March 14, 2024 • 33 mins
In this episode, Gia sits down with the talented artist Soo Kim, who shares her inspiring journey from corporate powerhouse to full-time artist. Soo's story of self-discovery and reinvention will leave you feeling motivated to pursue your passions. Discover how Soo infuses joy and creativity into her daily routine and learn valuable insights on overcoming self-doubt and defining success on your own terms. Tune in to this episode, where empowerment meets creativity, for a dose of inspiration as you embark on your own journey of self-discovery and healing.
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(00:00):
Welcome to Your Future Starts Now, the go-to podcast for
extraordinary women who are ready to step into their next chapter with
authentic confidence. I'm your host, Gia Lacqua, empowerment coach,
motivational speaker, children's book author, and girl mom. Whether
you're a corporate powerhouse or an entrepreneur, this show is
designed for you. Your Future Starts Now is more than
(00:20):
just a podcast. It's a movement, a movement towards rewriting
the rules of success for high-achieving women. Are you ready
to get unstuck and step into your next chapter? If
so, you're exactly where you need to be. Your future starts
Welcome to Your Future Starts Now. I'm your host, Gia Lacqua. Thanks
(00:41):
for tuning in today. I am so excited to introduce you
to Soo Kim. Soo is an artist who specializes in
mixed media. She has studied in one of the most prominent fine
arts middle and high schools in Korea that led to her moving to New
York to study communication design at Parsons, the
New York School of Design with a passion to draw and illustrate. Her
(01:02):
background has been in fashion, marketing, and advertising, and
most recently as an art director at Revlon. Soo,
welcome to the show. Thanks so much for being here. Hi, thank
you for having me. And for those of you who are watching us
on YouTube, you can see Soo's incredible masterpieces
behind me. I have them in my office because they inspire me
(01:25):
every day. So Soo, tell us a little
Thank you. Yeah, I've been a little bit all
over the world. I grew up in California, sunny California
since I was four years old until I was in fifth grade. My
father was an expat working for Hyundai Motors. And
(01:48):
then after that, I grew up until
I was in college in Korea. Fortunately,
my parents sent me to a school
of fine arts where you just focus solely on
all different types of arts. So
that's when I learned pretty much everything
(02:11):
that is needed to become a fine artist. It could
have been design, sculpture, photography, watercolors
to oil paints. So middle school and
high school, I went through thorough training to
as an artist. And then I had the opportunity
to be a transfer student in New York. Once
(02:35):
I went to college, and I took up on that opportunity because
I wanted to fly out and see the world. And I never
went back home after that. For after going on college,
Went through different stages, trying to go up the corporate ladder.
(02:57):
Worked for Saks Fifth Avenue, Lauren Taylor, Hudson's
Bay, but all in fashion and
beauty. My last job was working on
fragrance collections, creating campaigns for
Revlon. And that was about three,
(03:18):
four years ago. Yeah, I decided
to completely change my career and be a full-time artist and
Wow. So talk to us a
little bit about that. Did you just wake up one day and decide I'm
going to start my own business? Is it something you've always wanted to do? What
inspired you to transition and start
(03:42):
always wanted to be an artist. That was one of
my unfulfilled dreams since I was little. However,
growing up under Asian parents, you you
have to fulfill their dreams of either being a
doctor, lawyer or one of the top going
up one of the top corporate ladders. I essentially
(04:05):
sort of kind of fulfilled my mom's dream of being
in corporate and going up as
high, I thought, as high as I could. And I made her happy in that sense.
But I think it was really time before I
get any older, I really wanted to pursue
my passion. And thankfully, during the
(04:26):
pandemic, it helped me realize a
lot of things, it kind of reframed who
I am, what I could do. And also what
the kids were also a big priority. I have two little kids, still
in elementary. And during
(04:47):
the pandemic, I realized how much I've been missing in
their lives. So that was one big
a decision making process that I went through was like,
juggling through a lot. And then maybe becoming
and then going going through the process of
(05:10):
trying to fulfill my dream. But if I worked in
corporate, once we ever have to go back, I would have to have
to go to New York City every day and miss out on
everything. So Those
were, I think, the two main decision-making factors of
(05:30):
really trying to fulfill my dream as an artist and
then trying to be home a little more to be with my
Yeah, absolutely. I think the
pandemic has has impacted everybody
in different ways. I hear a lot from working
women, you know, that the flexibility, the hybrid models given a lot
(05:51):
of flexibility and an ability to do things that we
didn't have the ability to do before, like working remotely and
things like that. But you took a step back and
really decided to make a much more drastic and holistic change.
And I think you and I share that experience. I'm
curious as to what did you what was the hardest part of that for
(06:15):
you? What was the biggest challenge that you had to
Yes, finance was obviously the
hardest part. Sure. Letting go. Really
just realizing money isn't everything. Yes,
(06:37):
you would make good money in corporate, a steady
income, but essentially I wasn't
happy with who I am and what I was doing. It
really comes from within, like within your core. You
know it. Your body starts to break down, like you're miserable, you're yelling
at your kids, like you're not you, it all
(06:59):
triggers to the point you you step back
and realize what what the hell am I doing? But
I'm starting to become a depressed person.
And I've always dabbled into art and I
stumbled upon alcohol inks randomly on
Pinterest. Oh my god, this looks
(07:21):
mesmerizing. I want I need to try it. I got it on
Amazon, and that was its rest of history. I
like fell in love with the medium so much. It's so relaxing. It's
so soothing. Very calming to do. It
was a form of art therapy that I didn't know it existed.
And it still heals me to this day when I create. And
(07:45):
I am a firm believer that it does. And
I needed the world to know about this
process. And
I think that's my passion. I need the world to
know what art can do. It
could heal, it could relax you, it could soothe you. I found how
(08:10):
much it does change in our lives. That's
why I couldn't go back. It
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, there's a lot of power in that. And
I is incredible to hear you talk about the healing powers
and, you know, art as a therapy. And I
(08:34):
have to say, like, I'm sure for you creating it, right, there's tremendous power
there. And for others who are into art therapy, I
think also for the receiver, I think you're bringing so much beauty
and inspiration, right, that then goes in somebody's wall
in their home that they see every day, is also so
incredibly beautiful. And that's like, you know, you're giving your
(09:00):
Right, I want, right, I have a big piece
of art in my living room right now, which I absolutely adore. And every time
I come home, I look at it and like, I
like kind of let out a little sigh and be like, this is
nice. Like I'm in my space. I like it kind of
like soothes me in a weird, funny way. But I like, I
(09:20):
love looking at it once I step into my home. It's
kind of like a welcome home type of art
piece that I like. And I seasonally change it to like,
depending on the weather. Um, but
yeah, I, I experienced that and I need to
(09:42):
I love that. And it's funny you say that because it's one of the exercises I do
actually with my clients is I think a lot of us are,
um, you know, visual. And so sometimes,
you know, I'll, I'll ask clients to think about what is one visual
that will remind you of whatever it is
they're working towards, whether it's confidence or their purpose or
(10:06):
their why, or whatever's inspiring, where
can you put it? Is it on your desk? Is it on your computer? Is
it in your bathroom, on your mirror? Because I think that can
be super powerful. Like you said, you take a sigh and you just sort of
take in that moment and recognize, I'm in my space. And
it can be so empowering. So I love
(10:26):
that. And it's really just about finding what helps you get
in that space. What challenges have you encountered
that have been part of your success and
Obviously, many
challenges. I'll start off with going
(10:48):
to the private art school when I was little from middle school to
high school that was one of the most challenging parts
growing up because I would study and practice art
sometimes up until midnight. It was in Korea
That's just the standard way of learning. It's hardcore training
(11:11):
every single day. And that's just the standard. I
still, when I talk to my brother in Korea, like how they raise
their kids, it's just the standard. But I
think I had, because I had the experience growing
up in California and seeing the stark difference, That
was almost traumatizing to me to go through because
(11:34):
in sunny California, you just lay on the grass, read
a book, go around with your
kids. You're just like playing with dirt and flowers. Like that's
what I used to do. And then going to Korea and just like,
I felt like I was living in a chicken cage. Then
going to school and like not coming back home until like midnight
(11:58):
and then going, you know, just sleeping and doing it all over
again. So it took me such
a long time to get used to doing it. And it
did show me grit. It
did train me to be a really good artist and
that I could teach anything. that
(12:23):
was definitely one of the biggest challenges that I had to
go through. And I think in the back of my mind, I always wanted to escape. And
I swore to myself that I would never raise my kids in
in that environment. So
I must have had that subconsciously in my
head. I wanted them to
(12:46):
be a little more free. Yeah. Yeah,
that was one really transitioning
from corporate to being solo. Well,
I guess that was a tough time too. Cause I wasn't, I
guess I wasn't in a mentally strong state
(13:09):
at that time. I was juggling a lot, trying
to start my own business while still in corporate. I think there
was an overlap of like a year. Um, I
couldn't have done it without the help of. my family,
my mother-in-law, some friends, neighbors.
(13:30):
Because you don't just start your business and wake up in the morning and be like, I'm
gonna make myself an LLC. No, it
took me a few years to get there. You have so
much to learn. Yeah, learning how to
make a proper LLC. What's the steps that
you go through? Do you start making connections? A
(13:54):
lot of coaching. I started to invest in myself.
I think that was the most important thing.
Yeah. And really
just that gave me a lot of confidence to grow. and
I'm still growing so much. I have so much to learn. But
(14:19):
really getting that thought of I need like
really investing in yourself so you could grow as
a person, as an artist, as a business woman. Yeah.
I don't, there's so much to unpack there in what you just said. There's so
many valuable nuggets of information. I don't even know where to start. So,
I mean, first I love what you said about grit, right? And it helps develop who
(14:42):
you are in terms of your discipline and your drive and your technical skills
and your ability. And I think we all have our own forms of
that in our lives, right? Growing up, whether it's through education or
training or, you know, upbringing in
terms of our parents. And I think it's so interesting because
it does shape who we are. But then
(15:03):
it also informs who we want to be in the future and
who we don't want to be. Right. To your point about your parenting style, it
influences then how we raise the next generation and
what do we value that we think we want to carry forward
and what don't we want to carry forward? I think
it's such a powerful moment in your life to
(15:23):
pause and really ask yourself, like, what do I want to pull
through and carry through from my experiences? And what do I want to
leave behind? What do I want to create? Right? I think there's there's
tremendous opportunity there. And to use an
artistic analogy, it's like that blank canvas, right? It's how do
we create something new. And I think that can
be really powerful. I love what you said about community support and tapping into
(15:46):
resources and making sure you have the right people around you supporting you and
investing in yourself. I think I can't I can't
underscore that enough is like, because we are so as,
as hygiene and women focused on everybody else, we forget, right.
That we also have to invest in ourselves, whether that's through self-care or
training or coaching or therapy, whatever that looks
(16:07):
like for you, the value there is just so
critical, right. And it's, um, know, that
we're getting what we need to refuel ourselves and continue to grow
so that we can show up to be the wife and the mother and
you know, the entrepreneur or the CEO or the leader right that
we want to be is so important. So
(16:30):
I love I love all of that makes It's such
a powerful lesson. Now, when you
transitioned out of corporate to do your
own thing, there's sort of like an
identity shift, I think, that happens. And I'm curious as
to what you went through when it comes to
(16:50):
having to sort of reinvent yourself. What does that reinvention look like
to you? What does it mean to you? And how did you sort of navigate
the journey of shutting your old identity and embracing a
It was fascinating and liberating. I still
remember when I had to update my LinkedIn profile. Yeah.
Oh my gosh. When you go edit your profile, it
(17:14):
becomes real. I'm not an art director anymore. But
I still get the messages till this day. I was like, are you interested? I'm
like, no. Yeah. And when
people come up to me, oh, what do you do? And now it
was so weird saying, I'm an artist for
the first time, I kept telling them, Oh, I was
(17:35):
an art director. I just went on and on. And I was like, Yes, that's
just tell them. Yeah. It's hard. It's
meant it's mental. I think you need to
have the mental shift in yourself because you're so used to the
ways you grew up. You're so
used to Yeah, but um, it was good because I
(17:58):
could have a conversation with so many other working moms here
who still go there. So it's nice. Yeah,
it really came, it had to come from within. It
was gradual though. I don't remember
a I guess when I talked to my
(18:18):
boss and told her I'm leaving, because I'm
pursuing my art to
become an artist, I'm sure she was baffled, but I don't know.
I told her the truth. I'm sure she was
like, what? But it was
the only way. It really came from within, from
(18:39):
very deep inside that if I don't do it now, it's
never going to happen. And
I had that really big urge just to do
it. Yeah. And one of my
old boss, I want I, she taught
me like a really valuable lesson when I was in Hudson's Bay.
(19:02):
She would always just tell me, I would go to like, I don't know
how to do this. Like she's like, start a campaign like how she's like, just
start by starting. Yeah, put something down on
the paper and just do it like Okay, and I'll go back
to my desk and like, look at a blank screen. I'm like, but
then I would start telling stories. I'm like, Okay, how? How
(19:23):
does like, what kind of story can I tell and then start dissecting
and then looking into like different avenues and how to
tell a story and then it comes but you just really just
have to do it. And
I think that's what I tell myself pretty
much every day. Not to,
(19:46):
I mean, it's good to I'm like the complete opposite. Like
I should be thinking a lot, thinking through a lot of things. But
um, to get things done. There's because
there's are there's so much to do. And in 24 hours,
you just have to start by doing something off your list. And
(20:08):
Yeah, that's such great advice. Start by starting. It's so
simple, but so deep at the same time. But
it's so true. You just you just got to start somewhere. And
I love that you had this this fire sort of ignited within you
and you felt pulled, right? You felt called and you followed that calling.
I find that a lot of times women have that fire, that calling.
(20:33):
And it's hard for us to recognize it and
learn to listen to it and follow it, you
know, because of all the external influences, right,
that we have. And so to your point also about
intuition, like how do we tap into ourselves and our intuition and listen
(20:53):
to, you know, our own voice, which
can be really difficult sometimes. Did you do you feel like
you struggled with self doubt as you transitioned? And
like, what was that when you went through that process? And
how did you overcome any sort of self doubt that you might have
(21:15):
Yes, I still talk to myself all day, every day. Unfortunately,
I'm the one who has to pull myself out of it. I
really, you know what, I just like had this
tunnel vision at the point when I decided that I'm getting out
(21:36):
of here. And I
didn't, I actually just didn't give myself an
option. I was just like, Soo, this is the
only way. You're just gonna go down this path
and you're gonna figure it out. Just start doing
things that make sense to you. So
(22:00):
I didn't give myself a choice. I
started making just monthly goals, yearly
goals, took a
bunch of workshops, did like coaching calls, And
that framed me and gave
me an idea of what to do first.
(22:24):
So yeah, it's really, I needed a lot of help. There's
so many good resources out there once you start Googling. Friends
obviously help when I talk to them and tell them what I'm going to do. So they
like give me a gentle push in the back. They're the ones who clap
When I do something, we need that. Oh yeah, absolutely.
(22:47):
Um, so, um, obviously my mother-in-law is
like my, like my number one supporter, so she helps in any
way can. Um, but
yeah, that's, you just, I just didn't
really give myself an option, but I
was very fortunate to have the
(23:11):
Yeah, I think that's a great point. And the, you know, for high
achieving women, I feel like there's always this theme of we figure it
out, right? We we do well, we're really successful. And
so the reward for that is, we have more work to
Yes, same thing. It's like you just know there's just more to do. And
(23:32):
so it's like, you know, you just figure it out. So to your point, it's like you
just, it's no different. You just figure it out. And I think similarly, my
own journey, I feel like, you know, I very much was a
planner and I very much was methodical and strategic. thoughtful
and intentional. And, and I was thinking about, okay, here's ultimately
what I want to do, but here's a plan B and here's
(23:54):
maybe a plan C. And then I read somewhere and it
just struck a chord with me. Don't give yourself the
plan B. Don't give yourself the plan C, right?
That's, that's an out, right? It's something for you to fall back on.
And if you don't give yourself that option, there's only one
(24:16):
Right. I didn't see any other. Yeah. Yeah. It
was kind of like escaping out
of jail in a very dramatic way. You
know, you like feel stuck in the hamster wheel
(24:41):
Absolutely. Such a great analogy. So
Soo, based on where you are now in your life, I would love to know, we
talk about, you know, redefining success on this podcast. How
do you define success? What does it mean to you today? And
I mean, I, I
(25:02):
do give myself generic goals in the beginning
of the year, and I plan out like, what big events
I want to target, how many shows I want to do, how
many, how many collections I'm going to create.
So I do a rough structure of
what I want to achieve. But not I
(25:25):
don't go into the nitty gritty isn't because that will give me
so much anxiety and stress. So yeah, and
whatever I do, or whenever I
hit a goal, I had myself in the back and like, You
know, I make sure that I
tell myself when I do something that I wanted to do, I'm
(25:47):
like, yes, good job, Soo. And then we move on. because
we're our own boss now. This
We're the ones who have to push ourselves. We're
the ones who have to tell ourselves not to do the things that we shouldn't
(26:12):
But it's, it's been good. I actually just started actually doing
a co working like one hour a
week with a good friend of mine. She's a freelancer, art
director as well. And it's been hugely beneficial.
Oh, wow. That's a start. Yeah, it was actually
nice. We're just kind of going through like our weekly goals
(26:34):
and keep ourselves Yes, I
love that. That was such a nice way. She's
brilliant. What a nice collaboration. Yeah,
even though we do completely different things, or we still
kind of align each other. Yeah, that's amazing.
Whoever is very lonely, like me, studio, get
(26:57):
a friend, go on a weekly call and just talk
Yeah. It's a great idea having accountability partner so
Now, for those of us who don't get
to. be
an artist in our full-time career. I'm curious
(27:20):
as to how can we infuse more joy and
creativity into our daily routine, especially for those
women who are in a corporate world, and
a lot of the things I hear are, oh, I'm not the creative type,
or I don't have time for that. So I would love
(27:43):
It doesn't have to be art, but who
says a fair play life. There was a woman
who says that finding your unicorn space all
the time. Yeah. Something
that's good for your soul. It could be cooking, it could be baking,
it could be just crocheting, it could be
(28:05):
collage, it doesn't have to be art. Just
having some time to yourself to do
what you want. I think that's really essential that
we need because we do take on so much. Yeah,
our to do list never ends as a working mom,
(28:28):
working parent. But really just
dedicating that time for you to unwind or relax, I
Yeah, absolutely doing something that refuels your soul
and and really, something that you're passionate about and that you enjoy
(28:48):
doing and carving out the time to make that happen
Yeah, I realized that when I don't have some
of my creative downtime, I catch myself
(29:09):
getting like more either emotional or
getting high anxiety. People are like, oh, I need I
need some downtime here. I like have to escape for
a little bit. Yeah, it's all related. Absolutely. Absolutely.
If anyone would love to try alcohol inks with me, I'm here
(29:35):
Yeah, I do subpoenaing classes for adults. I've taught a
lot of moms, friends, groups, small
class groups where we have wine and we let
go with beautiful colors. And yeah, it's
Yeah, it sounds like so much fun. So is there anything else you wanted to add
(29:59):
Yes, I am really excited to launch my next collection,
inspired by a book called Black Sheep. I
actually partnered with an author want
any longer. And it's, it's about
self empowerment journey of beautiful poetry. And
(30:20):
I became a huge fan of hers. And I stopped her on Instagram. And
I was like, I'm so inspired by your words. I want to make a collection. And
she surprisingly said yes. So we're collaborating together
to create a very soulful, beautiful works
with her words. So yeah, I'm really excited. It'll be
(30:42):
I mean, this month. Amazing. I
cannot wait to see what comes out of that collaboration. It
sounds incredible. And good for you for reaching out.
I think so often we're intimidated or we have that self doubt or we think, oh,
nothing's going to come of it. But you don't know until until you
Right. I was like, yeah, I was very, very nervous because
(31:03):
she's she's she has a bigger following. She I
love I just fell in love with the words and I had
Yeah. I think again, it was you following your intuition, which
is so brilliant. Thank you. So thank
you so much for being here, sharing your insights, your expertise, your
(31:25):
journey. How can our listeners learn more about you and
Instagram, you'll really see my raw, raw
behind the scene process of how I create what I do. I'm
very active on Instagram. And you'll see on my website. Oh,
(31:46):
I'm in the midst of launching a new website to see there's
so many things going on. I'm
in the midst of launching my new website. So it'll be a more pleasant experience
for everyone to see and shop and you
know, so I'm You'll see me on my Instagram, Soosoo Studios,
Perfect. And of course, you can visit my website at gialacqua.com, reach
(32:09):
out on Instagram at gialacqua. On the homepage of my website or
in the bio link on Instagram, you can download your complimentary copy of
From Chaos to Clarity, a 30-day journal for self-discovery and
healing. This is Gia signing off with gratitude for your time
and energy. Our mic drops, but the movement continues. Until
(32:30):
That concludes another empowering episode of Your Future Starts Now.
Before we wrap up, I want to thank this incredible community of high-achieving women.
Your energy, resilience, and commitment to growth are the driving force
behind what we do. If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate
it, leave a review, and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Your
feedback fuels our mission to empower high-achieving women just like
(32:52):
you. And of course, share Your Future Starts Now with the extraordinary women
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explore in future episodes. Stay connected on Instagram at
GiaLacqua. I encourage you to carry the energy of this conversation
into your day and keep on supporting the incredible women around you.
Welcome to Your Future Starts Now, the go-to podcast for
extraordinary women who are ready to step into their next chapter with
authentic confidence. I'm your host, Gia Lacqua, empowerment coach,
motivational speaker, children's book author, and girl mom. Whether
you're a corporate powerhouse or an entrepreneur, this show is
designed for you. Your Future Starts Now is more than
(00:20):
just a podcast. It's a movement, a movement towards rewriting
the rules of success for high-achieving women. Are you ready
to get unstuck and step into your next chapter? If
so, you're exactly where you need to be. Your future starts
Welcome to Your Future Starts Now. I'm your host, Gia Lacqua. Thanks
(00:41):
for tuning in today. I am so excited to introduce you
to Soo Kim. Soo is an artist who specializes in
mixed media. She has studied in one of the most prominent fine
arts middle and high schools in Korea that led to her moving to New
York to study communication design at Parsons, the
New York School of Design with a passion to draw and illustrate. Her
(01:02):
background has been in fashion, marketing, and advertising, and
most recently as an art director at Revlon. Soo,
welcome to the show. Thanks so much for being here. Hi, thank
you for having me. And for those of you who are watching us
on YouTube, you can see Soo's incredible masterpieces
behind me. I have them in my office because they inspire me
(01:25):
every day. So Soo, tell us a little
Thank you. Yeah, I've been a little bit all
over the world. I grew up in California, sunny California
since I was four years old until I was in fifth grade. My
father was an expat working for Hyundai Motors. And
(01:48):
then after that, I grew up until
I was in college in Korea. Fortunately,
my parents sent me to a school
of fine arts where you just focus solely on
all different types of arts. So
that's when I learned pretty much everything
(02:11):
that is needed to become a fine artist. It could
have been design, sculpture, photography, watercolors
to oil paints. So middle school and
high school, I went through thorough training to
as an artist. And then I had the opportunity
to be a transfer student in New York. Once
(02:35):
I went to college, and I took up on that opportunity because
I wanted to fly out and see the world. And I never
went back home after that. For after going on college,
Went through different stages, trying to go up the corporate ladder.
(02:57):
Worked for Saks Fifth Avenue, Lauren Taylor, Hudson's
Bay, but all in fashion and
beauty. My last job was working on
fragrance collections, creating campaigns for
Revlon. And that was about three,
(03:18):
four years ago. Yeah, I decided
to completely change my career and be a full-time artist and
Wow. So talk to us a
little bit about that. Did you just wake up one day and decide I'm
going to start my own business? Is it something you've always wanted to do? What
inspired you to transition and start
(03:42):
always wanted to be an artist. That was one of
my unfulfilled dreams since I was little. However,
growing up under Asian parents, you you
have to fulfill their dreams of either being a
doctor, lawyer or one of the top going
up one of the top corporate ladders. I essentially
(04:05):
sort of kind of fulfilled my mom's dream of being
in corporate and going up as
high, I thought, as high as I could. And I made her happy in that sense.
But I think it was really time before I
get any older, I really wanted to pursue
my passion. And thankfully, during the
(04:26):
pandemic, it helped me realize a
lot of things, it kind of reframed who
I am, what I could do. And also what
the kids were also a big priority. I have two little kids, still
in elementary. And during
(04:47):
the pandemic, I realized how much I've been missing in
their lives. So that was one big
a decision making process that I went through was like,
juggling through a lot. And then maybe becoming
and then going going through the process of
(05:10):
trying to fulfill my dream. But if I worked in
corporate, once we ever have to go back, I would have to have
to go to New York City every day and miss out on
everything. So Those
were, I think, the two main decision-making factors of
(05:30):
really trying to fulfill my dream as an artist and
then trying to be home a little more to be with my
Yeah, absolutely. I think the
pandemic has has impacted everybody
in different ways. I hear a lot from working
women, you know, that the flexibility, the hybrid models given a lot
(05:51):
of flexibility and an ability to do things that we
didn't have the ability to do before, like working remotely and
things like that. But you took a step back and
really decided to make a much more drastic and holistic change.
And I think you and I share that experience. I'm
curious as to what did you what was the hardest part of that for
(06:15):
you? What was the biggest challenge that you had to
Yes, finance was obviously the
hardest part. Sure. Letting go. Really
just realizing money isn't everything. Yes,
(06:37):
you would make good money in corporate, a steady
income, but essentially I wasn't
happy with who I am and what I was doing. It
really comes from within, like within your core. You
know it. Your body starts to break down, like you're miserable, you're yelling
at your kids, like you're not you, it all
(06:59):
triggers to the point you you step back
and realize what what the hell am I doing? But
I'm starting to become a depressed person.
And I've always dabbled into art and I
stumbled upon alcohol inks randomly on
Pinterest. Oh my god, this looks
(07:21):
mesmerizing. I want I need to try it. I got it on
Amazon, and that was its rest of history. I
like fell in love with the medium so much. It's so relaxing. It's
so soothing. Very calming to do. It
was a form of art therapy that I didn't know it existed.
And it still heals me to this day when I create. And
(07:45):
I am a firm believer that it does. And
I needed the world to know about this
process. And
I think that's my passion. I need the world to
know what art can do. It
could heal, it could relax you, it could soothe you. I found how
(08:10):
much it does change in our lives. That's
why I couldn't go back. It
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, there's a lot of power in that. And
I is incredible to hear you talk about the healing powers
and, you know, art as a therapy. And I
(08:34):
have to say, like, I'm sure for you creating it, right, there's tremendous power
there. And for others who are into art therapy, I
think also for the receiver, I think you're bringing so much beauty
and inspiration, right, that then goes in somebody's wall
in their home that they see every day, is also so
incredibly beautiful. And that's like, you know, you're giving your
(09:00):
Right, I want, right, I have a big piece
of art in my living room right now, which I absolutely adore. And every time
I come home, I look at it and like, I
like kind of let out a little sigh and be like, this is
nice. Like I'm in my space. I like it kind of
like soothes me in a weird, funny way. But I like, I
(09:20):
love looking at it once I step into my home. It's
kind of like a welcome home type of art
piece that I like. And I seasonally change it to like,
depending on the weather. Um, but
yeah, I, I experienced that and I need to
(09:42):
I love that. And it's funny you say that because it's one of the exercises I do
actually with my clients is I think a lot of us are,
um, you know, visual. And so sometimes,
you know, I'll, I'll ask clients to think about what is one visual
that will remind you of whatever it is
they're working towards, whether it's confidence or their purpose or
(10:06):
their why, or whatever's inspiring, where
can you put it? Is it on your desk? Is it on your computer? Is
it in your bathroom, on your mirror? Because I think that can
be super powerful. Like you said, you take a sigh and you just sort of
take in that moment and recognize, I'm in my space. And
it can be so empowering. So I love
(10:26):
that. And it's really just about finding what helps you get
in that space. What challenges have you encountered
that have been part of your success and
Obviously, many
challenges. I'll start off with going
(10:48):
to the private art school when I was little from middle school to
high school that was one of the most challenging parts
growing up because I would study and practice art
sometimes up until midnight. It was in Korea
That's just the standard way of learning. It's hardcore training
(11:11):
every single day. And that's just the standard. I
still, when I talk to my brother in Korea, like how they raise
their kids, it's just the standard. But I
think I had, because I had the experience growing
up in California and seeing the stark difference, That
was almost traumatizing to me to go through because
(11:34):
in sunny California, you just lay on the grass, read
a book, go around with your
kids. You're just like playing with dirt and flowers. Like that's
what I used to do. And then going to Korea and just like,
I felt like I was living in a chicken cage. Then
going to school and like not coming back home until like midnight
(11:58):
and then going, you know, just sleeping and doing it all over
again. So it took me such
a long time to get used to doing it. And it
did show me grit. It
did train me to be a really good artist and
that I could teach anything. that
(12:23):
was definitely one of the biggest challenges that I had to
go through. And I think in the back of my mind, I always wanted to escape. And
I swore to myself that I would never raise my kids in
in that environment. So
I must have had that subconsciously in my
head. I wanted them to
(12:46):
be a little more free. Yeah. Yeah,
that was one really transitioning
from corporate to being solo. Well,
I guess that was a tough time too. Cause I wasn't, I
guess I wasn't in a mentally strong state
(13:09):
at that time. I was juggling a lot, trying
to start my own business while still in corporate. I think there
was an overlap of like a year. Um, I
couldn't have done it without the help of. my family,
my mother-in-law, some friends, neighbors.
(13:30):
Because you don't just start your business and wake up in the morning and be like, I'm
gonna make myself an LLC. No, it
took me a few years to get there. You have so
much to learn. Yeah, learning how to
make a proper LLC. What's the steps that
you go through? Do you start making connections? A
(13:54):
lot of coaching. I started to invest in myself.
I think that was the most important thing.
Yeah. And really
just that gave me a lot of confidence to grow. and
I'm still growing so much. I have so much to learn. But
(14:19):
really getting that thought of I need like
really investing in yourself so you could grow as
a person, as an artist, as a business woman. Yeah.
I don't, there's so much to unpack there in what you just said. There's so
many valuable nuggets of information. I don't even know where to start. So,
I mean, first I love what you said about grit, right? And it helps develop who
(14:42):
you are in terms of your discipline and your drive and your technical skills
and your ability. And I think we all have our own forms of
that in our lives, right? Growing up, whether it's through education or
training or, you know, upbringing in
terms of our parents. And I think it's so interesting because
it does shape who we are. But then
(15:03):
it also informs who we want to be in the future and
who we don't want to be. Right. To your point about your parenting style, it
influences then how we raise the next generation and
what do we value that we think we want to carry forward
and what don't we want to carry forward? I think
it's such a powerful moment in your life to
(15:23):
pause and really ask yourself, like, what do I want to pull
through and carry through from my experiences? And what do I want to
leave behind? What do I want to create? Right? I think there's there's
tremendous opportunity there. And to use an
artistic analogy, it's like that blank canvas, right? It's how do
we create something new. And I think that can
be really powerful. I love what you said about community support and tapping into
(15:46):
resources and making sure you have the right people around you supporting you and
investing in yourself. I think I can't I can't
underscore that enough is like, because we are so as,
as hygiene and women focused on everybody else, we forget, right.
That we also have to invest in ourselves, whether that's through self-care or
training or coaching or therapy, whatever that looks
(16:07):
like for you, the value there is just so
critical, right. And it's, um, know, that
we're getting what we need to refuel ourselves and continue to grow
so that we can show up to be the wife and the mother and
you know, the entrepreneur or the CEO or the leader right that
we want to be is so important. So
(16:30):
I love I love all of that makes It's such
a powerful lesson. Now, when you
transitioned out of corporate to do your
own thing, there's sort of like an
identity shift, I think, that happens. And I'm curious as
to what you went through when it comes to
(16:50):
having to sort of reinvent yourself. What does that reinvention look like
to you? What does it mean to you? And how did you sort of navigate
the journey of shutting your old identity and embracing a
It was fascinating and liberating. I still
remember when I had to update my LinkedIn profile. Yeah.
Oh my gosh. When you go edit your profile, it
(17:14):
becomes real. I'm not an art director anymore. But
I still get the messages till this day. I was like, are you interested? I'm
like, no. Yeah. And when
people come up to me, oh, what do you do? And now it
was so weird saying, I'm an artist for
the first time, I kept telling them, Oh, I was
(17:35):
an art director. I just went on and on. And I was like, Yes, that's
just tell them. Yeah. It's hard. It's
meant it's mental. I think you need to
have the mental shift in yourself because you're so used to the
ways you grew up. You're so
used to Yeah, but um, it was good because I
(17:58):
could have a conversation with so many other working moms here
who still go there. So it's nice. Yeah,
it really came, it had to come from within. It
was gradual though. I don't remember
a I guess when I talked to my
(18:18):
boss and told her I'm leaving, because I'm
pursuing my art to
become an artist, I'm sure she was baffled, but I don't know.
I told her the truth. I'm sure she was
like, what? But it was
the only way. It really came from within, from
(18:39):
very deep inside that if I don't do it now, it's
never going to happen. And
I had that really big urge just to do
it. Yeah. And one of my
old boss, I want I, she taught
me like a really valuable lesson when I was in Hudson's Bay.
(19:02):
She would always just tell me, I would go to like, I don't know
how to do this. Like she's like, start a campaign like how she's like, just
start by starting. Yeah, put something down on
the paper and just do it like Okay, and I'll go back
to my desk and like, look at a blank screen. I'm like, but
then I would start telling stories. I'm like, Okay, how? How
(19:23):
does like, what kind of story can I tell and then start dissecting
and then looking into like different avenues and how to
tell a story and then it comes but you just really just
have to do it. And
I think that's what I tell myself pretty
much every day. Not to,
(19:46):
I mean, it's good to I'm like the complete opposite. Like
I should be thinking a lot, thinking through a lot of things. But
um, to get things done. There's because
there's are there's so much to do. And in 24 hours,
you just have to start by doing something off your list. And
(20:08):
Yeah, that's such great advice. Start by starting. It's so
simple, but so deep at the same time. But
it's so true. You just you just got to start somewhere. And
I love that you had this this fire sort of ignited within you
and you felt pulled, right? You felt called and you followed that calling.
I find that a lot of times women have that fire, that calling.
(20:33):
And it's hard for us to recognize it and
learn to listen to it and follow it, you
know, because of all the external influences, right,
that we have. And so to your point also about
intuition, like how do we tap into ourselves and our intuition and listen
(20:53):
to, you know, our own voice, which
can be really difficult sometimes. Did you do you feel like
you struggled with self doubt as you transitioned? And
like, what was that when you went through that process? And
how did you overcome any sort of self doubt that you might have
(21:15):
Yes, I still talk to myself all day, every day. Unfortunately,
I'm the one who has to pull myself out of it. I
really, you know what, I just like had this
tunnel vision at the point when I decided that I'm getting out
(21:36):
of here. And I
didn't, I actually just didn't give myself an
option. I was just like, Soo, this is the
only way. You're just gonna go down this path
and you're gonna figure it out. Just start doing
things that make sense to you. So
(22:00):
I didn't give myself a choice. I
started making just monthly goals, yearly
goals, took a
bunch of workshops, did like coaching calls, And
that framed me and gave
me an idea of what to do first.
(22:24):
So yeah, it's really, I needed a lot of help. There's
so many good resources out there once you start Googling. Friends
obviously help when I talk to them and tell them what I'm going to do. So they
like give me a gentle push in the back. They're the ones who clap
When I do something, we need that. Oh yeah, absolutely.
(22:47):
Um, so, um, obviously my mother-in-law is
like my, like my number one supporter, so she helps in any
way can. Um, but
yeah, that's, you just, I just didn't
really give myself an option, but I
was very fortunate to have the
(23:11):
Yeah, I think that's a great point. And the, you know, for high
achieving women, I feel like there's always this theme of we figure it
out, right? We we do well, we're really successful. And
so the reward for that is, we have more work to
Yes, same thing. It's like you just know there's just more to do. And
(23:32):
so it's like, you know, you just figure it out. So to your point, it's like you
just, it's no different. You just figure it out. And I think similarly, my
own journey, I feel like, you know, I very much was a
planner and I very much was methodical and strategic. thoughtful
and intentional. And, and I was thinking about, okay, here's ultimately
what I want to do, but here's a plan B and here's
(23:54):
maybe a plan C. And then I read somewhere and it
just struck a chord with me. Don't give yourself the
plan B. Don't give yourself the plan C, right?
That's, that's an out, right? It's something for you to fall back on.
And if you don't give yourself that option, there's only one
(24:16):
Right. I didn't see any other. Yeah. Yeah. It
was kind of like escaping out
of jail in a very dramatic way. You
know, you like feel stuck in the hamster wheel
(24:41):
Absolutely. Such a great analogy. So
Soo, based on where you are now in your life, I would love to know, we
talk about, you know, redefining success on this podcast. How
do you define success? What does it mean to you today? And
I mean, I, I
(25:02):
do give myself generic goals in the beginning
of the year, and I plan out like, what big events
I want to target, how many shows I want to do, how
many, how many collections I'm going to create.
So I do a rough structure of
what I want to achieve. But not I
(25:25):
don't go into the nitty gritty isn't because that will give me
so much anxiety and stress. So yeah, and
whatever I do, or whenever I
hit a goal, I had myself in the back and like, You
know, I make sure that I
tell myself when I do something that I wanted to do, I'm
(25:47):
like, yes, good job, Soo. And then we move on. because
we're our own boss now. This
We're the ones who have to push ourselves. We're
the ones who have to tell ourselves not to do the things that we shouldn't
(26:12):
But it's, it's been good. I actually just started actually doing
a co working like one hour a
week with a good friend of mine. She's a freelancer, art
director as well. And it's been hugely beneficial.
Oh, wow. That's a start. Yeah, it was actually
nice. We're just kind of going through like our weekly goals
(26:34):
and keep ourselves Yes, I
love that. That was such a nice way. She's
brilliant. What a nice collaboration. Yeah,
even though we do completely different things, or we still
kind of align each other. Yeah, that's amazing.
Whoever is very lonely, like me, studio, get
(26:57):
a friend, go on a weekly call and just talk
Yeah. It's a great idea having accountability partner so
Now, for those of us who don't get
to. be
an artist in our full-time career. I'm curious
(27:20):
as to how can we infuse more joy and
creativity into our daily routine, especially for those
women who are in a corporate world, and
a lot of the things I hear are, oh, I'm not the creative type,
or I don't have time for that. So I would love
(27:43):
It doesn't have to be art, but who
says a fair play life. There was a woman
who says that finding your unicorn space all
the time. Yeah. Something
that's good for your soul. It could be cooking, it could be baking,
it could be just crocheting, it could be
(28:05):
collage, it doesn't have to be art. Just
having some time to yourself to do
what you want. I think that's really essential that
we need because we do take on so much. Yeah,
our to do list never ends as a working mom,
(28:28):
working parent. But really just
dedicating that time for you to unwind or relax, I
Yeah, absolutely doing something that refuels your soul
and and really, something that you're passionate about and that you enjoy
(28:48):
doing and carving out the time to make that happen
Yeah, I realized that when I don't have some
of my creative downtime, I catch myself
(29:09):
getting like more either emotional or
getting high anxiety. People are like, oh, I need I
need some downtime here. I like have to escape for
a little bit. Yeah, it's all related. Absolutely. Absolutely.
If anyone would love to try alcohol inks with me, I'm here
(29:35):
Yeah, I do subpoenaing classes for adults. I've taught a
lot of moms, friends, groups, small
class groups where we have wine and we let
go with beautiful colors. And yeah, it's
Yeah, it sounds like so much fun. So is there anything else you wanted to add
(29:59):
Yes, I am really excited to launch my next collection,
inspired by a book called Black Sheep. I
actually partnered with an author want
any longer. And it's, it's about
self empowerment journey of beautiful poetry. And
(30:20):
I became a huge fan of hers. And I stopped her on Instagram. And
I was like, I'm so inspired by your words. I want to make a collection. And
she surprisingly said yes. So we're collaborating together
to create a very soulful, beautiful works
with her words. So yeah, I'm really excited. It'll be
(30:42):
I mean, this month. Amazing. I
cannot wait to see what comes out of that collaboration. It
sounds incredible. And good for you for reaching out.
I think so often we're intimidated or we have that self doubt or we think, oh,
nothing's going to come of it. But you don't know until until you
Right. I was like, yeah, I was very, very nervous because
(31:03):
she's she's she has a bigger following. She I
love I just fell in love with the words and I had
Yeah. I think again, it was you following your intuition, which
is so brilliant. Thank you. So thank
you so much for being here, sharing your insights, your expertise, your
(31:25):
journey. How can our listeners learn more about you and
Instagram, you'll really see my raw, raw
behind the scene process of how I create what I do. I'm
very active on Instagram. And you'll see on my website. Oh,
(31:46):
I'm in the midst of launching a new website to see there's
so many things going on. I'm
in the midst of launching my new website. So it'll be a more pleasant experience
for everyone to see and shop and you
know, so I'm You'll see me on my Instagram, Soosoo Studios,
Perfect. And of course, you can visit my website at gialacqua.com, reach
(32:09):
out on Instagram at gialacqua. On the homepage of my website or
in the bio link on Instagram, you can download your complimentary copy of
From Chaos to Clarity, a 30-day journal for self-discovery and
healing. This is Gia signing off with gratitude for your time
and energy. Our mic drops, but the movement continues. Until
(32:30):
That concludes another empowering episode of Your Future Starts Now.
Before we wrap up, I want to thank this incredible community of high-achieving women.
Your energy, resilience, and commitment to growth are the driving force
behind what we do. If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate
it, leave a review, and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Your
feedback fuels our mission to empower high-achieving women just like
(32:52):
you. And of course, share Your Future Starts Now with the extraordinary women
in your life who are also on a journey of healing and empowerment. Connect
with us on social media, share your thoughts, let us know what topics you'd like to
explore in future episodes. Stay connected on Instagram at
GiaLacqua. I encourage you to carry the energy of this conversation
into your day and keep on supporting the incredible women around you.
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