We recently connected with Adriel Joy Thurston and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Adriel Joy, thanks for joining us today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry?

Burn out. I know this is not a new concept, nor does it only apply to creatives, but it’s the elephant just starting to be pointed out in every single room, so it should at least be mentioned. I am thankful the quarantine season brought a sliver of recognition to how dangerous and epidemic burnout is in the world, but especially in Corporate America.

We’re in a weird time in the workplace, where you want to be treated like you are more than a number in the cog while not having a family-oriented built-in-guilt style workplace at the same time. As if that were not enough to be dealing with, there is now more awareness that we do not all function the same as a people. Enter the creative teams.

Creatives are a special breed. We can be moody, emotional, and passionate about what we produce. And in general. In the same concept of burnout for being overworked, it works almost double for us. Imagine having to constantly produce and create without any time to pause and reboot. If you are constantly pouring out from yourself without being poured back into, you will eventually dry up.

Taking the time to breathe, relax and get filled back up is vital for our creativity to keep going. Deadlines are important, but so are realistic expectations and proper planning. Many of the people on the regular or lower end of businesses, the employees producing the work that will be sent out, do not get the luxury to take these breaks to refill themselves very often.

There is a flaw in the system, where the people making decisions are not considering the worker bees when creating the workload. This is the main issue in Corporate America in my opinion. The people stopped mattering, only the money is the focus, and it is starting to cost companies dearly.

Adriel Joy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

In Goodfellas, Ray Liotta tells us how as far back as he can remember, all he ever wanted to be was a gangster and I relate. All jokes aside, I have wanted to be a writer for a tad longer than I’ve wanted to be in the mafia, so I am glad I followed that dream instead. My parents can’t remember what my first word was, but I am certain it was book or read since I was practically born with a book in my hand. My first story was published in a magazine when I was only twelve years old, so I took a long break learning other crafts before publishing my own work again in 2022.

It’s not just books though, it’s that I am really stories. The other crafts I learned also tell stories, so I am doing the same thing on multiple platforms and it’s amazing. Pictures, graphics, copy all tell stories so it’s not a surprise I landed in the marketing world. I wish I had known what marketing was in school and I might have a degree in that instead of psychology, but they really do go together.

I like to think I help people discover their voice and what they are trying to say. This can range from content creation, label design, videos, websites and so much more. Many people have the ideas but simply cannot put it into words or action to get it done. This is why it’s great that humans are all varied in their skillset; so, we can help each other out! Working with people to help them reach goals and accomplish dreams is beyond satisfying and makes every struggle worth it.

What I am most proud of is staying loyal to who I am on every level. It’s easy to conform or go against your personal beliefs for the sake of a paycheck, but that always ends poorly. I would rather say no to a client and lose the money than lose my footing. I want to be a real person, not someone who is fake and uses that for monetary gain. At the end of the day, I go home to me, so I want to be proud of not only what I produce creatively, but of who I am and how I have acted.

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

Oh, social media, a blessing, and a curse. I have watched many success stories across multiple industries on social media and then most common thing I have notice is authenticity. I’m an honest person who is willing to be vulnerable and honest publicly; I think that is what grew my Instagram account. Plus, I’m a photographer so that helps.

There was a long trend of people trying to “sell you” on how fabulous their lives are, the things they have and so on, but it’s played out. Our world is full of false advertisements and distrust so being authentic and real will make you stand out. Now, this does not mean to make social media a life-action journal of your life. Don’t do that for so many reasons, most of all your personal safety. There is a science to being open and honest while maintaining your privacy. It took me a while to figure this out, but once I did it changed everything.

On the flip side of that, stop trying to build relationships with people if you don’t mean it. They can tell. Instead of asking people to purchase, read, hire you, talk about your business and what you are up to. Soft selling is where it’s at. No need to message 100 people every day that you never interact with. Make true connections and word of mouth will be your best advertisement.

Lastly please, oh please, be nice to people. Yes, even the ones you don’t agree with. You are allowed to disagree with people. I don’t agree with half my family on politics. You know what I don’t do, sit around, and poke them with a stick because our viewpoints are different. As a business owner, you have every right to not work with people you don’t like, disagree with, or for any other reason. But as a business owner, you don’t have the luxury to be an asshole.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

The year is 2020 (everyone has a quarantine story, right?), I go to book club one Tuesday evening and walk out with that O.G. good Covid. Within a week I was in the hospital. After months of struggling to stay alive while working my ridiculously stressful job, my doctors asked me if I wanted to keep working or live. So, I went on a six-week sabbatical not realizing how much my life was about to change.

I don’t do well being static, so this whole taking a break thing was not going well. I started doing freelance copywriting while also researching a novel I began to write. Soon enough my sabbatical was over, and I was back at my day job. Shortly after returning to work, I was laid off. A decade of dedicated service and I was let go without a severance by a rude lawyer and not even by the CEO. Honestly, I was crushed. But my hustle was enacted.

The next day I was online getting my real estate license because hustlers can’t be held down. Suddenly my days began to fill with photoshoots, copy editing and website design. I was producing so much content for personal clients that within a month I was making what my previously employer was paying me, all on my own. By the end of the year, I was showing houses, booking marketing clients halfway into the next year and sitting in my brand new home as the novel I started writing on sabbatical was being published.

The devastation of losing my job gave me my life back. I no longer work for a company that drastically underpays and overworks me while denying my value. I have work-life balance again because I took the power back. Your story is YOURS to create, don’t waste it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.adrielthejoy.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/adrielthejoy
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/adrielthejoy
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/adrieljoy
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/adrielthejoy

Image Credits
Chris Spicks Photography Emily Golding Photo Britt Houd Joshua Ardoin A Joy Studios