We were lucky to catch up with Carrie Wilson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Carrie, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I started dancing at 2.5 years old and continued dancing until I was about 20. I always heard from dance teachers and professionals that dancers have the best work ethic, but never really understood where they were coming from. Or maybe I did understand but didn’t think much about it.
Meanwhile, I was going to school 30-40 minutes away from home from elementary through high school, then going straight to dance classes after school, and then going home and doing homework and maintaining my grades. Until around 6th grade, I didn’t have dance classes daily and was dancing maybe 8 hours a week. In 6th grade, I remember auditioning for my studio’s dance competition team. The rush of putting in all I had to give to make this elite* team was scary and exciting, but I did it (*I’ll admit we weren’t the Maddie Zeiglers of the early 2000s, but we were good enough). I was now on the team.
This changed my dynamic with dance. As I got older I was spending more time at the studio taking more classes, practicing routines, training harder, and eventually, also, working there. I would leave high school at 2:45p to be at dance for rehearsal at 3:30p and take classes until 9:30p. If I had time between classes I would start homework, or run to the grocery store in the shopping center and grab dinner. This isn’t just my story though, it was all of us on the team. We spent more time at the studio than at home. Even on weekends, we were rehearsing, working there, or at a competition.
In my family, our education was also held to the same standard. My sister and I would sometimes be up till midnight or 1a finishing homework after dance. There were several times I remember falling asleep on the couch in our living room, all lights on and pen in hand in the middle of writing something. If we were to continue dancing, we also had to keep our grades. We definitely didn’t have the straight A’s every kid yearns for, but we did our best and as long as that effort showed in our grades our parents continued to let us dance.
As I became an adult, I came to realize the immeasurable value of this instilled work ethic. I grew into and naturally developed this work ethic out of the need to continue working on this art that I loved so deeply, while also growing up and keeping up with my education. It became second nature.
As an adult, I’ve had to unlearn some of my habits. I became addicted to working, and not giving myself time to relax and enjoy life. The first year I lived in LA, I experienced the worst burnout, because I kept saying yes to more and more work. It felt wrong to say no to taking on more work, but I wasn’t giving myself time to recover from the toll each gig was having on me. I grew from this mistake in acknowledging this wasn’t an undercutting my work ethic. Just because I knew I could do it, didn’t mean I had to.
Humbly, I acknowledge my privilege in this story. I had & have extremely supportive parents, who gave me the tools I needed to grow and excel. Not everyone is as lucky, and I empathize. In an effort, to share the support I had I make sure to be supportive to those around me.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
As previously mentioned, I danced most of my life. It was my creative outlet. I loved the industry around dance. I loved theater (though only explored dance…you really don’t want to see me act or hear me sing I promise). But dance took a toll on my body. I had countless ankle injuries and was eventually advised to wear these bulky metal braces on both ankles while dancing or move on. I kept dancing for a few years after, albeit less often, but my would was missing that creative outlet.
I came to love the film & tv industry in college, as I recognized parts of it that reminded me of dance, but I was shown the non “creative” side to it. I found production management and it was fulfilling. Combining my love of entertainment and my natural logistical tendencies.
I don’t know what I’d be doing if I weren’t in production management in entertainment. It truly is my passion…but my urge to create has never relinquished.
Recently I started making and selling custom phone cases on TikTok (amongst other custom items). It’s fun! I get to create something specific to each person. Everyone has different ideas for their phone cases, every case I make is truly so unique.
I go live on TikTok on certain days to make phone cases and have real time interaction with followers, friends, and customers. Everyone’s input helps create something unique each time! I also do cases offline and that’s more personal and a slower process, which is also enjoyable. It’s been so special interacting with new people and figuring out their likes and wants, AND I get to keep my hands busy in an artistic endeavor!
My shop is called Unlucky Charms and can be found on TikTok, Instagram & Etsy @unluckycharmscases. I make custom phone cases, tablet cases, laptop cases and more! I even made myself a retainer case for my Invisalign LOL!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Flexibility, transparency, and hard work. Be open to new experiences and people, but also to making mistakes, setting boundaries, and saying no. Giving yourself grace allows for immeasurable and healthy growth. Be inquisitive, and don’t be afraid to admit when you don’t know what you’re doing. People value that honesty more than someone who pretends to know it all.
In the same breath, though, one of my favorite phrases is “fake it till ya make it.” Convince yourself that you ARE the person who can accomplish these things and get to where you want to be. Just don’t tell someone you know how to build a house if you don’t have basic construction know how. Manifest what you want by saying what you want, just be realistic about what it takes.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
Being overwhelmed is not a foreign feeling for me. I lose sleep, get headaches, and experience to-do list paralysis. I just shut down. It’s not a great feeling at all. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve recognized ways to get around the debilitating feeling of being overwhelmed.
Sometimes, I take a break and go on a 30-minute walk to clear my mind. Other times I’ll call my mom and vent. However, I always end up coming back to my desk and making a to-do list based on priority. Once that’s done, I ask myself “What could someone else do that would help me take this off my plate?” It’s important to ask for help in those situations. No one can do it all, as much as we all think we can, a lot of the time it is physically impossible.
My therapist called it “regrounding” or something like that…
Contact Info:
- Website: carebie.com
- Instagram: @carebie / @unluckycharmscases
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carebie
- Other: TikTok @unluckycharmscases Etsy unluckycharmscases.etsy.com
