Hello, Hello!
I'm so glad that you are here, because this is a special post and I'm so proud to be sharing.
When it comes to finding your true authentic voice, we mostly feel uncertain, it seems that the 'little voices' in our head speak louder than our dreams. As a creative person, I feel this in my bones almost daily and I know that it takes courage, focus and tenacity to live fully and embrace who you are meant to be.
I now introduce my dear friend, designer, You-tuber and creative soul, Sommer Mark, she took a leap of faith to create a new life for herself. You will be amazed by her words and will love our NEW collaboration. Check it out.
Special guest writer: Sommer Mark
When Covid-19 struck us, I was like many of you. I was scared. Not only for the well being of those closest to me and my own health, but also about how I was going to support myself financially.
I have been working as a freelance graphic designer for over ten years now. Due to the cost of living here in Los Angeles, I have also been working a second job as a server at a restaurant for the past 8 years.
As time passed on and being stuck inside with little to do, I grew even more concerned. I now had all of this time on my hands; time to reflect, time to think, time to discover. I took this unique opportunity to take a long hard look at myself; at where I’ve been the past several years and who I’ve become. Some of this reflection was in fact very hard to face. My life has been a challenge, to say the least.
Over the past year or so I have grown to be very unhappy with myself and where I was in my life. I found myself in a place of complacency and unhappiness. I knew I wanted more from life but was having a difficult time doing anything about it. I had been applying to so many different graphic design jobs, and after having interview after interview and never landing the job, I felt defeated, unworthy, and sad.
During all of this, I reached out to a former professor of mine at the University of North Florida, and asked her for some advice. I expressed to her my troubles in finding work and asked her if there was anything I could work on that perhaps she is currently teaching her students. I didn’t particularly like her response, at least not at first. She asked me, what I was “truly passionate” about graphic design. She told me to find that passion and and be the best at it I could be. It seemed so cliche at first but I thought deeply about that question. What was I truly passionate about?
After talking to some friends about this, they too asked the same question. They asked, “what is it you actually enjoy doing?” My response was, “I just like making cool art projects, and decorating my house and other people's spaces.” My friend then said, “so do it!” She explained things in a way that really resonated with me. She stated perhaps I have been like a fish trying to swim upstream, and that maybe my job search has been such a challenge because it’s not what I truly want, what I truly love. That maybe that’s just not my path.
I suddenly felt motivated and encouraged to try something different. I decided to just go after it! I wanted to use this time I had reflected on during quarantine to be truthful with myself; truthful to the person I want to be and truthful to what I want to do.
I decided to start a YouTube channel sharing with people my art & DIY projects and start decorating peoples spaces. I would try and use my background in graphic design to help launch this project. It’s only been a little over a month now since I took this plunge into the world of interior design & DIY, but I know I have truly discovered my passion!
As the world slowly reopens, although it is still very uncertain and scary out there - I feel beyond grateful to have been given the opportunity of reflection and a new perspective. A perspective that motivated me to take a chance in my life, to start doing, to start living, and to hit reset on everything!
Life is short and should be lived doing what you really love. This is just the beginning of my new journey, but it’s never too late to start something different; to take a new turn in life and to create a new path for yourself. It’s taken a lot for me to get here, even a global pandemic for me to open my eyes to reveal this to myself but I am here now, and it feels amazing! I am grateful for the people I have in my life who have encouraged me to pursue this journey, one of those special people being Drica Lobo. She has been a true source of inspiration for me! She too made the decision long before I did to create and live her passion as an artist!
Check out my latest video where I makeover Drica’s bedroom and turn it into a colorful, beachy and cozy oasis. Please help support me and my passion by subscribing to my channel. With your help and the continued support of incredible friends like Drica, I can keep this moving forward turning my dreams into a reality.
@Sommer Mark on YouTube
@sm_creative_ on Instagram
I hope you love it, as much as I did! I have Sommer by my side in some of my business endeavors, we work together so well and I can't wait to collaborate more with her. Please send her some love and subscribe to her channel.
Now its your turn. Leave your comment below. Share your thoughts on my bedroom makeover. Also, feel free to share this post with your loved ones that might need a little burst of inspiration.
Love,
Drica
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