Ultimately What Do You Want To Do?

Ultimately What Do You Want To Do?

After college I had every intention to get a job in an office and work; you know the way most parents want to see their child. That didn’t quite happen for me. Growing up I always said I wanted to work in Movies, Music and Fashion. Marketing was something I picked up since my dad doesn’t let us go to college for “the arts”. Marketing was about the only other “real job” thing I could tolerate. I had been writing songs since I was 10, designing clothes in my sketch book since 12, and working on movie sets since 15, I already knew what I wanted to do. As for marketing, at 15 I decided I wanted to market for a record label to help get the “good music” out there. After marketing for a label I realize that money always prevails and labels have their favorites anyway so don’t try to be Robin Hood. I then decided, well maybe instead I’d work at a marketing agency and market different well-known brands. My heart was still in Movies, Music and Fashion (in no particular order). After I graduated I was going to move back to Los Angeles with my brother. Had a few interviews and then I was like, “Omgee, everyone is out here competing for the same damn job! The market is horrible that I’m competing with oldies with decades of experience.” I felt like the teenager that just turned 16 and was finally old enough to work, who turns in an application at a fast food joint, and sees that there are no vacancies because people in their 30’s took all the openings. After the accident, I decided to stay in Dallas and help my parents out with my younger sister. I started searching for jobs in Dallas and I can say I got a lot more interviews, but interviews don’t count. I was competing with oldies…but not so much as in L.A. It was more of my face and my resume. I graduated college at 20; they probably thought I lied about even gradating college. I have such a baby face, that I started carrying my diploma with me! But then my resume, my resume had all this music experience but, I had decided to take a career change. Then the jobs I had when I was younger in L.A. read of film, and even the clubs/societies that I were a part of in college read the same thing. I hadn’t marketed for brands like Gatorade and Samsung. I was too busy trying to “save music”. So I was screwed. Dallas wasn’t an entertainment capital. I decided to just sit still, plan no more and let God present what He wanted me to do. In the meanwhile, my family was giving me job leads and things, but it just wasn’t what I wanted to do. I’m good with budgeting money, so I was still living; I wasn’t desperate enough to succumb to the peer pressure to getting stuck in a job I didn’t want to be at and then growing to like it because I know nothing else and I need to pay my bills. Within a month, I got a call asking if I wanted to be in a movie that they were filming in Dallas. I had nothing to do, so I said why not? I have experience, so this should be a breeze. After being on set I realized, yeah I’m good looking, but if I get some experience behind the camera, that can take me further. I started emailing my little film experience that I had to different production companies that I knew were in Dallas or coming to Dallas to shoot. I got a call to work on this one film. The pay was soooo little, but I knew it would be a great resume builder and they would teach me a lot. And yes, I was right! Then that lead me to a job at MTV, then that lead me to a Short Film, then that lead me to National Geographic, and before I knew it, I was getting around in Dallas for production. On my 22^nd birthday, I was randomly working as a Promotional Model for a conference. One of the ladies asked me do I do a lot of “this” work. I was like what is “this work”. Basically I found out that you can make a living doing Experiential Marketing. I ended up working a Microsoft/Halo event and met this young lady who said she did Experiential Marketing for a living. I realized that I had done Experiential Marketing while I was working for the record label in college. So I started another little resume. Even though I didn’t have a lot of experience, the Marketing degree catapulted me. Next thing you know, I was working for brands like Gatorade and Samsung, etc. I was making more than what office Marketing jobs were offering. I also got to make my own schedule. I used that money to pour into sewing machines. I looked up and was starting to make samples for my clothes. It feels great wearing something you created, or something that simply has your logo on it. (Currently still developing samples and waiting for my brother to finish college before I go full force with the clothes. Since we entered a partnership agreement, I want to make sure were 50/50 in everything.) Then I started using that money to do the Apollo’s Interlude album under my label. I decided I just wanted to go back to doing music without trying to save music. I don’t need to save anyone or anything; I just need to be me. I’m currently working on my solo album and I’m happy with how it’s sounding. Nothing is better than having something that’s all yours. Nothing’s worse than trying to work for someone; having a 9-5. Nothing’s better than being able to freelance, be an independent contractor…be self-employed, determining your own schedule. Yes, every month I start off with a bare calendar and having to fill that thing up day by day…but it fills up. If you saw my calendar filled with the writing of different color permanent markers, you wouldn’t see how I have time for anything else. See that’s the thing, you don’t need extra time when you’re doing what you love. But yes, you’re more likely to have to pay back taxes because you’re a 1099 contractor, and your checks may not come every two weeks…but that’s okay. Not having to see the same people every day for years at a time, not being on the same project all year, doing the same thing, standing around the same water cooler is all worth it. But then I get the people that always ask, which I got asked this today as well, “What do you ultimately want to do?” I ultimately want to work in Movies, Music and Fashion with a side of Marketing. I don’t want to sacrifice one thing for the other. I do all four simultaneous. I will not give one up for the other. I never want only one check coming in. Because if that job crumbles tomorrow…is that your all? But that’s where my next dilemma comes in. I’m trying to move to Toronto, ON. After talking to immigration, they already said I meet the requirements and I’m eligible to immigrate to Canada under being a Self-Employed person. My dad and I were talking and realized that the cheapest, and I mean really cheap way to immigrate, is to get a work visa. A work visa requires a company hiring you…a 9 to 5. Realistically, no one’s going to hire me. My resume is all over the place with the four industries, they probably are wondering why do I want to work if I already own a company and/or have been self-employed for years. That brings on the other thought of can I adjust to a “corporate environment setting”, having to listen to senior executives and supervisors, instead of being my own boss. Also, will I be loyal to the company or will I bounce around. Am I worth investing into, especially if they’re going to have to sponsor me? I can tell all of this just off of the businesses I’ve already applied to. But that’s okay, I sure God just wants me to be self-employed in whatever country I’ll be living in. When people didn’t want to give me the key to the doors, I just built my own…and it’ll most likely stay that way. The path I’m on wasn’t chosen, it was given to me (of course I work my ass off too; nothing’s perfect but it’s worth it), but that’s fine. This path is better than I ever could have imagined anyway. So ultimately, I want to do whatever I put my mind to and whatever comes my way. No limitations.