We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kelsie Szost. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kelsie below.

Hi Kelsie, thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I am a believer that if you passionately enjoy something you do, you do it better. It took me a while to figure out what ignited me as an individual. Through travel and exposure to other cultures, food, architecture and landscapes, I was able to find my passion for design, innovation, art and for progressiveness. These are all things that marketing and software development has allowed me to practice. Sometimes when I feel frustrated with the learning curve I face with coding, I question if I would feel more confident with development if I would have obtained a Computer Science degree like my colleagues. But then I realize that without the creative flare I found in certain corners of the earth, the lessons that stuck with me, the people I had met along the way, I would not be the same person I am sitting here today. I would have been sitting behind a computer studying to get to the same place I am right now. The lesson I learned from this is that there is no one path, so choose the path that brings your spirit peace and happiness.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I graduated university with a major in Criminal Justice thinking I would spend the rest of my life working in our legal system. I realized it was not the right path for me. I quickly enrolled in a program to teach English in Spain in 2019, only to have to program cancel due to the COVID-19 outbreak. I had already sold everything I owned to be able to afford starting a new journey abroad, and I could not bear the thought of giving up my dream to find my passion being completely immersed in a new culture, so, in October 2020, I moved to Tulum, Mexico. Upon arrival to Tulum, I realized many creatives had the same idea as myself. Many travelers from all over the world were moving to Tulum to start businesses, quarantine in one of the most beautiful places on earth, and of course, get absolutely lost in the beautiful culture that is Mexico. I was absolutely captivated. I was inspired, I was vulnerable and so enamored with everything I witnessed. The good and the bad. I realized there was an opportunity to support some of the new, small businesses arriving in Tulum through simple marketing. This marketing included template based web design, business-card creation, modeling, social media production etc. And there, on the beautiful shores of the Gulf of Mexico, I found my passion. I found what ignited me. I brought this new experience home with me in 2021, landing my first corporate marketing position for an architectural design firm that even furthered my passion for design and innovation. I was able to witness designs being created for some of the most well known companies in the world, designed by some of the most well known architectural designers, and brought to life by some of the most talented, creative, innovative fabricators I have ever witnessed. I was inspired by working in such an environment that I decided to elevate my career to the next level and learn how to bring my own digital designs to life in the form of programming. I am now a full-stack software engineer. Everyday in this field is an opportunity to learn how to effectively design and engineer programs that solve business needs. I get the chance to learn from the smartest people I have ever met, while being humbled by how much there is yet to learn.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Being a creative person in business made me realize that your confidence in your authenticity is what drives people to you. Entering the business market is intimidating at first when you are openly claiming to others that you can do something better than other businesses that compete with you, or able to provide a service in a way that highlights uniqueness backed by logic and strategy. You have to have that confidence to show your authenticity. Being a creative is being willing to be vulnerable.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Building my following on social media was just an added bonus of moving to Tulum. In 2020, all eyes were on social media due to quarantine and Tulum becoming a travel hotspot over night. The first picture I posted on Instagram when living in Tulum went viral within just a couple hours of it being live. Geolocation is important when it comes to social media. The algorithm has changed so much since then but the best advice I can give is to be authentic. Tell a story, teach about things you have learned, promote positivity and what is important to you. People on social media will engage with content they can relate with and are inspired by. You have to be willing to be vulnerable and not just show the parts of your life that make you appear ‘perfect’, although, there is a line with vulnerability on social media.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @kmszost
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelsie.szost
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelsie-szost-80377a211/