We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Georgii Speakman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Georgii, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
The risk I’ve taken has involved writing and completing my book, @myamericandreambook, which took approximately a decade to complete, but close to nine months of full time writing in 2022 to finally complete it. The risk has been financial and taking that time off to push other business opportunities to the side to finish the book. The risk is in having to believe in yourself – even when you’re experiencing imposter syndrome; when you’re feeling demotivated and truly wondering what the point of it all is – if people will ever end up reading, or listening to it and so forth. It’s a deeply personal risk you have to quietly face alone.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Becoming an immigrant within America and having to start, and build a life and career all over again; spending approximately $100k in immigration fees over a ten year period – flying in and out of the U.S to switch visas; being bound to limited opportunities based on visa criteria and more. No one tells you about having to build credit and how binding that can be to establishing a preliminary life, I.e. having to pay 12 months rent up front a couple of years in a row due to not having high enough credit, as a result of being new to the country and also being on certain visas. There are, funnily enough, a great deal of cultural differences. Just because Australians and Americans speak the same language, it doesn’t mean we’ll understand what one another is saying, or necessarily meaning. And so cultural adaptation is also a part of the journey, naturally. Having to constantly and rapidly level up career wise in order to meet the excessive criteria of certain visas. It can often feel too hard, too expensive, too draining, too demanding and too challenging to continue a life in the U.S, but with great resilience and perseverance, it is possible to achieve the life you want in the States, it just takes a hell of a lot of time. Due to certain circumstances, it’s taken me ten years to secure Permanent Residency, which has required a great deal of patience, persistence and again, resilience!
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I believe every single human being has a voice and that we should all have the courage to pursue whatever that means to us individually. I think the pursuit of artistic and creative endeavours shape shifts, changes and evolves for those on that path, and as life challenges and confronts us with new issues. The most rewarding aspects include experiencing the results of personal artistic or creative pursuits – being able to encourage or inspire others, and being able to grow as a human being throughout the process, as that’s what life is all about.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.georgii-speakman.com/about
- Instagram: georgiispeakman
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100039322251301&mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgii-speakman-b782681
- Twitter: georgiispeakman
Image Credits
Image by Austen Taylor