We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Victoria Jean a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Victoria, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.

The first step for me was to believe in my abilities. Trusting that I was skilled and talented enough to sell my skills was crucial. I needed to have confidence in my ability to provide the services I wanted to offer, and crossing that hurdle was the greatest challenge.

Before I began freelancing, I worked for a telemarketing company that drained much of my energy. It was hard to invest time in myself and my aspirations because my days off were spent recuperating from a job that left me exhausted. I was clear on the type of work I wanted to do and how I wanted to feel about my work. Unfortunately, I wasn’t honoring my mission and purpose. After numerous burnouts and uninspiring work experiences, I decided to take a leap into the unknown and bet on myself.

Without much preparation, I made the decision overnight to quit my 9-to-5 job and start freelancing. While I wasn’t sure where I would land, I trusted the network I had built by being an active member of my community. Luckily, I was able to start my journey with a six-month contract that extended through the year. This opportunity gave me the experience I needed to jump-start my freelance career, but more importantly, it gave me the confidence to trust myself.

Once I built trust in myself, it became easier to build trust with clients and collaborators. Part of my process in executing an idea is establishing trust with my collaborators or teams. This involves asking the right questions to understand the project’s needs, its mission, and the intended audience. This is a vital part of the process for me because it provides a clear target, purpose, and framework for bringing ideas to life. My experience has taught me that having clear goals keeps me focused and ensures that I don’t lose sight of the end goal, allowing me to achieve it successfully.

Victoria, 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?

Storytelling is at the core of my work. Whether through musical performance, visual design, event photography and videography, written communication, or strategy consulting, what excites me most is understanding my collaborators and finding ways to highlight their stories. Collaborating with me means engaging in an intimate creative process aimed at uncovering hidden beauty and shining a light on what makes my collaborators unique and significant within their industries and communities.

I am the co-author of the book Where They Stood. I’ve created work for Pride MTL, Igloofest, McGill, and other companies across Canada and the United States. I’ve performed throughout Canada, spoken to audiences of over 200 people, hosted creative workshops for the Montreal English School Board, and I am currently developing my skills while studying to become an art therapist.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Understanding that your community is your biggest resource is something I wish I had known earlier. Looking back at my university journey, I realize now how little I utilized the networking opportunities that school provided. It was only after leaving school that I understood the importance of making connections to give my freelance journey a chance. Today, the community I’ve built around me is one of the main reasons I’ve been able to find success in the various ventures I’ve undertaken.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

The current mission in my creative journey is to collaborate with people, organizations and businesses that share my values around equality and truth. This has been my guiding principle since the start of my journey. It’s important to me to direct my energy toward causes and missions that I believe make the world a better, and more enjoyable place to live in.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://loveanditscolours.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loveanditscolours/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annevictoria-jf/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@loveanditscolours
• Other: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/unfinished-single/1743397129

Image Credits

Jade Mei-Ling
Collins Min’