The past two years have been transformative for me. I made the decision to strike out independently as a writing consultant. I have renewed my interest in art and music by way of learning and practice. I have created websites and become familiar with the basics of web administration and design. I have written more articles in the past two years than I did in the ten prior. If I were to describe these past couple of years with a single word, it would be ‘creativity’.
As an erstwhile passive consumer of entertainment media, I did not fully appreciate the amount of energy that is required to create. This energy is not only that required to physically do something, like the stroke of a brush or pressing piano keys. It is the energy required to actually contemplate doing something and then having the focus and dedication to see it through. I now marvel at the work of those that create art. At those that create informative videos. At those that make playing music look as easy as speaking a native language. I marvel because I can now imagine the effort put into gaining that mastery while being uncertain of the fruits of those efforts. It is precisely the act of soldiering on in uncertain times that sets apart creators from the rest. I salute that creative spirit in all of us and I hope that each of us can feel its presence in our lives.
My lifelong love for reading and writing led me to start a writing consultancy. And I can think of little else that I am more proud of in my career. I also feel comfortable enough to start branching out and I did exactly that earlier this year by starting a textile retail business. While it is still early days and while it is still an online only retail business, I look forward to learn from the experience and to shape it to ultimately match my vision for it. Retail is an immensely complicated business. I find myself having to use every tool that I have acquired in my career thus far. Market research, compliance with regulations, negotiation with vendors, pricing, advertising, customer relations, financial tracking and planning, and numerous other mundane tasks must be done (efficiently) to keep the business running. I have gained a newfound appreciation for multitasking.
Multitasking within a business is difficult enough as it is, but doing so for two businesses is turning out to be no small feat. I would like to assure prospective clients that I continue to take my writing consultancy business as seriously as ever. I pride myself on my professionalism and I ensure that I fulfill my commitments. Unfortunately, the increased workload means that I can no longer offer pro bono consulting to solo entrepreneurs as I have done for the past year. With that being said, I am always available to advise and mentor aspiring entrepreneurs. If you think I can be of help in some way, please do not hesitate to reach out to me through the contact page.
Managing one business is stressful enough, but the pressure of managing two can be immense. I am fortunate that my practice of art and music have helped me de-stress when necessary. Counterintuitively, however, I have chosen to take up competitive eSports once again over the past few months. I used to play Overwatch semi-competitively a few years ago but I have resumed my interest and have been steadily climbing the ranks. From the heady plateaus of Platinum I now look back at the time when I used to wallow in the pits of the Bronze leagues! Next up are the glittering cliffs of Diamond, and one day perhaps, the dizzying heights of Grandmaster! Competitive eSports are an instructive experience on teamwork, strategy, fighting spirit, knowledge, and mechanics. It is fascinating to witness the sheer amount of variables at play and I think this experience will be worth an article in the near future. If you are an Overwatch or an eSports fan, I hope you look forward to it!
So, what’s next? Growing my two fledgling businesses is of prime importance to me. I aim to hone my creativity constantly. I plan to write more and often so expect to see this website be more active that it has been recently. I also have plans for my YouTube channel, particularly as a vehicle to share my ideas on becoming a better writer. I hope you will find value in that so please stay tuned!
I would like to thank my close ones and my well wishers for their support in my journey thus far. I am glad you are along for the ride!