Name: Lisa Kaela Yu
Occupation: Copywriter & Content Strategist + Founder & Director of Seeyu Studios
Current Location: Vancouver, Canada
Services: B2B/B2C (E-Commerce) Sales Copywriting, Web Content (Landing Pages, Blog Writing, Lead Magnets), Social Media Copy & More
Websites: lisakaela.com & seeyustudios.com
What are you currently working on?
Copywriting and editing projects as a writer. Account management & content creation for my agency.
I’m currently working as an editor for a true-story graphic novel that I think will really move people, so I’m particularly excited about that one.
Is this a full-time project or a side hustle?
Full-time, in the grand scheme of things. But my schedule can sometimes range from 4-hour workdays to 12 hour grinds. I juggle about a handful of projects on a daily basis.
How have your life and work changed after the transition?
Before this, I used to travel as a full-time flight attendant for an airline that has trained me into providing premium service, “straight from the heart”. During my layovers and many days off, I would be working on my freelance writing projects.
Now, I get to travel leisurely while still managing my creative agency and writing projects. I love that I get to enjoy, wholeheartedly, the process of gaining new perspectives at ease while creating refreshing stories for my clients on the go.
What have you learned from the process?
Working as a freelancer-turned-’solopreneur’ over the past decade hasn’t been easy. Being your own boss means having total control over the rates you set, as well as your income – however, it also means having to strategize for the best ways of sustaining your working business model by consistently checking in on the types of clientele you are building for your business.
Adjusting your services and business model to accommodate your ideal lifestyle and income is a huge part of being an entrepreneur in the digital space; you have to be realistic in spite the romanticized lifestyle of a digital nomad; it is something to be earned.
With everything considered, one of my main concerns as a creative and a business owner is to keep an open and responsive communication process with my clients — customer service and support has always been and will always be a huge priority to me.
If nothing else, my experience over the last 10 years has taught me three important things that I would love to share with anyone looking into building a long term, sustainable career in the digital and creative spaces:
No matter what you are doing:
- Do it for the process. No mud, no lotus. Try to turn your sorrows into stories that can help someone else in the same situation.
- Bloom from your progress. Every bump in the road is a learning opportunity.
- “There are always flowers for those that want to see them.” —Henri Matisse. Be open to it being better than you’ve ever imagined. Lead by example.
You might also enjoy the other case studies in the series:
For more similar content:
- Lifestyle design posts
This Post Has 3 Comments
Pingback: What I'm Committing to Overall in 2020 » Flâneur Life
Inspiring! It’s a difficult process but I hope to reach her level of success someday. I’d love to have more control over how I spend my workdays and invest my effort into worthwhile projects.
Thanks for the comment. Keep working at it Jas! In my experience, things start to get easier over time. It’s just being consistent with things and trying to find a few hours a day where you can push your projects forward.