I am traveling to the USA again, and I definitely need to bring some personal stuff with me. Just like the first time I will be in de USA for a longer period of time. The stuff I need to bring are my notebooks, because in my spare time I want to write and keep thinking, brainstorming in my head. My brain needs to go through them once in a while and reevaluate of the thoughts I already evaluated. Let us put our thoughts in a table.
Reevaluate
What did we wanted to achieve within 5 years, and where are we now?
| Somewhere Aug. 2019 | 27 Januari 2023 |
| Engaged | In a committed relationship |
| Own a tiny house | Cool apartment |
| Freelancing/Entrepreneur | An Entrepreneur |
| Second business | Still setting up current on |
| Shareholder | Not yet |
| Traveler/Explorer | Starts March 2023 |
| Activist | I write blogs about my pov on life |
| Being an independent writer w freedom | YES! Still a process |
| Writer on an online platform | I have my own websites |
As an independent writer who can choose her own subjects it is still a challenge to answer these questions.
- Who is my audience and where are they?
- What are there interest? Do they like to read, watch or listen to stories?
- Which platform are they hanging out the most?
- How can I test this?
I made a great statement: I am informing people of the things happening in Suriname when it comes to art, culture and lifestyle.
Well, as you guessed it. I didn’t do shit! I keep overthinking it and asking questions when others might read me and say- Just do it! Be NIKE… (pun)
But I asked myself pretty serious questions 3 years ago and to be honest I can answer them.
First question; do I wanna go online? I am online. I have two websites; a portfolio and a personal blog. Three Instagram accounts; one professional, one as a writer and one is a closed account. A twitter and Facebook account plus a company page, which has yet to be filled with content.
Question number 2; what do I want to inform or research? It should be easy right- human interest subject, that is so wide and we have time to do all that reading, analyzing, interviewing and doing the research.
We come to our third question; do I need to stay in my current job? The answer is NO. Hahaha. I was working for the STVS, and going in my 10th year at the company.
A very serious follow up question is how will I do with money (paying my expenses and eating)? Well, looking back I figured it out. I focused on freelancing, people heard I wasn’t at the company anymore, and requested to use my skills for the better. I rolled into the corporate communications.
Another very very serious follow up on the follow up is; is journalism everything? No! It is not everything, but it is my foundation and that will always be the case. The ground on which I will operate and think. Everything I do is to add more and more value as a (video) journalist. I am a journalist, even if I don’t practice it that often. And yes! To answer the next question other sectors have similarities with journalism or communications. They need this major or skill to achieve their KPI’s. One of the most important thing, in this era, is being visible, right? Everyone has a social media page or a website. You need content, right? Who is writing that? And I am merging all that is adding value to journalism or to my own personal/professional development.
I have hobbies; I love artistic modeling, I love dancing and I love to be out there. I am a social butterfly. A cat who loves to explore her environment. It is also amazing when your hobbies such as writing comes in handy with your profession.
The final question is; is studying still part of the plan? I think that life itself is a school. For a long time I follow get newsletters from the School of Life. They even have a YouTube Channel. Something worth looking into. You are constantly challenged, you make mistakes, learn from it, make new ones, and have the best experiences you can imagine. One of my motto is ‘Life is a journey’ Explore it.
When we are done living is when we die.
There is a lot to do. I have a lot on my list to figure out, to achieve, to work on. I shouldn’t have time to be bored or get stuck, but that part is also life. I am a human being with emotions, with trauma, with a past and an environment. Thanks to God, we meet people, even if it is through a song, a movie, a book, in real life, or through any form, with a wisdom that you needed to hear. It always feel like the right moment and it is the right moment for you. Only you experience the realization. Others can see it and tell you, but you need to get that one moment; the Ohwww moment.