It’s not shocking to learn that creators from across the spectrum are utilizing social media to create and build an audience, but instead of just wanting to get their work out there, what if they aimed to inspire people along the way?

This is what Lauren Sanderson has been doing for years.

She is a 21-year-old motivational speaker (far from the traditional idea) and a musician from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Since 2015, she has released nine singles, two EPs, and numerous covers. In July of 2015, she did a TEDx Talk encouraging parents to endlessly support their kids and their dreams by sharing fans’ letters that she had received.

On her two EPs, she collaborated with artists like Former Vandal and DYSN. She’s had features in Diva Magazine, Affinity Magazine, and on Young Hollywood’s Artist to Watch section. Her success didn’t come overnight. This is all something that she has been envisioning and working passionately towards.

Lauren has been online for seven years now; she started on her first YouTube channel by uploading covers of songs along with some vlogs where she shares her opinions/advice.

While looking through her old channel, one can see how she began growing into who she is today; within the mix of music-related videos, she posted inspirational videos of sorts, such as “Learning to Accept Yourself” and “You Are Not Alone.”

In January of 2015, Lauren created a second channel that is now filled with music videos, tour videos, and a few inspiring short films. The short films are reminiscent of what she used to post on her first channel: A powerful narrative about a life lesson or crucial advice that can help change someone’s state of mind or view on a situation for the better.

The content on this channel is nothing short of dedication and hard work. With each project, she aims to not only pursue and continue to build upon her own dreams but encourage others to do the same.

Social media has helped Lauren build her fan base, share her music, and spread her message of positivity to thousands of people. Since she joined Twitter in March of 2010, she has accumulated 175,000 followers; her (newer) YouTube channel has a total of 1,711,642 total video views according to socialblade.com.

But don’t focus too much on the numbers because she has made it clear through various posts and song lyrics that numbers on social media (i.e. followers and likes) don’t matter to her. She’s not here to get the most followers but rather she’s here to share her art and encourage others to fearlessly chase their dreams and ambitions.

Lauren has been on two tours across America: one for her first EP, Center of Expression, and one for her newest EP called Spaces.

Her and her photographer/videographer, Muriel Knudson, are a powerful pair; Muriel helps bring Lauren’s visions to life in music videos, whether she’s filming or editing. They lived in Fort Wayne together and recently relocated to Los Angeles to further pursue their visions. These two are gradually taking over the world and there is nothing standing in their way.

Lauren is 100% unapologetically herself no matter what; whether it’s in her music, fashion choices, she does what she wants. She’s setting an example for the up and coming generation of creators by showing them that they should cherish their ideas and be passionate while on their journey of creating. She’s fiercely running towards her dreams at full speed and there is no sign of slowing down.