Hot pink, hot point
Today I was inspired by these photos, of when I attended a conference in Brisbane recommended by someone I networked with over Zoom in Sydney. My mental health was trash but my outfits were fire.
Yes, I wore a hot pink blazer the entire conference so people would remember me and recognize me (my brand strategy worked!). Also I loved the interior design of this hostel’s vanity area, especially the wallpaper — I’m a sucker for an accent wall.
As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve been networking pretty intensely. Well, now that I read that I wonder and question if I actually have been networking intensely or if I’m just saying that to make myself feel better — there’s been a lot of wondering if I’m enough and doing enough in the past several months, which gives you a pretty good glimpse into my state of mind. There’s always a question if I should be doing more, could be doing more, and in my saner moments I remind myself that yes, I am working hard and putting myself out there, but then there’s a little voice in my head (probably my parents from the late late 2000s/early 2010s) that likes to pop up and say how disappointed they are in me because I’m not doing enough.
It’s quite easy to wonder whether or not I’m doing “enough” because I haven’t (yet! hopeful attitude, please) achieved my goal (get hired and get sponsored) or even my micro goal (get interviews). I feel the pressure quite keenly, although some days it’s easier to manage than others (as an aside, there’s also a curiosity of if I didn’t need to be sponsored to stay, would I be living out my dream life and am I blinded to my existing happiness because of this semi-self imposed pressure — but another time).
However as hindsight would remind me, I have made progress and even though that’d not the same as accomplishing the goal, I’m still moving forward. I could probably write some platitudes about “oh, I learned something about myself” and “Yes I finally built my portfolio” and “wow, I’ve met some incredible people” and “well, you never know what opportunity might come up” and while these are all true statements (and things I am actually grateful for), the reality is that it’s tough and it sucks — I’m not going to be one of those writers who bullshits you and tells you everything is sunshine and roses. I’m going to be reporting from the trenches, standing in the rain and dirt, telling it like it is.
Hire me! I’m apparently the only one who maximises the use of a QR code to ensure a smooth and seamless experience for people to connect with me on LInkedIn (there’s that customer-focused brain turned on).