Expatriate Sacrifices with Meijun Cai and Estefi Ramirez
Learnings from our conversations.
I am not from here podcast is about creatives designing their lives and careers in foreign countries. Each episode is two-part; the first is an episode with an expat creative you can listen to wherever you listen to podcasts and the second is where you get to part take in the conversation on Clubhouse or Instagram live.
⬇ ️Listen to the episode⬇
My guest Meijun and Estefi
are a Spanglish speaking creative duo, work couple, best friends, and dog-parents.
They both studied, lived, and worked in New York for 8 years, as internationals, foreigners, immigrants….aliens. #ThisShitWasHard In 2019, they quit their agency jobs, relinquished their visas, sold almost everything, and moved to Ecuador with their Korean rescue dog Guillermo to discover and live a more meaningful creative life.
In July 2019, they started TakeThree, a creative studio with a portfolio of 60+ projects with 30+ clients from various parts of the world.
In my conversations with Meijun and Estefi
we spoke about sacrifices made for careers and lives for our version of the American Dream, how our worth is tied to our visa and how the immigration system can stifle creativity. Some of my takeaways ….
- Strategic sacrifices can benefit you if you know what for and why you are doing it.
There is a positive side to sacrificing, one that serves a long-term goal. Knowing what and why you are making these sacrifices makes it easier to go through. - There is a life beyond the clutches of a visa / that piece of paper.
Migrants plan their lives and careers based on the timelines stipulated by a visa. In addition, because of the lack of security or permanence of a visa, migrants let go of their dreams or wait until they are more secure in their status to act upon them. I am learning to shed this as I type it. It is not an easy task but knowing this gives me more choices. - Your self-worth is not defined by a visa.
Just because you were denied a visa does not mean you failed at life abroad. This was and is still hard for me to come to terms with because of the sacrifices my family has made for me to move and live abroad. Being aware of this has increased my confidence in who I am and what I can do. - Don’t let a visa stifle your creativity.
If you are a creative migrant who has had to make sacrifices in your career, know that there are other ways to be creatively fulfilled. For me, it was hosting design events while for Meijun and Estefi it was their dog’s Instagram page. These pursuits can also benefit you in acquiring a visa, build a brand, improve skills, etc. You never know.
People migrate for many reasons; safety, freedom, opportunities, etc. Unfortunately, the bold step of moving away from home has its consequences and requires a lot of sacrifices. And that's ok! Because now you know what you need to do to be a migrant and hey maybe this new country is your dream.
👋🏽 Until the next episode!
Hint: it is about adapting to changing circumstances.
Links
Meijun’s Instagram
Estefi’s Instagram
Guillermo Instagram
TakeThree Instagram
TakeThree Studio website: This is the creative studio side of TakeThree where we work with clients on Brand Development, Creative Strategy, and Web Design.
TakeThree Uni website:
This is the education arm of TakeThree where we offer 1:1 consultations and mentoring for small business owners and creatives who can’t afford pricey agency consulting fees
Want to share your story, be a speaker on an episode, collaborate or have an idea reach out via Instagram.
