" The CEO of the ad agency once said “If you feel more excitement on Friday afternoon (to get ready for the weekend) than you do on Monday morning (when coming into work), something is wrong.” This quote stuck with me since I heard it, and I knew I was making the right decision. It's been a year since I quit my agency job, and almost 2 years since Shine Pet Photos became a reality. And I haven't had a single regret!"

(By Grace Chon) After graduating from art school, I was employed at an award-winning advertising agency located in Los Angeles. My mother was proud – her daughter was able to go through the American education system in Philadelphia as a Korean American and end up in Los Angeles at a prestigious agency. Her idea of a “professional” was limited to careers in science, business, or law, but to see me succeed in a completely different, creative field was validating and exciting. She loved seeing my work in magazines and bragging to all her church friends about the commercials I created that were airing on TV. 

But I was miserable. The stress, severe competition, high expectations, and lack of personal time left me feeling so hopeless and depressed. This was the supposed “American dream” that I was living, and it was so much more challenging [Read more...]