Meet Jess Strohm

We were lucky to catch up with Jess Strohm recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jess, so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?

One thing I’ve come to learn about self-care is that it looks different every day. I know I have staples that help me on a daily basis – moving my body, meditating, carving out some quiet time… but some days, a comforting TV show is going to help me more than a creative activity. So finding the awareness and balance of self-care is important for it to be effective. My list of self-care activities are: move, read, journal, meditate, create, quiet time. I tryyyy to do them every day, but like I said, I also have to respect that I need something different every day.

Finding effective self-care activities has been crucial for me in the self-employment space. It’s very easy to get lost in work and making that the top priority 24/7. With my list of self-care activities easy to access in my planner, it helps me take a pause. Taking a step back from work (both physically and mentally) always helps me come back with new ideas. Mental space from work is a must to be my most effective. Without it, I’m like a dog chasing its tail!

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’m Jess Strohm – Owner, Creative Director and Producer of gen.boutique! A creative production company I have with my father. As a business owner, I wear a ton of different hats. I’m working to narrow them down as I dial in my career.

With my background in marketing, I am most excited by my Creative Director role and starting to focus more on that. I absolutely love connecting brands to people, ideas and emotions. It is so fun for me to use my brain in that way. I am totally a visual person, especially since I’m also a dancer! Over the past year or so I’ve been very focused on establishing and marketing our own brand. So check out our instagram @gen.boutique and let me know what you think!

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?

Looking back on how I got to where I am today… my top 3 skills would be:
1. Communication. It is so important to understand how you best communicate, your preferred method of communication, a knowledge of different communication styles… Strong communication skills take you far – with co-workers, contractors, and clients!
2. Self-care. Take care of yourself first, because jobs will come and go!! You’re with yourself and your body during the whole ride, treat it well. Take inventory of what works for you and keep it visible!
3. Tenacity. It won’t always happen on the first, second, or maybe even the tenth try. But I’m a firm believer that if you put the work in, it will pay off. Keep going! I guess there’s patience in there too, but I’m still working on that one.

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?

As I continue growing my career, I feel this pressure to pick one area of expertise. I feel like this stems from the classic childhood question, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” The expectation feels like there’s only one singular answer. Right now, I am working to accept that I can be as many things as I want to be. I can be a Creative Director, dancer, artist, yogi… I can be all of the things. Not everything needs to be a “side hustle” and I don’t have to be the best at it either. It’s a difficult thing in today’s society!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gen.boutique
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gen.boutique/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gen-boutique/