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How to go from confused college student to badass creative
- Find your passion
- Find your confidence
- Merge them together
- Make it happen (whatever “it” is)
I find that creatives either have an intense passion or an intense confidence, at least at the beginning of their career. If you are 22 years old, found your direction of passion, and have hella confidence—you are a unicorn. Give yourself a high five and let me move on to us less fortunate souls.
In order to go from a confused college student to badass creative, one must be passionate in their work and confident in themselves. Personally, the passion part has always been my thing. Whether it be my math packet in 9th grade, stupid ex boyfriend, or creative career, the passion has persisted. Emotionally, in some cases, but nevertheless it was always there and I always knew where to find it if it wasn’t in reach. Confidence on the other had, that part took a little wisdom for me to finally grasp.
When people think of confidence they commonly think of good looks. “Oh, she’s pretty, she can talk to cute boys—she’s confident.” Yeah, don’t be friends with those kind of people. Confidence isn’t about being pretty or being able to talk to cute boys. Confidence is about understanding yourself and your worth and not settling for anything less than you PERSONALLY think you deserve, because why the hell would you want to do that? It’s being comfortable in your own skin and loving yourself. It’s understanding that not everybody is going to consider you their cup of tea, but being okay with it (because you’re a delicacy). It’s getting up in front of an entire room and being all, “I am worthy enough to share my thoughts here,” and then, “damn my face is red, but that’s cool, I’m human.”
Confidence isn’t always something others can see. Sometimes the ones you think are the most confident are actually the most insecure. You never know another individual’s inner struggle until you’re inside their head, which is impossible. What I do know, though, is that confidence is something you can find. Every single one of us. We can find confidence, yes we can! Confidence can be found in other humans, in your work, in knowledge. It can be found wherever it finds you. I think that is the key. When you decide you’re worthy enough to be confident, the confidence will find you in different ways within your life.
Confidence is about saying “this is me. I am this type of way, and I am awesome.” It’s about understanding that you have flaws, but that they make you who you are because there is no other human on this earth who has the same ones as you. It’s about taking those flaws and spinning them into something positive. “You know, I can’t remember names for shit, BUT I’ll be able to make the newbies in the office feel comfortable by cracking my favorite joke.”
When I decided that I was good enough, confidence found me in more ways than one. It found me through the people I surround myself with, it found me through the power of knowledge, it found me through Pinterest quotes and random strangers that radiate optimism and believe in you for some damn reason even though they have no idea who the hell you are. But hey, nobody is perfect. There are far too many things that make me insecure—judgmental people, my ratchet hair after a night of sleep, my crooked teeth, the lack of experience and information I have in my career.
What I do know, though, is that I can take these insecurities and change my views on them because I WANT TO and it’s a free fucking country. Judgmental people suck, not me. Ratchet hair is in, right? Crooked teeth give me an edge, even though it’s a kinked one. I may not have 20 years of experience, but I know that I am GOOD at what I do and that I WILL succeed because I have the time to.
In our careers, we always think we need to be the best. You know what, YOU HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE. You can’t pull experience out of your ass, it’s something you have to work for. And confidence in your career will only increase with experience and knowledge. Have you ever heard of the term, “fake it till you make it?” Do that. Walk around the office like you own the place. Be nice. Empower others. Drink coffee. Make pretty things.
Step one: Find your passion. What do you like to do? Where do you see yourself in the workplace? Do you like to draw? Cool – do it. Do you like graphic design? Awesome – get your butt moving.
Step two: Find the workplace, coworkers, and position that boosts your confidence. Find that habitat you can go to everyday and feel strong and empowered and badass. Do your thing and make magic happen. When you’re passionate and confident, that’s when shit starts to get real in the creative world. It’s as simple as that.
