In the Haven with Conner Babcock: “I always wanted to be a content creator”
Interviewed & Written By : Hannah Corbett
Somewhere between talking about how we grew up watching youtubers like Savannah Montano and Bethany Mota, and now love Paige Lorenze, it hit me, I was talking to one of my own comfort creators.
The kind of girl who feels like a big sister on the internet. I’ve followed Conner Babcock since before she had 10,000 followers, and I vividly remember watching her post about a dream job in New York, only for the offer to be pulled after she signed the papers. I remember thinking, Something better is going to work out for her. And it did.
Conner has always had the thing. You can tell she’s a girl's girl the moment she pops up on your ‘for you page’. There’s something charming and familiar about her storytelling, whether it’s an OOTD from her bathroom mirror or a day in my life vlog that feels like a FaceTime with your best friend. But before she was posting full-time, Conner was just a teenager vlogging away her days.
“Me and my friends all asked for Canon G7X’s for Christmas when we were in high school. We all chipped in and bought Final Cut Pro, and would pass around the laptop that it was logged into so we could edit our videos”.
“We were so consistent for a whole year,” she told me, laughing. “We didn’t even realize we were building a habit. It was just something we loved.” She later went on to study communications and digital media at the University of Arizona, a major that, while not intentionally picked to lead her to content creation, ended up teaching her the very skills she now uses every day to edit her videos.
“I always wanted to be a content creator,” she admitted. “But when you’re 15 or 18, you don’t just say that out loud. People would look at you like you’re crazy.”
Conner’s girlhood was shaped by her feminine, fashion-loving mom. The kind of mom who never missed a nail appointment and brought you along for the ride, who made everyday errands feel like a shopping spree, who passed down more than just a love for clothes, but a deep sense of beauty, confidence, and care. When she sadly passed away, Conner was raised by her dad, who she says didn’t always get her style. “He’s the kind of dad who’d ask why I couldn’t wear the same prom dress twice. I’d be like, Dad… you don’t get it.” But that contrast only made her sense of style, identity, and creativity more her own.
Like many creators, her TikTok journey had its fair share of trial and error. “It can be so frustrating when nothing sticks,” she said. “But one day, I filmed an outfit video in my bathroom and it just took off. I gained a bunch of followers and realized—Wait. This is something.” It became her signature format, and ironically, what once was a casual mirror shot is now the format brands request from her.
But the path wasn’t linear. For months, she applied to hundreds of jobs, eventually landing an opportunity with a New York agency. She signed the paperwork, told her dad, her boyfriend, and her followers…I’m moving to New York. Then, just as quickly as it came, the offer was rescinded.
“I didn’t know what to do. It was crushing,” she shared. “But I gave myself grace. I stopped applying to jobs and I just kept making videos.”
That grace paid off. One outfit video blew up, leading to 30,000 new followers and messages from multiple management agencies. She signed with one, and now, one year after the NYC heartbreak, this is her full-time job.
“I really believe everything happens for a reason. What’s meant for you will find you,” she said. “There’s a higher plan.”
Her days now start early—5 or 6 a.m.—filled with brand deals, vlogging, editing, and community building. But she’s learned to separate work and rest. “I used to be in bed under the covers at midnight editing a video. Now when my boyfriend comes home, I put my phone down. My workday ends there.”
Of course, burnout still happens. “It usually comes from making the same videos over and over,” she said. “But I just try something different, and that usually resets everything creatively.”
If she weren’t doing content full-time “I would’ve done something with photography. I always had a camera in my hand. At one point, I really thought I’d work for National Geographic. My dad actually encouraged it, he was like, You’re really good at this. And for a while, that was my dream.”
Now, that dream has transformed into something bigger. “I want to keep growing, making connections. In five years, I won’t be in Illinois anymore, I don’t know where I’ll be, maybe married, maybe with a dog. But I hope I’m still doing this, just on a bigger scale.” Maybe partnering with Rhode or Emi Jay somewhere down the line.
But deep down, she’s always envisioned something more grounded too, tangible. “Maybe one day I’ll have a coffee shop or a boutique. Something that’s mine. I know everyone has a brand, but I’ve always wanted something real that people can walk into. And if none of that works out, her plan B of moving to Hawaii, getting off the grid. Working at Anthropologie or a little juice bodega sounds pretty good too.
From editing videos to manager calls, shared laptops to shoot days, Conner’s journey is more than just content. It’s a story of heart, resilience, and quiet determination. What started as casual clips in her bathroom became the foundation of a career built on creativity, connection, and staying true to herself.
And at the end of our conversation, I couldn't help but feel anything but happy for Conner as I realized that her story isn’t just about going viral or building a brand. It’s about trusting the slow, steady unfolding of your own path. She didn’t just grow an audience. She grew into herself. Watching her now, camera in hand, community beside her, it’s clear she was never just filming videos. She was building a life she once only dreamed about, one frame at a time.