We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Elizabeth Chang. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Elizabeth below.
Elizabeth, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
Before living in the U.S for college, I spent my youth living across five different countries across continents. My first taste of racism was in the music room in Costa Rica as a 6-year-old harpist, and while my harp teacher was always very fair, her lead student/assistant was not. She didn’t feel like I belonged, and one afternoon, she did not give me a turn on the instrument for the entire Orchestra practice and had me sit in a chair against the wall. It didn’t matter that I was the more skilled harpist; I was the only one in the room who looked like me. I learned that just because I worked hard or I was talented and skilled, it doesn’t mean I will be selected. Because I often was often the odd-one out, either as the transfer student, the international student, I had to learn to cope with challenges.
It was not an easy nor glamorous childhood, but I made the most out of my experience meeting diverse people from around the world, and that is how I learned to be observant, adaptable, creative, communicative, and resilient.
These hard-earned qualities carried me throughout my college years and the early years of starting my business. I remember working 60-80 hour weeks in the early days, and I charged through. When one strategy didn’t work, I tried another one, until I eventually reached a place where I was happy with my business.
There is no skipping the hard work if you want to start your own business, even if your craft is in the creative industries. While some of the challenges growing up were painful to remember, it is about how we transform that memory, to try to act better when I am in a position of power, or when I am trying to serve my clients and anticipate their needs.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
In the first few years of my business, I was focused on building my portfolio and establishing myself as a makeup & hair artist, both in the luxury bridal field, but also in the advertising/celebrity/events industry.
Eventually, I expanded to represent fellow artists as a makeup & hair events agency. The artist I represent prefer not to handle the business side of things, and I had referrals and overflow clients that I couldn’t take myself, so it was a mutually beneficial business partnership. Now, I am working fully behind the scenes, as life situation has changed (I moved abroad from California), and so I’m actually building a new business now, for remote energy healing and Akashic Records Reading. It was a natural progression, or a full circle, because the original reason that I wanted to become a makeup & hair artist, is to encourage the client in my chair to look and feel like their most radiant selves. There is a healing element in the energy exchange that I never talked about back then, but I’m embracing now!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Strategic Thinking & Problem Solving- I’m not sure what’s the best way to develop this other than working with someone who is good at this! I think back and I benefited from learning from my peers in high school, actually, and it’s ok to acknowledge areas you need improvement on, and ask for help. It was just something I developed naturally, probably because I moved around so much, I had to approach everything strategically. I am also analytical by nature, and so that feeds into it.
2. Networking – This is not something I was good at as an introvert. My father was excellent at it – but he is an extrovert! Copying what an extrovert might do ended up draining me and stresseing me out. It was harder for me to connect with people initially, but I learned a way that works for me and my introversion, to connect authentically and organically.
3. Having a Business Mindset – It is hard in the beginning when you are not yet making money and stressing over the money you need to invest in your business in order to make it profitable, but investing back into your business in the early stages has the most pay-off in the long run. I remember stressing about $250 that I needed to spend on lipliners and lip products so I have a range to work with, and I was lucky to have very sympathetic sales associates who understood my stress. At least 20% of your income will go back into investing, depending on which state you are, you also have to set aside money for taxes. So having a business mindset and approach early on, and knowing how to budget, invest, and save, is essential!
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
My tip for combating feelings of overwhelm is to do a simple grounding and breathing exercise. In meditation or spiritual traditions, grounding focuses on connecting us back to the present moment by focusing on being present and feeling supported by Mother Earth. To do this, we visualize ourselves utilizing the earth’s stable energy to calm and balance ourselves. Research has shown that grounding or earthing can reduce the stress hormone cortisol, and promote a sense of calm.
After you reset your nervous system, then you can tackle things one at a time in the order of priority. Finally, take some time to process what got you to the point of overwhelm in the first place, and do what you can, to the best of your ability, to prevent yourself from getting to that point of overwhelm. It sometimes sneaks up on us, but over time and with practice, overwhelm and burnout can be mitigated! And it’s absolutely essential for the longevity of your business, as well as your well-being!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://skyla-arts.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/skylaarts
Image Credits
(c) Abi Q (black and white)
(c) Chard Photo (with blonde client)
(c) Christina Mcneill (behind the scenes on the street)
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
