New Era

Since retiring my consulting career in July, I've been hustling to get my foot into the creative world.

From sweeping floors and cleaning dishes.... to writing thousands of product descriptions, I'm excited to announce my official Social Media Manager position!

Not only I'll be directing social, I'll also be managing the aesthetics on Ecommerce, photoshoots and most importantly, brand visioning. The best part about this role is being able to take full, creative control of a rapidly growing fashion brand.

I'm very grateful of the three years I spent at my consulting job because it gave me the experiences of working in a fast-paced environment with different clients. It brought me up and down the west coast, giving me a wide perspective of hobbies outside of the ordinary. Whenever I'm at a creative job interview, I always bring the fact that I have a business/tech background and I never started in fashion. I worked in a professional setting for three years and I can work under pressure. I'm always proud to share that part of my journey even if it has nothing to do with creative.

One thing I learned in the past six month is knowing my worth in dollar amount (ka-ching!). Creative jobs are often lowballed because they aren't as highly demanded as "practical" jobs (engineering, accounting, banking, etc.). Even with that being the case, you should never be flexible when it comes to negotiating your rate. Demand what you are worth and prove it. If the brand doesn't value your previous experiences, or you in general - no need to accept entry-level positions that will make you suffer. I definitely learned this the hard way, you guys.

I pride myself a lot in finding happiness and purpose in life. I make it a life goal that I don't have to work a day at a job that I hate or drown myself with work that I care absolutely nothing about! One of the best things I experienced this year (at age 25) is taking that leap of faith out of my comfort zone and seeing where hard work and determination will take me!

Let's all work hard and conquer the new year together! Cheers to almost 2017.

Photos by Maggie Chan

As always,

Cece