Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carola Kolbeck. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Carola, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

It’s easy to look back on life and think: What if? What if I’d done this instead of that? What if I’d decided to pursue this thing instead of that? And while such sliding doors moments can be fun, they can also be rather quite unsettling and, at worst, depressing and unhelpful. I know a lot of people who say they have no regrets, and they would do everything the same if they could do it all over again. However, I’m not one of those people. Perhaps, one day, years from now, I may look back on my life and decide that everything was just like it was supposed to be, but I haven’t quite reached that stage yet. At the moment, after nearly 20 years of working jobs that kept me vaguely interested for short periods of time, I feel that I should have never listened to my head, but followed my heart instead. My heart has always been hooked on writing, on words, on creating stories, and expressing myself through pen and paper (or keyboard and Word doc), from the moment I could read, and hold a pen to form written words. When I was little, I pretended to be a newsreader and created my own news programs, complete with news from politics, society, and weather reports. I wanted to be a journalist or an author, and everyone knew it, and everyone believed it was the right thing for me to do. Until I got distracted by life, by what other people wanted me to do, where they saw my career move to, and as a chronic people pleaser, I moved from one job to the next, from one project to another, skilfully numbing and avoiding the passion for writing along the way.
Now, in my early 40s, nearly 10 years after I decided to give writing the time and space it deserves in my life, I wish I had studied Journalism instead of International Relations. I wish I’d gone to the local newspaper and interned with them, instead of taking that office job I got stuck in. I wish I’d pursued writing as soon as I left school because perhaps, I’d be doing full-time now what I love with all my heart.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

After giving birth to my first child, I realised that ignoring my dreams was no longer an option. How could I be a decent role model if I wasn’t a good role model for my daughter? I started a blog, I entered writing competitions, and I had two of my short stories published. Soon, I wrote articles, newsletters, and content for small local businesses, and eventually, I wrote as a freelancer for a larger, international company. Two years ago, I did an internship with an independent magazine, Injection Mag, which focuses on the creative industry and gives a voice to underrepresented and marginalised communities. Soon, I became a permanent fixture of the magazine, and have written multiple interviews and articles, being praised for my unique and engaging interview skills. Telling stories, highlighting important issues, and making a difference in the world are the things I love most about writing, and I strive to always do the best for whoever I’m writing for.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think one of the biggest issues in today’s world and society is that the arts and creative people are hugely undervalued and underpaid. The advent of AI hasn’t helped either, and a huge bugbear of mine is that it’s being used to do creative things, rather than useful stuff such as clean up litter out of rivers, or solve world hunger. I know I’m making a sweeping statement but I think we have to take it to the extremes to understand how messed up this really is. Another problem is that many people expect an artist’s work for free or for a small fee. People forget that creating art is work, it takes time, it takes planning, it takes expertise and experience. You’re not just paying for a product, you pay for the artist’s knowledge, years of training, perfecting their craft and so on. Unfortunately, this underpayment and devaluing of artists comes from both ends: From the top down, and from the bottom up. Schools pay more attention and put more value on “traditional subjects” such as English, Maths and Science, and big creative agencies make it impossible for any mortals to set a foot into their domain. So really, the arts and artists don’t even stand a chance.
However, there are things that can be done to make life better and to revive the importance of the arts. Society, and with that I mean every person, needs to start acknowledging that they consume art every day and without it, their lives would be bleak and dull. We listen to music, to audio books, we read magazines, we watch content, videos, films, photos, marvel over paintings, wear fashion, admire dancers and want to be like them – yet we want it all for free? That doesn’t add up. We need to support independent artists, small creative collectives and give our money to small businesses, instead of the big corporations who don’t really care. If society votes with their feet, change can happen.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Being a creative in the environment as outlined before is not easy. It’s a road full of rejections, silence from editors, and hundreds of job applications without any results to show. It’s really difficult to remain positive, to remain focused on an end goal for which there isn’t any guarantee. It’s sheer stubbornness, determination, and continuous hard work that keeps me going and stops me from giving up. In the end, not writing isn’t an option, and I know I would never forgive myself in years to come.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chameleoninhighheels.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chameleoninhighheels/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carola-kolbeck-4866691b6/
• Other: https://www.injectionmag.com/content

Image Credits

All photos are my own.