Meet Joanne Yun

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

Hi Joanne, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?

I see it both as a positive and negative. Of course when you’re the only one pursuing a specific path, it tends to feel lonely. There’s no one else you can lean on for support when you want to bounce ideas off of or receive feedback. Who can you ask if you’re questioning your rates? On the other hand, you feel less competition and more freedom to not stick with the status quo. It forces you to look internally to challenge yourself and come up with unique ideas. It’s important to find a community, whether it’s in-person or fully remote, but it’s just as important to be able to trust your own experience and develop your own style. I’ve learned to accept the cards I’ve been dealt with but I also actively search for community and rely on my own knowledge. For me, it looks like researching and chatting with creatives in a similar field, but when it comes to making my own things, I should compare my improvement with myself.

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?

I am a designer who focuses on branding businesses. I use my skills to help people grow their brand and business by developing a consistent message, personality, and visual identity. I started off in the world of fine arts but decided to pursue design because I felt it could affect and reach more people in the long run. I initially wanted to focus only on the food & beverage space, but I found that my clients come from all types on industries. Now, I’m happy to take on any clients as long as you have a good background or story to build your branding around.

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?

The 3 key qualities that impacted my journey is willingness to test, meeting new people, and always be on the lookout for ways to improve. When you are willing to test, you can push out more and see what works best for your audience. Once you see something that sticks, leverage that into your business. I’ve been making an effect to meet more people, whether they are in my field or not. Either they can become a colleague of mine or a future client. Lastly, keeping your eyes open for opportunities and ways to improve allows you to be flexible. If there’s a chance, you should seize it! If you’re early in your journey, the biggest thing is to stay focused on the goal, but be flexible on how to get there.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

Definitely self confidence. In the beginning, I heavily relied on others to give me positive feedback to boost my confidence. It was actually a turning point for me because I often looked up to other people’s designs and admired their skills. But the more I got to understand their perspective and style, I noticed that many people were learning as they go. It really helped put things into perspective, because now I see other creators as talented individuals who are people with their own journeys. I always focused on what I needed help in and not what I was good at. Reflecting on my own achievements really helped, and so did looking at “cringey” old work. As long as you are improving and only comparing your growth to your past self, we are essentially all humans doing what makes sense for our experiences. I think valuing your individuality and believing that you are the only person who has ever walked in your path really helps me believe in myself.

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