Juggling work, a passion project and life

I spent most of my 20s daydreaming about the type of person I wanted to become, imagining my future with a solid career and clear direction of where I wanted to go. Funnily enough, while doing this I completely neglected some of the key things that would make me achieve that goal sooner.

I started painting at the age of nine when my parents decided that I had some skills to hone in on, so fine art classes would do me well. I spent the next 10 years regularly attending these classes and by the age of 19, I was pretty good. Despite this, I moved to another city and decided to put the brush down for the best part of a decade. After all, my 20s were calling and I had no time for painting!

*In my twenties at Sonar Festival while I was living in Barcelona*

Don’t get me wrong, I regret nothing! I had so much fun during that time. I partied, met amazing people, lived abroad, travelled, and got my foot in the music industry.. But by being a young social butterfly I left behind one of the things that brought so much joy to my life.

Years passed, I entered my 30s and the year 2020 came… and we all know what happened there. Time at home felt endless and one day, while feeling pretty desperate, I found myself googling art supplies. It’s incredible how the days of lockdown feel like a giant succession of nothingness, but I can still remember that exact day and feeling of excitement. That day set the tone for what came next.

Those years were incredibly rocky times as we know. While we were collectively going through a very challenging time I was struggling to sleep, constantly anxious and pretty depressed. My confidence was at its lowest but I knew deep down that I had to dedicate time to myself and the things I loved. I started painting, almost daily, some days for hours until late at night. My confidence started coming back, very slowly but something amazing was happening. I knew I couldn’t control what was happening in the outside world but I found a safe space in art where only good things could happen.

That new confidence led me to leave my previous job and land my current one at Full Fat, and here’s where things started getting interesting. I am dedicating more and more time to my art, selling prints and doing commissions for friends, family and new customers. My career as a PR is going great, better than ever but what’s key here is where I’m at. As a creative it's vital that you surround yourself with people that understand your craft and where you want to go. Full Fat understood that from day one, I feel supported and as a result cherish what I do. I’ve also been super lucky to reduce my working hours to 4 days, allowing me to continue with my passion project and join university on a part-time basis while also being a Senior Account Manager. And you know what? I am busy but happier than ever, finally filling my life with all the things I’ve ever wanted to do.

Unless the stars strike you one day and you win the lottery you will probably end up working an average of 3,000 days over a lifetime. A key thing to succeed is to find a place where nurturing your passions is not something only for your free time, which is scarce, it’s a part of the company’s ethos and agenda. Luckily, I found mine.

Find more about me and my artwork on @clara_perezm.