*This is part three of a series. It will make a lot more sense if you read parts one and two.
I’m not a big believer in fate or “meant to be”. What I do know is that confirmation bias makes it hard for us to see the things we need to see, and when something changes in our belief system, suddenly we see it everywhere.
For me, that breakthrough moment came during mindless scroll through Instagram. A few designers and brand strategists I follow on the platform started posting a yellow badge that right away stood out. It was a pledge to something, with the name of the ethical move. It sounded interesting, so I tapped to see more and, within a few clicks, I discovered a whole new way of seeing things.
As I read through the ethical move’s website, I found a group of women who, just like me, saw the cracks in the industry, its ugly side. They were willing to call-out the flaws and draw attention to them. Everything in their bios and their website resonated with me, and after a year of recharging, I was in the right headspace to see it.
I wrote to them right then and there. Rather than sending a curated introduction letter where I edited every part of my presentation and tailored it to look desirable, I tried a different approach. I wrote to them as a person and was so happy to get a reply from another person. No canned or templatized responses, no sales pitches, no “You can collaborate by subscribing to our pay for access service and buy your way into feeling you’re making a change”. There was a human at the other end of the email chain, and they wanted to get together and have a chat.
After my first talk with Alice, I could feel so pumped and excited and full of energy. Right away, I knew I wanted to be a part of this movement. I wanted to join in and feel like I was contributing to creating something that is a solution and not compounding the problem. I was lucky the connection was mutual and Alice welcomed me into the team and I’m beyond excited about everything we will do together.
And it didn’t stop there. As it often happens on the internet, one site leads to another and that to another. The next thing you know, a whole new world you didn’t even know existed opens up to you. I realized it’s not just the ethical move, there is an entire ecosystem of businesses, brands, organizations and people who think the status quo is simply unacceptable.
For the first time in a long time, I feel that drive that got me to start my business. I know where I needed to draw my line and how to use that as my starting point to rebuild my business and my way of working.
This is where I draw my line in the sand. I’m excited about the things that will follow.