Meet Annie Bou

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Annie Bou. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Annie, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

I know this isn’t the answer people want to hear, but I do what I do with imposter syndrome.

With any project and goal I have worked towards throughout my life, at the moment it is becoming a successful content creator and tattoo artist, I have been detached from the work I do. When I say detached, I mean I will finish a tattoo piece for a client or a post another video for the week, and I find it hard to come to terms with the fact that I had done it.

This is probably where a lot of readers might wonder how and why I still manage to keep going without facing imposter syndrome like most recommend. And my answer to that is that I actually love the process of creating and doing. It is enough for me to tattoo a client and enough for me to record and edit a video. I put care, love, and all my attention into creating these pieces that it is trance-like. Then once I’m done, I am not chasing the success or the final product, instead I am already on to the next tattoo concept or the next video idea.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am someone who only likes to do what she likes to do, and it just happens to be that I am interested in several things. Because of that, I am usually working on several disparate projects simultaneously. At the moment, I am a content creator and tattoo artist that is also working a full-time corporate tech job.

I spend my days jumping between my work laptop to lead meetings and optimize software strategy, to my camera to record a podcast episode for the week, to my studio to tattoo a client. While it might seem very disconnected, which to an extent it is, I see the connection between the projects as areas I am currently passionate about and which allow me to make a positive impact on the world in their own unique ways.

In my corporate job, I am scrappy with low budgets and many constraints to put together product solutions for my clients. With the Heart2Hearts podcast, I share vulnerable stories and try to be authentic with experiences growing in my 20s to make my audience feel less alone and empowered to live their 20s the way they want to live it. At my tattoo studio, I create permanent memories and art for people to carry with them through their life.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I wouldn’t be where I am today without my willingness to learn more about things I am curious about, refusal to settle, and fear of regret. I was very fortunate to have a very close relationship with my father, who was a very introspective person that respected the naive thoughts of my seven year old self. He shared his opinions and picked my brain when we would talk about the meaning of life, fate, and all the other deep existential topics you could imagine.

Because of this, I quickly picked up on my irrelevant, small place in the world and how little time a human actually has to live. And I truly think being constantly reminded that your time is running up and that there are people who are in their final years that regret not making the most of their younger years will light a fire in you. I would highly recommend reading “Four Thousand Weeks”, written by Oliver Burkeman, or speaking to your elders about their regrets and advice. If that isn’t possible, there are plenty of YouTube videos of people giving this type of advice and reflecting on their younger years.

If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?

There is always two sides to the coin for anything, and as I mentioned, I am someone who has several interests and hobbies. However, being a jack of all trades comes with the difficulty of mastering and being the expert of a craft. Something I am trying to figure out is if and how I should better allocate my time between everything I have committed to and whether being a jack of all trades is hurting or helping me at the end of the day.

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