Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amina Mohamed. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Amina, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I put on a blindfold and picked a fig at random. I tried that fig, and if I didn’t like the taste, I threw it away, trying to taste as many of the other figs as I could before they all went rotten.
In less metaphorical terms, I tried everything within reason, seizing opportunities whenever I could just to experience what each one was like. I know when I’m older and more settled, I won’t have any regrets because I’ve done everything that has ever interested me.
Finding my purpose has come from taking risks and sticking with what feels good. This journey started in 2022 when I was 21 and working my first big girl job at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada my dream internship. my daily 2 hour each way commutes into the office located depths of Scarborough using the subway each day at 7am, This is the job that I had hoped and prayed for, it was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life except it was heavy work emotionally. I was privy to awful client situations involving displacement, war, and looming fears of deportation, my dream job was draining my soul and I did not have a way to reenergise myself.
I was also going through my first breakup at the time, emotions that I had previously repressed came to the surface on those long lonely train commutes. I began journalling in my notes app one day about all of the heavy things on my mind and just like that the train-rides started feeling a-lot shorter, of course I was in tears by the end of these writing sessions but it made me feel better. That time I had just to process my emotions energised me for the work day, and reminded me that while my feelings were valid my problems really are not all that bad.
Eventually I had written so much poetry I decided to compile the pieces into a book and market it using social media, what originally served as a vessel to express my grievances about a boy I had dated when I was 19 became first public artistic creation and seeing the positive feedback from the small community surrounding it grew my confidence. That summer I spent the next four months still working for IRCC, helping new immigrants gain citizenship but I continued creating and sharing as a freelance digital marketer who focused on women centred events in my hometown.
As summer was coming to an end that year I remembered that soon I had to leave everything I loved in my hometown to go back to university and be without the community I found again. That was the traditional path; finish my degree as quickly as possible, but that’s not what I decided to do. In what would have been my third year of university, I decided to take a gap year and focus on spending that time gaining as many new experiences as I could.
September of 2022 was a hard month for me. the summer events I marketed began slowing down I was unemployed as my job with the IRCC was dependent on my student status. Technically, I was a college dropout. My friends were busy with school or living 300 km away in my university town, so I was in complete solitude during a lot of that month. I figured having so much alone time and no direction meant I likely would not be seen for a while prompting me to shave my head. A few weeks after my impromptu self-scalping I naively walked into a modelling agency without any prior training or digitals; I figured if I have had the confidence to expose my diary to the internet, shave my head and showcase that I can handle potentially embarrassing myself in front of a modelling agency, I had no expectations walking in and because I decided to take that risk I walked out with a modelling contract that same day. The next risk I took was entering a beauty pageant, and a few months after that, I solo traveled for the first time.
It probably sounds like I’m throwing pasta at a wall and seeing what sticks because that’s exactly what I was doing. Eventually, I want to work as an immigration attorney, which is such a traditional and stable path that I can return to any time I desire. I thought if I don’t at least try the creative things on my vision board now, I’ll never get a chance to do them.
I don’t believe in dream jobs because I don’t think making an income should be solely based on one’s interests. Humans are multifaceted and can hold multiple, ever-changing interests at different points in their lives. I value equality, aesthetics, and self-expression. Being able to compartmentalise which ones make me feel good and which can most positively impact the world around me has made me a better person.
Ultimately, I found my purpose by taking risks, exploring my interests, and allowing myself the freedom to experiment and grow. This process has been about finding what feels good and what aligns with my values, leading me to a path that is both fulfilling and impactful and without any regret.
Today I am going into my last year of university getting ready for grad school applications, I volunteer for various human rights focused organisations, I am extremely politically active, all while modelling part-time, and working in digital marketing. I love my life and I owe it all to my risk focused gap year decisions.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I hope to do more work on projects focused on women’s rights, and gender based violence, there are so many world issues going on all at once so I encourage anyone reading this to do their own research and find a topic they want to support. Unfortunately many grass-root activist groups are highly under funded and lack the resources to function, while the many larger better funded organisations lack inefficient in getting the small meaningful tasks completed in favour of macro initiatives that only marginally improve the problems they are being paid to fix.
I plan to continue creating my own artwork this year, as i have gotten older and more experienced I have kept up with writing and plan to release my second book this next year this time in short story form. I am writing about real global issues I am collaborating with people in my network who are former refugees, prisoners, displaced members of society to showcase different stories. I am going into topics like civil war, what refugee encampments are like, PTSD and addiction in religious communities to showcase the real issues and how lingering unaddressed affect communities long after war has ended.
I hope to give a platform with anyone who has a story to they want to tell, an art piece that they want to show in an attempt to bridge the understanding gap, I can be reached on instagram @aminascreative
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Risk taking – not letting the opinions of others and their plans define you
Understanding – listening to the perspectives of others and their journeys creates room for your own growth
Self care – ensuring that you are also taking care of and checking in on yourself
We are all on different timelines but at the end of our lives it wont matter if you did everything on time, what will matter is if you were happy along the way
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
A challenge I face is balancing creativity with my career
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aminascreative/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amina-mohamed28/
- Twitter: https://x.com/aminacoser
Image Credits
Main picture – Scott Harrald
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