Work From The Inside Out 11: Don't Idealize Your Passion with Janine Kwoh
Janine Kwoh began her career in the world of finance and philanthropy after studying business economics in college. Today, she makes cards, prints, and other curiosities that reflect and celebrate a diversity of identities and life experiences. Her mission is to expand the representation of people and stories around us, and for everyone to see a bit of themselves in Kwohtations cards.
Janine Kwoh is an artist and the owner of Kwohtations, a handmade stationery company and letterpress print & design studio, based in Brooklyn, NY. Prior to starting her business Janine spent a decade working as an analyst in the investment and philanthropy worlds. She says she loved doing art on the side and never dreamed of doing it full-time. Janine surprised herself in the past year by deciding to give the business a chance on a full-time basis.
In this episode we discuss:
- Janine’s practical considerations, including being a risk-averse person, and how that overshadowed her early career choices.
- How she began to make letterpress cards as a hobby, which later became a side business, and then her full-time business.
- Her thoughts and the preparations she made before making a huge career pivot from finance and philanthropy to artist and entrepreneur.
- How losing someone close to her changed her mindset and she realized she wasn’t as scared of trying something new and big anymore.
- How she thought about her career transition holistically and told herself that no matter what she chose over the next few years, she wanted to be confident in her decision, no matter how it turned out.
Links:
- Janine Kwoh on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
- www.janinekwoh.com
- www.kwohtations.com
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