We were lucky to catch up with Shariese Martin recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Shariese, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
I did something in the last article that made my heart flutter every time I thought about it. I put out into the universe 3 projects I wanted to work on. Those projects were digital products, a children’s book and an excel training course. I am proud to say that I have broken ground and have begun to work on all of these projects. However, of the three, the excel training course holds the most meaning for me. I know most people would think it would be the children’s book which is very dear to me. But the training course holds a special place because it combines my technical skills, my continuous desire for education and my desire to give back to my community. The possibilities associated with this training course are so immense that my heart is literally racing thinking about it. I am so excited as I am revamping the course, putting together a timeline for the release and working through the initial target audience.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I started my professional career in accounting whereas an undergrad I was afforded numerous opportunities to work with professionals who were much smarter than me. So, I soaked in everything I could and tried to expand on the different skills I picked up in workshops and one on ones. From there my love and understanding of Excel grew. As I furthered my career, my use of Excel grew. Then Canva was introduced, and I absolutely fell in love with the creativity possible with that platform. So, I started creating anything I could think of. This really sparked my desire to expand on the creative side of me. I stepped into a point in my career where I wasn’t accelerating at the rate I had hoped or was even sufficient for me. So, here we are stepping into a cross between being an organized professional who knows Excel and an aspiring creative diving into digital products, children’s books and building a training course. I always knew I would work for myself, but I was always too afraid to put my all into it and fail. Fortunately, life has created a need for me indulge in the idea of trying more than the idea of failing. My training course opens the real possibility of me fully supporting myself through that avenue and honestly, that idea brings a smile to my face. What I bring to the industry is passion, knowledge and drive. More than just my success, I want those around me to succeed. And if I am equipped with the tools to assist you in your journey, I want to do everything in my power to makes those resources available to you.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I am a very Type A person. Most people who aren’t family or very close friends would not initially describe me as a creative person. I have always been the organized, office type but I have always had amazingly creative ideas that I was afraid to voice because it was outside of the face everyone saw. More than anything I want to be happy in what I do. I want what I do to make a difference in someone’s life and the first person I am doing that for is me. When I create something in Canva – the process and the end result are so worth it. It is legit fun figuring out how solid colors and patterns work together in a classy way. And when I am done and I send it to the whomever I made it for, the response is always so heartwarming. This is the same feeling I want from my Excel training course because once people are able to use and understand the program, the smiles will come. So, to be a bit more direct regarding the question, my happiness and the happiness I can bring to others is my current mission driving me towards my creative journey.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I am a millennial. Social media personality, influencer, creative are all new career titles that I did not grow up with. Kids making 6 figures by the age of 20 was unheard of when I was growing up unless you were in movies, music or sports. The way technology is altering and enhancing the access to money is growing at a rate I had a hard time keeping up with. I actually didn’t want to catch up. Initially, I was hoping it was a phase and that this technological transition would slow down. Clearly, I love the technology based creative software like Canva. But ChatGPT, AI and TikTok were not on the list of things I was interested in learning. Can I please write my own cover letter, email and make an honest living being a hard-working accountant? I don’t need an app to enhance the things I can do on my own and went to school for. Why is an 18-year-old TikTok-er making my salary in a month? It was so hard to accept that this is the way the world is going, and I better get on board or get left behind! As creative as I am in my home or my style when I do go out and really indulging in ‘everything has to be aesthetically pleasing’ – my millennial mind won’t let me even consider making a living from posting YouTube videos. My Type A millennial mind says you need to be a respected professional. But the creative part of me is dying to be seen and I know if I am going to succeed in this space, I need to be well versed in the latest technological advances. As hard as that is for me, I know it is reality. I am still learning to accept the path we are on when it comes to how we build wealth and how we express our creativity. But I know that being wealthy in mind and soul through a creative outlet is much more imperative than my cubicle to corner office mindset.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://shariese.lanai
- Facebook: Shariese Martin
- Linkedin: Shariese Martin
