First off, I wanna say: I genuinely feel so full of gratitude. I cannot thank everyone on LinkedIn, Instagram, the internet and IRL for cheering me on. 𝑰 𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑳𝑳𝒀 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒊𝒕.
From the heart: 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 💚
Just so you know, I'm also cheering for you too.
Yes, there is anxiety about what my next month looks like and... *𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺* but here are some realizations that seem obvious but hold true to me at the current moment.
➡️ 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥.From speaking at the The Industry Shift with old colleagues from 2 Youtube-centric jobs years ago, to meeting Colin Rocker in a random improv class, to my former VP reaching out to understand how I can consult marketing for her new role... the universe puts you in rooms with people. And then you never know where it'll go.
But in my view, the people who reach out to me is a reflection of my hard work, creativity and strong collaborative track record. And those connections are opening doors that I never would've guessed were options!
➡️ 𝐈'𝐦 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟*𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐟*𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡. Look, I'm not everyone's type of person/strategic creative/cup of tea. And that's ok. What's been really freeing is forgetting the corporate ladder, forgetting that I need to make 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 happy and being who I want to be online and offline.
Being freelance has not only opened up so many doors for me, but opened up who I want to be in my work, my content and IRL.
➡️ 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞.Life is short and hopefully sweet. Being able to say "yes" to more because I'm not burnt out or exhausted has been really amazing. I hang out with friends more. I play Fortnite now. I spent a theme park weekend with besties while wearing a Shrek hat. I get to go to the gym at noon sometimes. While working on my own clock. I haven't had that in a long time, and it took me a long time to understand my day-to-day looks like outside of a 9-5.
➡️ 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐦. You're telling me: Eating well, getting steps in, and lifting some heavy weights makes you FEEL GOOD? And it actually makes you better mentally and physically?? How can something so 𝓈𝒾𝓂𝓅𝓁𝓮 be so powerful?? UGH HOW ANNOYING.
Highly recommend, unfortunately.
➡️ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝. Maybe a "personal brand" isn't for everyone. But me? I take a lot of pride in the work I have achieved and will continue to do so. I really love it when people come to me to say they "follow me on LinkedIn" and then want to talk about the industry.
➡️ 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐩 𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.The great thing about a flop era? Not a lot of people saw it. So... I shout "I HATE SOCIAL MEDIA" to my husband and then continue posting.
And if you're sick of me... BAD NEWS: There's a lot more coming. 🫶
NEW YORK CITY: I’m hosting a fundraiser meetup next Monday for an indie pilot I directed called ON HOLD!
Spot Desserts is sponsoring and bringing THE BEST ASIAN-INSPIRED SWEETS!
Come hang, meet other creatives and support our project! So far, we have 40 people attending!
Tickets here: https://luma.com/egqnc3h2
What is ON HOLD?
A Korean-American pilot we’re hoping can really come to life.
The writer, star and co-director Minna and I are crowdfunding on Seed and Spark to green light a 30 min pilot episode. We’re also aiming to get additional funding through the Gold House AAPI Renaissance Rally.
We need 80% of our $16.7k goal funded and 350 followers to qualify!
And there are perks - including a 1:1 with me to chat about anything for a $150 pledge!
ystreetstudio: Emma has a series called “Whimsifying my wardrobe” where she amazingly completes DIY and upcycling projects that are so creative and simple.
Why I like it: Honestly, a lot of her DIYs have been on my own DIY list forever so…in a way… it’s making me believe that I can stop overthinking and get some of these projects done. Maybe one day.
See ya on the internet,
Sarah