To describe them in one word: creative. Daisy Cornejo, or HotCheetoMami on Instagram and YouTube, is a 21-year-old filmmaker and creator from Hawthorne, California, studying cinema and media studies at USC. Daisy does it all—makes short films, creates iconic looks, edits photos to the gods, roller-skates, and so much more.
Daisy Cornejo started their YouTube channel back in 2016 and since then their thrift hauls and emotional short films have amassed over 101K subscribers. Daisy ventured into YouTube simply to practice their editing skills but soon realized there’s more they can do and say with this platform. “I started seeing my channel as a way to express not only myself creatively, but also my story as a filmmaker in hopes that it will inspire or help any other creatives.”
One could describe their style as part-cowboy, part-fairy, and unabashedly bold through and through. This creator is no stranger to trying different hairstyles and colors, and stomps on the idea of conformity with their Moxi roller skates. Though Daisy’s style is ever-evolving, they do have staples: gold jewelry, winged eyeliner, and a vibrant eye look.
It’s hard not to be drawn to Daisy’s world as it is showcased through their Instagram – far from dull, colorful at every corner, glittering, and showing off the forever blue skies of LA. Posting outfit looks, Photoshop collages, immaculately edited roller-skating videos, and their adorable black bunny Wybie, it’s no wonder that they have gained a following of 27.5K and counting. But with a growing follower count comes an added pressure that Daisy wasn’t always used to. In the sphere of social media, it’s easy for creatives to compare their work to other creators, and it has been a matter of unlearning the habit of critiquing and comparing their content and posting whatever makes them happy. “Now, I’ll just post random shit that I like…I think the most important thing is never compromising your art, your worth and who you are for the expectations of other people.”
These days, during a two-week-turned-eight-month quarantine, Daisy has continued to find ways to stay creative and learned to put their mental health first.
Back in January, Daisy was in the middle of finishing their last semester as a sophomore at USC and was under a colossal amount of stress, juggling classes alongside an internship. The pressure and expectations that revolve around school and the lack of time and energy to pursue their own creative projects took a toll on their mental health. Therapy, medication, and journaling helped and continues to help them realize what is needed for their personal and artistic growth. Today, back at their home in Hawthorne, the creator is taking this semester of school off and using the time to explore new creative outlets.
What does a day in the life of HotCheetoMami look like now?
A day in the life now is: one, getting ready. I always need to get ready, need to get fitted because that makes me feel so good. Right now, a lot of what I’ve been doing is focusing on myself, answering emails, doing the nitty-gritty stuff. But every day, I try to do something that’s just for me, not attached to work or anything else. So that’s journaling, or maybe I’ll go skate for two hours. And that’s something I’ve learned to do, to take that time to myself, because it gets really hard to create when you’re not good mentally.
Daisy has also undertaken styling for music productions and working on shoots with friends. “I think this is the happiest and the best that I’ve felt, which is weird because you would think that wouldn’t happen considering everything else going on in the world. But it’s strange how all of this has led to a lot of my personal growth and transformation.”
Did the stay-at-home order affect your creative drive?
The beginning of quarantine was so rough, I couldn’t create. We were also in school, so it was hard to focus on school and create and be at home. For the first month or two, it was a lot of, ‘I’m depressed as shit, I have zero motivation.’ And I would beat myself up about it.
Are there lessons you’ve learned during this quarantine about creativity and work ethic?
It’s okay to not be okay, you know? I turned to journaling to get through that and realized I need to work on my mental health to be able to create and do all this stuff. Growth isn’t linear, which is what I always say; there are ups and downs, there are good days and bad days. I’ve since learned that it’s important to acknowledge what you’re feeling. You don’t have to understand where they’re coming from or why but acknowledging that you feel that way and then going through the emotions.
Since March, how have you been finding ways to stay creative in your personal life and in the content you post?
I feel like everyone kind of got crafty over quarantine because they had nothing else to do. Like, I made a Coraline doll – I’ve never done that before, but I realized I really like sculpting. And that pushed me to try and make a little figurine acrylic stop motion.
Quarantine has made many of us revert back to our childhood hobbies, which has been a source of personal creativity for Daisy. “I think when we’re all kids, we’re just trying to focus on being happy. And the things that I did to make me happy and feel good were creating in different ways. You know, making DIY crafts, writing. I started to do all of that, and that helped me creatively and emotionally.”
Are there any new hobbies or projects that you’re thinking of picking up?
I’m getting into styling and costumes for film which I hadn’t really done before, and I don’t know why because I love clothes. My friend Christina directed a music video for Claud, they released a music video called ‘Gold.’ I was in it, but also had the opportunity to do styling and makeup. And because of that I really want to learn how to sew. I can start making costumes for different films or music videos to make things more unique and personal. My grandma is a wizard with a sewing machine. You could show her one photo of something – she will see it and she will make it. So, I’m gonna try to be her apprentice and learn everything I possibly can from her.
Follow Daisy @hotcheetomami for a daily dose of creative inspiration.
