TikTokOur latest creator spotlight comes from educator and activist @djkrystallake, whose insightful content has been going viral, and for good reason!
Having initially starting out on TikTok in February 2020, Krystal's videos began to take off during lockdown. After the worldwide protests about racial injustice, and the impact of the pandemic on mental health, her videos on POC, LGBTQ+ experiences, feminism and mental health issues have not only been shining a light on a whole host of important issues, but educating our community.
Billed as "stuff schools don't teach", her content ranges from lessons on white privelege to what consent means. She also talks about why we celebrate Pride Month and Windrush Day, as well as the fact that humanitarians are real life superheroes offering a clever an entertaining spin on hot topics of the day.
If that wasn't enough, she's also a filmmaker, DJ and radio host, doubling as Ashnikko’s official DJ and host of Far Out With Krystal Lake on Soho Radio. - talk about multitalented!
With 417.8k followers on TikTok, Krystal is continuing to go stratospheric on TikTok. We sat down to find out what inspires her..........
What do you love most about TikTok?
I love how accepting the community is and how people can genuinely gain a following just by being themselves and speaking their truth. You don’t have to be a huge celebrity or a millionaire to be successful on this app.
You are using TikTok to educate the community on the things schools don't teach you, why do you think TikTok works for this kind of content?
TikTok is full of curious minds and an algorithm that sometimes knows more about what the user wants than the user itself. Someone scrolling through TikTok might not google “why do men have jean pockets but women don’t?” But TikTok will show my video on their FYP because they liked a video about feminist socks…which weirdly enough aligns with my brand and in return aligns with them.
What else or who else is on your TikTok For You feed?!
Benjy! Every time I’m scrolling I’m greeted with “Hi, it’s Benjy here” and I absolutely love it, I’m so inspired by Benjy’s work. Dr Julie Smith always has me ready to try out new mental health tricks, I also get a lot of Ehiz’s TikTok’s floating on my FYP and it instantly lifts my mood.
What is your most favourite recent challenge, filter or trend on TikTok?
The “I’m just a kid” challenge warmed my heart! I lost a lot of my immediate family so I feel like it hit even harder. It’s so nice to see how families are becoming closer through this app. It’s not just virtual friends, these challenges bringing people together in real life with family, friends, partners, and even strangers and it’s so beautiful. I might not be able to recreate an old picture with my mom or grandparents, but I do I have my little brother and sister to TikTok with and it makes you appreciate what you have, what you had, and what others have. I love the community vibes on TikTok.
What is your goal on TikTok?
My goal is to educate as many people as possible through this app and let the viewer know that their uniqueness makes them beautiful, whether that’s race, sexuality, gender, or personality. It’s easy to be persuaded to change yourself or look a certain way but what makes a person special is what makes them different, and what makes a person beautiful is them realising that they’re beautiful. I’m trying to get people to realise their beauty because I wish I had that growing up.
What is your favourite TikTok you have made to date and why?
Put a finger down: School Edition. I love this TikTok because it really made people realise that there is so much to learn about themselves and the world. It’s so normal to not know about the history of minority groups (like why African’s were targets for slavery, or the gay side of the Holocaust,) but these groups make up a huge chunk of our history. It’s also normal to believe that mental health isn’t that important, but when you link it to the huge uprise in depression cases, it makes you think “maybe we should be talking about this?” This TikTok was able to get people to understand that, and dig a bit deeper into exploring the world and themselves.
New to TikTok and want to see more from Krystal? Find out more and simply download the app for free via the Apple App Store, Google Play or Amazon.
