2019 Events Recap + 2020 Plans

I think it also took a while for me to wrap up 2019, mostly because I was trying to understand which direction I can and wanted to take this 2020… and I sort of got the answer last week.

Quick recap. After working for GMA Network for three years, I resigned from my office job in 2019. Hence, last year was my first full year working as a freelancer, and took only work-from-home jobs during that period.

Working as a freelancer was really challenging. Mostly because I got used to the secured and stable lifestyle of an office worker, which includes the monthly pay and benefits. Budgeting was difficult, and I had to keep in mind that I was earning different amounts each month. The perks, however, was I got to sometimes choose projects I wanted to do. But not all the time, since I needed to make ends meet. Still, I was able to satisfy my curiosity in many aspects through various gigs. The thing is, last year wasn’t perfect, but at least I kind of got the gist of what works and what doesn’t for me.

Looking back now, 2018 was stagnant but both stable and secured. While 2019 felt more like I was circling around, changing directions way too often. But, to be honest, going through that, I started to understand what actually suits me. The experience also made me realize what I can pursue now, what I can’t, and what can wait.

In line with that, I thought about how I’ve been blogging since I was around 12 or 13 years old. And that I’ve been working as a writer professionally since 2012. I started professional events photography in the same year, but I’ve been writing even before I started to really understand how to use a camera properly. (Like, no joke, I didn’t even own a proper digital camera back then.) I’ve also been hanging out with lots of Multimedia Arts students and graduates that I actually thought of turning photography as my main source of income. But there aren’t really a lot of opportunities that will lead to actually earning from it. Subjectively speaking, unlike other art forms such as graphic design and animation, there weren’t many employed in-house photographers. And I can’t really pursue something like, for example, animation, since I didn’t exactly specialized in that area.

So, I took some time off, and got to think about what could be a feasible option to go with during my semi-hiatus last December until early February. That’s how I came up with the most obvious answer: I should be writing again – for a living or for something more personal, as a day job or a remote one – whatever works. And, most importantly, I should be writing about what I’m passionate about. I knew that I only had two choices this year, but one choice is no longer (or could also be “not yet”) viable. So, I decided to pursue the other one by once again opening a blog – giaallana.com, the domain I’ve been paying for since around 2016 but never really used. Of course, I’ll still be taking in freelance or remote jobs until I find something more suitable for me. Since, although I felt like it was finally time to go back to my roots, this time I want to write about things I’m really interested in.

It actually took me eight long years to reach to this conclusion, opening my own personal blog again. I have no regrets though, since I know that I needed to do something else during that time. But this year, I just felt like I have to pursue something more personal and closer to my heart. It doesn’t have to be just this, but I’ll start with something as simple as this one. So, that’s it, this 2020 I’ll start writing again for myself, and about the things I like and love.

P.S. Of course, I’ll still take photos as a side hobby, just no longer planning on turning it into my main source of income. I mean, writing is and was always my bread and butter anyway. 🙂