Skip to main content

Some Things Never Change

Over the years, I've grown a lot. I've been shell shocked by my first tech job, by my first game job, by finding myself in new places with new faces and even by being well known over the internet. And there's something to be said for knowing who you are, what you shine at and how to make money off of it.
I find myself in new environments, but whatever I do, my process and my actions have to feel like me. I feel more brave about being myself than ever before. I'm not going to think to myself, "oh people don't want this talent. I'll try to be something else."

It's a fine line. You market yourself a certain way, but you never quite act in a way that isn't part of your character. You can never be someone you're not. And that's good, because more importantly, you have to step into work where you feel like yourself, you can be yourself, and that work is going to be the most beautiful.

It gets complex knowing what you do and what you don't do, so much that you can't always explain it. But finding work in various places means listening to yourself and the way your environment makes you feel. If it doesn't feel right, that's the most important thing.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Vetting or Gatekeeping?

Bay Area Womxn in Games constantly works to include transwomen and has a spectacular board of advisors from a variety of backgrounds. We are open to new leadership. Here's one example of how we have striven to include speakers of all backgrounds, despite the closed-minded tendency of sponsors and other organizations. I'm responsible for the first 2 years of the Bay Area Womxn in Games conference. When we partnered up with Women in Games International (WIGI) we were thrilled to finally meet our goal after 2 years of independent organizing. We were going to meet the organization that started it all, who inspired us to create a local organization in the first place, and they invited us to their board meeting. However, as we attended a few meetings, the conversations became more and more depressing. The people who were elected to be leaders did not know how to lead. After all, you have a team of unpaid volunteers. Let them be motivated to contribute the way that their natural s...

How to Tell When You're Working For Free

Let's face it. When you're looking for work in the industry of your dreams, it's really easy to think wishfully. No one wants to suspect that so many start-up companies are here to rip you off. Sometimes you don't plan on working for free, but you end up working for free.  How does that happen? Start-ups are notorious for looking for young people who have no problem working for free. If you don't have rent to pay and just love to code, you may be completely fine working for free. And start-ups know that. They wishfully think that this type of person is you.  They may also ignore and avoid your subtle attempts to discuss money and negotiate contracts with you as well. You may feel rude asking about money, and you may trust that they're going to do what's right and pay you. This kind of trust is tragically dangerous. So let's look at some warning signs at when a company expects you to work for free, and are so eager to get the app built, that the...