From fashion, to finance, and back.
“Her “job” felt more like play than work, but really, this is how a job should be, she thought. What was the point of slaving away at a corporate 9-5? To get a week of paid vacation? Hell, she was getting paid to go on vacation.” - durazno
This excerpt, was taken from a short story I started writing just over two years ago. It’s crazy to think about where I was in my life when wiring those words, and even crazier to think how much truth they still hold to this day. My journey has been far from normal, however, my goals have always stayed consistent.
These goals are:
Live a happy life
Create daily
Live with the freedom to travel and taste life
From the first day of an internship I completed the summer before my junior year of college, at an Austin based interior textile company named The Bunglo, I knew that my career would revolve around design. This experience helped me realize my talents and strengths, such as graphic design and branding, that I never knew I had before. It also helped me visualize the life I wanted to live and the career path that would suit this dream lifestyle.
Following this internship, I decided to work hard to graduate a year early from The University of Arkansas, and start my career in design. I was fortunate to get to work alongside my mentor, and boss at the Bunglo, Shay Spaniola. Shay is the Founder and Designer of The Bunglo, as well as the creative mastermind behind her own creative branding studio, Shay Spaniola Creative. I attribute my early age successes to Shay, as she led me through the design realm and gave me the confidence I needed to step into a creative life. To this day, Shay and I work together and we will be sharing new endeavors soon!
Late summer rolled around in Austin, Texas, and I distinctly remember being out on Lake Travis, while a full moon was rising, and feeling completely ready for something new. The day after this evening on the lake, I received news that I was offered a full-time position as a personal assistant and store manager in Montauk, New York. The job started in two weeks.
My last two weeks at home in Austin were spent on the Lake, saying bye to friends and family, and even taking a last minute roadtrip with my dear friend to Boulder, Colorado. Nerves were running high in those days leading to my solo journey to the big apple. I had been to New York once, however, knew no one in the state and had never even heard of the tiny east-end town of Montauk.
Once I landed in New York, I caught a ride to a bus stop to catch the Hampton Jitney that would drop me off in my new home. The second I arrived in this quaint town, I knew I was in for a special time. Sasha Benz, founder of the cult vintage fashion brand Wyld Blue and the creative director of the Surf Lodge at the time, scooped me from the bus stop and quickly got me acquainted with the scene. It was amazing getting to learn from Sasha and her hard working, entrepreneurial spirit. It was also incredible getting to experience the magic of Montauk in the spring, after the hustle and bustle of summer madness ended. When the winter rolled around and locals started escaping from the bitter cold conditions, we shut up shop at Wyld Blue and packed our bags for Australia.
Oh, Australia. Bondi Beach is a place that will always have my heart. I feel so fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to open and manage the Wyld Blue Summer Pop Up in Bondi. From setting up the store, to managing day-to-day operations and even packing it up & shipping home— it was an amazing ride. Getting to lean into a new culture, while working, was a huge learning experience that I will cherish forever. It was a successful pop-up, and if it hadn’t been for the onset of COVID-19, I may still be in Australia, to this day. However, I had to catch the last operating flight out of Aus and send it back home to Austin, to wait out the pandemic.
Looking back, this time spent in Bondi was a period of pure bliss, even through the hard work, homesick days and computer breakdown situations. The beautiful landscape kept me creative and active. My love for surfing was ignited, and I was able to teach myself, on a foamie, at North Bondi Rocks. Not to mention, the beautiful souls I met in Australia, that serve as my family away from home. I hope to one day get back to this magical country.
Arriving back home to Texas, after an incredible journey in New York and Australia, was a time to enjoy a more slow paced lifestyle. I cherish the memories and family time I got to spend that summer at the Lake. Luckily for me, I was able to continue working with Shay and The Bunglo. I was also being pulled in on some of Shay’s creative projects, which made me realize how fun it is to create brands and help others to accomplish their goals! It was during this work period that I was able to work 100% remotely, from anywhere in the World. That is another thing Shay always supported- the freedom to travel, create your own schedule and work from anywhere. I still feel fortunate that I was able to work in this style at such a young age and feel that it taught me how to be self-sufficient, efficient in my work-style and independent.
Once COVID-19 travel bans loosened up, I booked a one-way flight to Sayulita, Mexico. I found myself spending my days waking up in a seaside hut, nestled in the hills. I’d wake with the sun, trottle to the beach, grab a juice from a cart down the street, surf or run, then head back home to work from my hut. It was an incredible few months. Surfing, working and exploring quickly turned into my vision for life. Sayulita inspired the textile collection I made for The Bunglo, and to this day, it brings me joy to think about the vibrancy and colors of this little town.
After Sayulita, I repeated the process and travelled to Hawaii to help friend manage her family’s VRBO. This was a dream trip— spending time on a magical island with two of my best friends. We all worked remotely and managed to get in lots of sun + beach time!
After Hawaii, it was back to Texas again. This time, I lived in a studio apartment nestled in the trees next to the lake that I refer to as my “tree house.” I remained working with Shay and The Bunglo, part-time. It was amazing having a free space to create and live. It was the first time I had the chance to live on my own, and I found myself sewing, drawing, and creating daily in the quaint space I set up for myself. It was a magical time of reflection and recuperation after many long travels.
After about 7 months living at my tree house in Austin, I got offered an opportunity to manage a custom hat store in Laguna Beach. Two weeks later, I found myself planted in the beautifully quirky town of Laguna, living on Thalia Street. I’d walk to work everyday, to manage Teresa Foglia’s retail store, as well as manage the actual production of the custom hats. Working here taught me many valuable lessons, and it was inspiring being in such a creative studio space. I learned hard lessons too, which taught me to respect personal boundaries. All in all, this position was a great stepping stone into California, and I was happy to transition into starting a freelance career, with the high demand of creative needs in the area.
I dove head first into my freelance career, and soon realized, California is extremely expensive. All of this travel and moving had burned my savings to a scary low. I was offered a full time job working at Seager, a men’s clothing company in San Clemente. For about seven months, I worked as their social media manager, and enjoyed the flexible schedule and creative environment here. However, I still needed to save some money, and the apparel industry hadn’t been offering me the stable income I was in need of. I was soon offered a job as the Marketing Coordinator at a finance firm in Newport Beach, California. I felt like it was a gift from above when I was offered this position, because I was at a financial point where I needed to take a job with a high, steady paycheck, however, I also felt a moral guilt because I had always promised myself I’d never accept a job just for money.
I felt this guilt for the entire 9 months working at the firm. The firm itself, was great- kind coworkers, a hybrid work schedule, and a fair wage. Unfortunately, my spirit was not fulfilled in this environment and the personal guilt took a toll on my everyday life. Even though I had taken this job to impress the people around me, in reality, I ended up feeling embarrassed anytime someone would ask what I did for work. I’m not trying to speak down on the finance industry; it is a great industry for people who are passionate about money, and enjoy working in this sort of environment, however, for me, it just did not work.
The 8-5 schedule was daunting and I felt that my freedom was slipping away day by day. I moved to California to be close to the beach, and surf everyday, however, my schedule now yielded little sun-time and left me exhausted. The confidence and independence I had felt in myself, over the prior 5 years in my career, completely vanished as I fell into the dulling office cycle. When there’s something wrong in your life your body feels it, your mind feels it, and that suffering doesn’t come easy. The side effects affect you, the people around you, and your work. This isn’t to say the entire experience was poor; I saved money and got back on my feet. I met incredible, driven people, and I learned many new skills in an industry that was once unfamiliar to me. I am grateful for the leadership and mentorship I recieved, but ultimately, had to keep my happiness and goals at the forefront. I felt a change needed to happen, so here I am, diving back into my creative life, and I couldn’t feel happier.
It is with a happy heart that I can again speak about my work with confidence and passion. Each day will be spent creating, experiencing the many beautiful moments of life and producing work that is both fulfilling and beneficial to others. I owe a huge THANK YOU to all of the outstanding humans in my life that have supported me, mentored me, lifted me up along this journey, and continue to do so to this day. I’d be nowhere without the amazing community around me and I feel so grateful to get to share this experience in joy. There’s no telling what the future holds, but my mind is bursting with creative ideas and I am confident that big magic is here.
So, from fashion, to finance, and back— it may not have been the normal path, but hell, it’s been a beautiful ride.