closer.
As you know, it is Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month. As a male advocating towards mental health awareness and someone who dismantles the notion of toxic masculinity online. Why do you think it is so important for men to allow themselves to be vulnerable?
First of all, Toxic Masculinity is a huge issue in our community amongst males. The biggest problem is that many of them don’t even realize that they are being toxic at times! People shift the blame around toxic masculinity, wondering why their relationships never last, why others become distant or people let go. They fail to see their own faults at times and it is so evident in how they treat others.
Vulnerability is sexy! It is attractive as hell and most guys don’t seem to understand this. At the end of the day, it does not matter how fit you are or if have a world of abs under your shirt, what matters is your heart. Your heart needs to reflect in the conversations that you have with others.
If you don’t allow yourself to feel something, you are going to bottle everything up to the point of exploding. When that happens, it’s too late for others to help. You end up depressed or even suicidal because you do not allow yourself to be vulnerable at all. You feel like you are alone and nobody understand you, all because you are scared to open up. It’s extremely common amongst us men and we suffer in silence.
Personally, I have struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts.
It is disheartening to see people out there who are not able to express themselves or cry openly at the expense of others. It is so important to be vulnerable because it impacts on yourself, your well-being, and others. You deserve to be heard and to know that you don’t have to suffer in silence. It’s okay to not be okay.
You should be able to tell others that you are struggling with. Many just want to keep this constant façade that they are okay. It’s been said that being strong is to show that you don’t feel anything. Why is that ever considered strong?
Strength does not correlate to only physical well-being.
You can lift weights all you want but holding that struggle in, causes so much more damage to your soul. The stigma around it all is based on judgment.
Men don’t want to be seen as weak or be judged by their feelings and vulnerability. In the end, you are the one judging yourself the harshest. It should be about you and what’s best for you, not others.
My favorite videos are the ones in which I’m crying or showing any sense of vulnerability. I get to show other men that it is okay to be sensitive and be open about your feelings. It’s actually shocking because, on those videos, men seem to hate when I post emotional videos.
It’s all baby steps. It works gradually.
Sometimes all you need is a car ride, food and blasting some Halsey with a friend. You feel so alive afterwards. You get to know that it’s okay to be going through depression, to be sad, to not feel the best at times and to want to be alone.
What is not okay is thinking that you are stuck there alone. As a man in a society that show’s that emotion is wrong, I want others to know that the best thing I have done in my life is show emotion and impact others by showing my feelings. I want people to know that I am going through it too.
What I love the most about my content is that I am happy and I am able to bring laughter to others. I get to show that behind my smile and laughter, there is a person that struggles as well.
On social media, people get to show the best parts of themselves.
People only show their happiest moments and hide their struggles. It creates a world of envy and comparison, everyone wants to compete with one another. They forget that everyone has their own struggles. As soon as you start comparing yourself and your happiness to others, it can be so self-destructive. It can create so many suicidal moments.
I have experienced it myself, where I would want to be in front of a gun or the edge of a cliff. I thought that nobody understood me or my pain. Eventually, I realized that nobody would understand because I wasn’t opening up or speaking to anyone about it. How are others supposed to know your pain if you choose to suffer in silence?
Nobody wants to look behind the smile to see if you’re okay.
A lot of the times it’s because we don’t allow them to see it. I took my social media break because I started identifying the small things affecting me. Took it upon myself to take the break towards my own mental health instead of allowing it all to build up and have a full breakdown or burnout. Basically taking the time to evaluate what was important for my well-being.
You take off one day, a week, however long it takes for your mental health. It means so much more than what other people think of you. It is okay to fail or be broken at times.
This year has been the best and worse for me but I have grown immensely because of it. I have been in so many storms but my favorite part of it all is that there are always people with you in the storm. You just need to open your eyes and realize that others are going through it too. The most detrimental thing is thinking that you are going through it alone. Always check on others because you never know when you can save another person.
As a content creator, how does creating a content impact on your well-being and what are three ways you relieve stress when feeling overwhelmed by it?
It can be so overwhelming at times. I would spend days at work wondering what video I am going to make today or the next day. I would stress myself out trying to plan content to post every single day. Instead of enjoying the process, I would put myself down when I was not able to create a video or two that given day. I would tell myself that I failed myself.
Putting immense pressure on myself to the point where I ended up making content that I don’t particularly like. Making videos for the purpose of having something to post. Personally, I have always had such high expectations of myself and it can truly affect my well-being because I tend to put myself down a lot. I never gave myself enough credit for putting in the work that I do.
Take A Break
Creating content is overwhelming but sometimes you just need a break. Which is one of the ways I relieve stress and a sense of being overwhelmed? It allowed me to figure out what I enjoy making and working on content that I enjoy making. Deciding that it’s not about what others expect of me but more about what I expect from myself.
As a creator, you really have to give yourself time for you. As I always say;
“Stop trying to get on people’s for you page and get on your own page.”
Taking a break allows you to find yourself at that time and find who you should surround yourself with. You get to see who your real friends are and where the true support lies in your craft. You get to evaluate who and where you are right now. It is so easy to get lost and not realize when you are overwhelming yourself with work.
We tend to think that people know us so well by what we do online as creators but people don’t. Everyone wants to claim that they know a person by what they see online but they don’t really know much about what is going on in someone’s life. Take your break. See your friends. Make sure that you live a life. A proper full lived life before all the social media facades.
Spend Time Alone
Take time for yourself. Give yourself time to understand that you don’t have to please anyone else but yourself. I enjoy being by myself and meditating. I often find myself sitting outside and just speaking to myself, telling myself that ‘today is a good day, a good day for YOU.” Reminding myself of how important my well-being is.
Finding solitude in your own company is important at times. You can’t work on making everyone else happy and not yourself. Similarly, you can’t be someone else’s source of happiness 24/7. I want to make people smile and laugh at times but I can’t keep people happy all the time.
Take on Extra-Curricular Activities
Read a book, watch a movie, play video games or sport. A lot of times, my break from content is actually creating some amazing acting pieces because it is something I enjoy. Those pieces are breaks to me because I feel extremely happy when I make those videos. I watch them and laugh. I enjoy watching my videos. If you can’t make yourself laugh then how do you expect to make others laugh?
Personally, I believe in taking breaks for yourself. Sometimes you just need time for yourself. To realize that you are worth it and you’re okay. Sometimes I enjoy going Live because I get to interact with people that are supportive and it helps me through those overwhelming moments.
They motivate me even more and connecting with my community online helps me see the impact of what I do and the support I have when I feel alone or when I am struggling. It is amazing to know that there are people out there rooting for me and supporting what I do.
Interaction is so important. People get lost in social media. Many creators feel alone and find contentment in the comments and likes of others. That is not a connection. You need to spend time with friends and family. You have to surround yourself with people that understand those overwhelming times. I believe that you need time with others and yourself.
You are also extremely skilled in written word and music. Both are usually inspired by experiences of the heart and more. How has it helped you grow as a person?
I have been writing since the age of 13. I have always felt the need to write down my feelings. Writing became so therapeutic for me. To me, writing when I felt sad was extremely important. If I did not write while feeling sad, I felt as if I would be losing the opportunity to share the emotion with others. I wanted others to resonate with how I feel at times.
It’s something I enjoy because it is so crazy to look back at everything and see how much you have grown from certain experiences. Sometimes I read some of the pieces I’ve written and I think to myself,
“Wow, I can’t believe that I was that person”
When I broke up with my ex, I kept a video diary. I would record myself every single day and I would talk about how I was feeling that particular day. I’d often watch those videos and it is crazy to see the growth since then.
Music has helped a lot with my journey as well. I spend a lot of time playing the piano. You can feel the emotion while playing. You could write a piano piece in one day, play it and feel the pain through the music. It is so powerful to combine it and execute it.
Writing has helped me grow a lot. I adapt my writing to how I’m feeling.
Sometimes I don’t always do written word with any rhyming. I would just let my thought process flow making it rawer than an aesthetic. I love free-styling because it captures the moment.
It is definitely a creative outlet for me. People usually say that I am gifted with words but I guess it is just something that has helped me over the years and therefore I’ve become so much better at it over time.
Making me realize that I am perfect with my flaws, my issues, strengths, weakness and everything else. I can’t compare my writing to anyone else’s. We all have our own outlets. It has impacted me and helped me impact others.
What are some future projects or content we can look forward to?
I am working on more acting skits and thought-provoking, emotional content. Acting pieces I thoroughly enjoy and more serious content. Cooking with Wyatt is something I love but I would also like to go beyond that and do more. I don’t want to limit myself.
I am also planning a series with some content creators. So be on the lookout for that. We are so excited to share that soon!
As someone that many young people admire and feel inspired by, what is your daily mantra that you would share with others that may be struggling?
I am a big believer of Faith. I am a Christian and I believe that you don’t live for yourself but for what God wants. You live for what you are meant to do on this earth.
Personally, if you are living a lifestyle that makes yourself happy and is unproblematic to others while honoring God that is a good way to live. Use your time constructively to better yourself. Follow your heart desires and work towards fulfilling your dream one step at a time.
RAPID ROUND
Favourite movie and colour?
Favorite movies – Big Hero 6 and Avatar
Colour – Black (I know that it is technically a shade but it’s my favourite)
What is your favourite dish to make?
Nando’s Chicken. We made it and it tasted exactly the same which made it even more satisfying!
Top 3 Artists that are currently on your playlist?
To be honest, I am not the type of person to listen to particular artists but songs. I listen to anything depending on my mood. Following songs rather than artists is what I do but if I had to name a few artists that I currently listen to;
Hobo Johnson – He inspired me to make music
Halsey and MGMT
Celebrity Crush?
Celebrity Crushes give me false hope! I don’t really have any but the only Celebrity Crush I’d say I have is The Rock. Bromance for life!
One thing you would love to experience someday?
Standing in front of a crowd and performing. That would change my life. I love theatre and acting. There is no better feeling than doing what you love. I can’t wait to be on stage and do skits while seeing people enjoying you on stage. It is something I would love to experience that and acting full-time.
A new skill or something you have learned during a lockdown?
Cooking. I have learned a lot through the cooking videos during this time. I have also been working on my acting skills, spoken word, and voice-overs. This is the first year that I have actually been doing spoken word and free-styling online.
If you had the power to change anything online, what would you change and why?
The way people portray Social Media. I am a massive activist for balance. You need to have a balance online. To be open and honest online instead of always only posting happy moments.
Your favourite online creator that inspires you?
THE ROCK. He inspires me in a lot of ways. The Rock is multi-talented and spreads himself in such a constructive way. He is more than an actor, having his own business, a fitness inspiration, a director and so much more. Also such an amazing guy!
What do you hope to achieve in 5 years’ time?
I would love to be a recognized actor and be proud of the work I have made. God willing, I am going to get an Oscar one day. It is something I live by and believe regardless of what anyone else thinks. I am willing to put in the work towards it.
Being an actor, married and doing what I enjoy doing!
If you could spend the day with anyone in the world, who and why?
The Rock or even Ryan Reynolds. Any actor! I want to be able to endure their experiences and better myself by learning from them. Being able to hear their advice and be in their presence. I want to understand their story and find ways to better myself in terms of performing.
Wyatt Deysel has definitely impacted many through his journey of self-discovery, His hard work has made a safe space for many lost souls and brings joy and laughter to all.
His content is meaningful and enables people to share their experiences rather than remaining silent. His own struggle has brought his voice to the stage and we cannot get enough of him!
We truly hope that Wyatt gets to inspire more amazing young people out there! Be sure to follow him @wyattdeysel.
