You need to take risks to grow

Leave a comment

stopbeingscared.jpg

Hey guys,

New York was AMAZING. I’m editing a vlog in a new style that I haven’t had much of on my channel earlier, so I’m excited to share that. Speaking of “new style”…

Lately I’ve had a lot of new ideas and creations for new type of videos and channel ideas. But I’m scared. Usually I was never scared to try out new things. But then my creative side created a business side. I now have an audience that expect certain things from me. I have people on the business side who create money of my business. I have people around me who have opinions on what I do.

Skjermbilde 2017-07-28 kl. 13.31.10.png
A screenshot from the new vlog from New York. Yes, my friend Ellen got amazing hair.

It’s not just that, though. I could have my new ideas and have them as an side hustle. But you got limited time. This fall school is my first priority, and I wish I had more than 24 hours than Beyoncé do, but I don’t. As Marie Forleo said in a video I watched of hers (along those 50 other ones): “Saying yes to one thing, is saying no to another one”.

There’s a reason why it took a long time before I launched Career Material. Because I had so much other stuff going on. And then I realized that to keep a certain focus, energy and have time for something, you need to say cut off other stuff that means something you.

But then I again… I can’t always do the same stuff. No one can. It’s important to take risks and try out new things to grow and learn. I know this. But it’s terrifying (more than I like to admit).

I got so much inspiration. And that’s why I hate feeling like I got to stick with something old. I feel like I say “I don’t know what I want”, but I do know what I want, but I use than excuse to create another problem that will disguise the real problem. You get me? Is it  a bigger failure to never try new stuff and to play it safe, or do something that may disappoint those around you and yourself?

I have a meeting next week that will determine and maybe have a lot of saying for what I will do next. We’ll see. I’ll update you guys. 🙂

Is there something you want to do right now that excites you, yet scares you? Or if you have been in this situation… What did you do? – Mondelia

Advertisement

Thoughts on a flight to New York

Leave a comment

Oslo time: 2am ish Monday July 17th
New York: 8pm ish Sunday July 16th

I’m on the plane, high up in the air. In about 2 hours I’m landing at JFK in New York City, the city that gave me the most terryfying, yet most exciting trip one year ago. The summer I left Norway to go to New York Film Academy. NYC gave me a connection I’ve never had before, and therefore it’s what I like to call my 2nd home.

Next to me is my sleepy 17 year old best friend (I like to call her the 17 year old btw, but her name is really Ellen). We barely knew each other one year ago, and now we’re on a trip together to work on our passion, meet new people and old friends from film school. It’s through our passion we met at home. Crazy how passion and hard work brings people together.

påflyettilNY
The 17 year old brought Daim chocolate. I love her.

I’m not really sure how to explain this, but… Going back to New York is so weird. When being home, my summer last year felt like a dream. I’ll never forget the feeling I got when seeing the landscape of New York City just minutes before landing. That amazing feeling, despite trouble with the previous plane, emergency landings and spilling drinks on the guy sitting next to me. It didn’t really get to me before I was going to the airport earlier today. How I’m going back to NY. Like as if it didn’t seem true when I ordered the tickets, and the days after. And I’m not sure if I still entirely believe it before I land in 1 hour and 15 minutes.

I just listened to Lewis Howes podcast where he interviewed Lilly Singh. Lilly aka Superwoman who just started making youtube videos at the end of college, and moved to LA from Canada to build upon her success. It takes courage to move to a different country, away from your family and let go of the life you thought you’d be stuck with. I really admire her work ethic and the way she steps out of her comfort zone every single day.

And it all made me think and feel about the situation I’m in right now. I’ve always loved America, and dreamed of moving here one day to work within the media world. The feeling I got minutes ago, told me I haven’t let go of that dream just yet. Lately I’ve also questioned my “life” back home. I’m very happy with what I achieved back home in Oslo… But I do know, that I did somewhat settle for less. I’m not going to dive too much into that right now (it would be a 10-pages-essay), but settling in the country I’m already living in was easier. So that’s what I did.

But I’ve tried to make the most out of where I live now. I settled for my Norwegian YouTube-channel, making music at the studio, school and to work with what I have. I’ve had so much fun these past few years. But maybe I’m starting to realize that I’ve got other strengths to build upon, and that I want new (old) things. Maybe I’m realizing I don’t want to let go of my childhood dreams (these are thoughts I’ve had for a while, but me being on a plane to New York made me realize it even more). Maybe it’s not that “hard” to step out of my comfort zone. It’s actually pretty simple. Just book a flight to the destination, and try to make it work there. Why aren’t we human beings doing more of that? Fear of not knowing how it’s going to work out, probably. But it always works out when having the right attitude. Right now I’m feeling more than I’m thinking. And I haven’t done that in a long time. Often, our feelings can be more honest with us than our thoughts. 🙂

But now the breakfast arrived, and I’m already laughing my ass of with the 17 year old. I love how we’re so effing sleepy and uncomfortable in our small seats, but we’re still laughing like crazy. I love being with people who spread good energy no matter the circumstances. And thank God she also just pulled up her computer and debit card two weeks ago when I was at work and she said “So, are we going to order tickets to NY or what?”. I need those friends. Anyways, I actually made a choice the other day that will actually back up this post in a way. And now I see I finally, just finally, made the right decision about something I’ve been thinking about a long time. You’ll see.

Is it important to attend college?

Leave a comment

college.jpg

Ah, a big question for many (including my self). A lot of people have asked me “Why majoring in economy?” when the media world is my field and passion, which I’m going to explain in this post as well. I just want to write some thoughts and reflect around this whole “Do you need college?” thing.

My early life relationship to school

School has always been super important to my family. Both of my parents are doctors and went to medical school. I’m an only child, but if I had two siblings I’d guess at least 2/3 of us would become a lawyer, engineer, economist and maybe even a doctor as well. Luckily, my parents never wanted me to become a doctor, and actually have advised me from doing it. But if I had told them I wasn’t going to attend college after high school, I’d probably be sent to a boarding school in China. Just kidding (I hope… But at least something close it).

When I got my internship at 16 at Topp Magazine, the ones working there told me “You already got gold on your resume”. Here I was, 16 and a freshman in high school, with my own desk and computer at Norway’s biggest teen magazine. I got emails from students at journalism school who asked how I did it. I was in a position graduates from journalism school dreamed of. My YouTube channel also started to grow, and I was already in the business that I wanted to be a part of. I had my dream job, and I had gotten a lot of contacts within the business. After my internship, I worked at a PR firm for half a year at a “prestigious office” at Aker Brygge before I decided to focus more on my channel and school. My co-workers were students at marketing schools etc, and here I was. An 18 year old senior.

Still, I chose to attend business school after high school to learn more about economics and business law. I knew it didn’t really “need” to, because I already had a strong network and resume. But It’s not a secret that because we have this “system” there is a pressure to attend college, but I was actually excited about it. Even though I kind of needed to create some sort of excitement around it anyways, considering I knew it was not an option to not to go to college.

What do I think now?

I just finished the first year of my bachelor’s degree within economy and business law. I’m in my room and I’m thinking… What did I learn this school year? I mean, there are some interesting things I’ve catched up upon. But have I learned more here than in an everyday work life? Not to talk about I also got a super nice debt (that will be fun to look at when my bachelor is over).

I’ve watched a lot of Gary Vee’s videos lately, especially the ones where he talks about college:

Now, I would not discuss if education is important in general. We should all have the rights to learn how to write, read and basic math. If no one was educated, it wouldn’t really look right to the world. Knowledge is super important. But is it important to attend college? This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot. Now I’m not talking about becoming a lawyer or doctor, but for example business and marketing, like Gary talks about.

The first thing I have to say when the question is “Do you need college?” is… Well, you don’t really need anything in life (except water and food). Do you really need that degree and piece of paper? We’ve all heard plenty of times the sunshine stories of people with no college degree who makes millions of dollars and did just fine. I think, as for nearly everything else, it all comes down to the individual. What you want in life, how the circumstances are for you right now (and if they are not like you want them to be, create that environment now) etc. One thing I do know and like to say, is that your education alone is a very small percentage of it in a work setting. The education can be what you make it, and the degree will probably not hurt you when seeking a job. But if school doesn’t sound motivating at all, and you’re a hard worker who got a great idea? Go for the business idea! Maybe it will include you taking a part time job on the side, but you can still work smart and hard with your passion project.

It’s what you use it for that counts. I’d like to be better at drafting contracts etc., which I’ll learn more about the next years since I specialize within business law. A lot of people have asked me “Why economy?” when I work within media, but that’s exactly why: I don’t feel like the professors at a school can teach me more about how to make it in the social media world than what the internet can, and what I already have learned from work experience. I chose economy & business law because I wanted to become better at something that is not my main field. If I’m going to college, I might as well choose a major where I can learn something that can help me with my future businesses. I’ll admit, personally, the thought of having no college degree scares me. But I’m not sure if that’s because of the system of society or my parents (not that I have anything against going to a boarding school in China, but I’m perfectly fine here in Oslo).

If you want to work within marketing, already got a lot of work experience and strong connections, I’d say you’ll do just fine without an education. By all means, still go to college if that’s you dream, but I wouldn’t feel like I needed it. At least use school for more than just the classes. Network and make connections. Create relationships. Make the most out of it! But remember that people would want to work with you because you can show results within your field. Not the grades or the name of a degree on your paper.

What’s very, very important, is that no matter what you choose, you got to believe in yourself. I don’t care how cliché that sounds. If you keep doubting you and your ideas, it’s automatically going to be so much harder.

So, to make a conclusion: I think no matter what you choose – as long as you’re a hard worker, have belief and got a good head, I wouldn’t worry. Maybe I’ll write a post in 5 (or 10) years from now on with the same title, but with a bit different (and better) answer. Maybe even a “10 questions to see if you should attend college”. I still got two more years of college left as well, so we’ll see. What are your thoughts on this?

Monthly goals: July

4 Comments

Hey guys!

First of all: Thank you SO much for the support on my blog and new YouTube channel! Almost 1000 views on the blog today… I’m stoked!!

So, let’s make the first “Monthly goals” post on this blog! I looove writing down my goals, and the most fun part: Actually doing them. It can be scary to share your goals in front of the whole world (You know, in case they don’t happen. But that’s not an option, now is it?), but I think it can also be a huge motivation to actually do them. They can be both personal and work-related. Let’s go!

July – my goals:

  • Launch Career Material blog (check!)
  • Launch Career Material YouTube channel and the trailer (check!)
  • Work my first week as a social media manager for a very important campaign with Nordic Screens (almost done!)
  • Plan a video idea or two for the campaign to encourage young people in Norway to vote.
  • Upload at least 4 videos to my Norwegian channel
  • Plan and go to New York to film! (Halfway done! Ordered tickets today!)
  • Decide what elective courses to choose this fall for my new semester at college.
  • Create a study plan for the new semester.

First picture: At work today! When Ellen and I ordered a spontaneous trip to New York City! 2nd picture: On my way home from work. That watch is sponsored by the way.

Oh yeah, btw! We ate donuts on the way home...
Oh yeah, btw! We ate donuts on the way home…
...and donuts.
…and donuts.

When we ate sushi for dinner… And donuts.

What are your goals for this month? Tell me in the comments below! xoxo 

A calm feeling (CAREER UPDATE!)

Leave a comment

Hey guys!

So… I have a little happy ending to the previous post. 😉 (Yes I know it was posted 2 days ago, but note that it was actually written like a month ago). If you haven’t read the post, quickly summed up: I was worried about loving working with everything and not specializing myself enough within one field. I thought about how and why I did things.

But now… Here’s one common thing about building a business, filmmaking and music… Creating. I love creating. It doesn’t matter if it’s a video, blog post, company, song or a makeup product: It’s all about having a vision and turning it into reality. Creating and experimenting.

I’ve got some really exciting things going on. A lot of things, actually. And I’m not feeling stressed about it. I loove the feeling of having responsibility (especially of more than one thing), and feel the excitement over different projects. It even adds a little more excitement by just the thought of it being more than on thing.

To drop a few hints… I recently created my own company Mondelia Media, and I’ve gotten som really cool people on board. Among other things, I’m working with an accounting firm to build up this media company. They were curious about the ideas of the company. I’ll tell you more later

After my first meeting with the accounting firm 🙂

19764772_125060944758614_5875978228337737728_n
At Voldsløkka this weekend, a huge festival/concert with stars like Marcus & Martinus, Alex Aiono and Isac Elliot, and Lisa & Lena from musical.ly was there as well. Ellen and I met sooo many viewers – it was crazy! I would say I have a pretty good understanding of the power of social media, but that day we literally had trouble moving because fans wanted pictures. It was so much fun tho, haha! 

…and hey! Tomorrow I’m launching something special. I can’t wait to share it with you guys. Thanks for reading ❤

xoxo Mondelia

What are you “meant to” choose as a career? And when visions starts to change…

2 Comments

Originally written in early June 2017.

I’ve always had a lot of different hobbies and passions, and it’s hard for me to pick just “one thing” I like to do. I loved everything from writing, photography, film, editing, graphic design, dancing, singing, playing instruments and so on. But what I wanted to become for a long time was to become a film/music video director. That’s what I, for a long time (around age 12-16), pictured myself I would be doing. I loved creating stories, whether if it was a short film, story or a song. It wasn’t about film being better than everything else (like music), but more about that I thought I would be happier with that as my career. Film also seemed more as “work” (in a positive way), if that makes sense? As a director you have a lot of responsibility etc, as well to the creative part. It would also just be a much bigger project than just record a song – it would cover most of my beloved areas of hobbies/passions than just directing (like photography, editing ++). So while making videos in spare time while going to school, my goal was to go to film school in L.A. after high school and study film. I was so set on it for years.

Then I opened my eyes for YouTube. I started watching YouTubers who made videos regularly. The perfect fit! An online plattform where you could share content you create from home. So I started my own channel. I guess my goal was still becoming a director, but YouTube was a fun thing to do as a hobby.

Then I also got an internship at Topp Magazine – the biggest teen magazine in Norway. I was only 16, and in my first year of high school. I learned a lot and got to experience so many cool things so many kids my age at that time would just dream of. Interviewing popular boyband members, being invited to exclusive events and get my articles published. My visions started to change. My focus shifted from film to journalism and YouTube. I also became Topp’s first official blogger, and my YouTube channel started to grow.

Through my internship I met a music producer. He had seen some of my singing videos on YouTube, and we started to collaborate. I had been dancing since I was 5, playing the piano from the age of 8, singing in choir and written a lot of songs in my room from before. When I was 18 I released my first official single, and because of the following I had from YouTube and Topp, it did pretty good. Of course as a kid I’ve had visions and thoughts about how it is to be a big superstar singer, and I had some experience from performing at school etc., but I just never had a goal to choose “singer” as my career option. So when this opportunity came around, of course I wasn’t going to let it down. I’m not 100% why I wasn’t set on becoming a singer before, but I think there were some various reasons I was aware of: A lot of people “can sing”, and maybe I just never thought it would be something extraordinary. I also had never ever met a girl in my life  (and not a lot of guys either) who said their dream was to become a director, so I felt I stood more out. Maybe I thought becoming a “singer” was just so… Cliché? We could also mention the fact that music is a hard thing to make a living of, but film director is not known for being the most stable career choice either.

But then we also have my family, who have influenced me to get an education. Not getting is education is kind of not a choice. And since I want to mix business and creativity, I thought economy and business law would be a good choice. So after high school I dropped my “going to LA to study film”-long time goal, and kept on going in Oslo where my new career and college was expecting me.

Now I’m sitting in my own home office, turning 20 years old in under 2 months, and I’m questioning myself and what I want to do. Even though I have a career and actually make money out of this, I feel a bit lost. I don’t feel I’m specializing myself in anything. I see my friends go for one thing, and they spend their time being good at just that. And then I feel like I’m bad at the things I do, because I don’t have “one thing” I’m spending all my time doing.

There are just so many options in this world. I feel lucky that I’m a part of the world where I can do anything I want to… But sometimes it’s just hard to choose what you want to do. Or well, I know what I want: But it’s hard to be picky when you love so many things and feel like you have so many passions. But I’ve also discovered the down sides with a lot of these things as well. Especially with being a public figure, but I guess because of social media a lot of us can relate to that.

I love making YouTube videos, but obviously I wouldn’t have made videos like “morning routine” and “18 things I love about guys” if it wasn’t for the intention of sharing it on this plattform. Before YouTube I used to make short films, funny videos and spend hours of just finding new effects for the editing part – without having any intention of sharing it anywhere.

I’ve always loved all of the things I’m doing now, and I still do. But I think my intentions has shifted a little. Most of the things I create today is because I expect an audience. I expect a certain number. I want to see the likes, comments, subscribers, streams and views roll in. It’s OK to visualize and hope for that: The problem is that when it becomes my main goal. When that is my drive. When the outer motivation eats the inner motivation. When I don’t come up with an idea because it’s a cool idea, but because I feel like I need to post something and want to see the number of views. That’s not what drives my creativity. Sometimes I wonder if I was more creative at the age of 13 than today.

1234747-9-1318179214250
13 year old Tina with her first DSLR camera… I took that with me everywhere I went. 
What I learned from this, is that it’s not always so much about what you do, but how you do it. I’m not saying I now want to drop everything I do now and go back to my film director dream (even though that has been a temptation a couple of times), but I should be careful with what drives me. Let’s say I want to create a media company where my focus is to work with influencers: I’d want to be creative and make some cool projects and try to do fun marketing, as a fun project itself. Not being driven by the views or money. Just because something is commerce, doesn’t mean it can’t be good. There’s a reason why pop music is the most commerce genre – it’s because people like it.

So my tip for you reading this, is that you should look at what drives you – and does it work? Does it seem meaningful to you? Are some passions better as a hobby, or vice versa? If you want to become a singer and make a living of it, you gotta remember it’s so much more than just “singing”. It’s the environment, the people, social media, being compared to other singers, management, business stuff, and the list goes on. And what does it take to be a singer expect just having a good voice? Do you really think you would be happy doing it for a living? This is obviously something you need to experience for yourself, so if you do have a dream, chase it. You’ll find out on the way. You won’t know unless you try. I’m just giving the critical questions as well to point out that there are other things than just the “main quality” itself when choosing a career. Maybe you wouldn’t see yourself as a lawyer, but do you like solving problems? Do you think it would be fun to fight for justice everyday? Do you think criminal justice for example sounds exciting? Would you feel safe knowing you’d have a stable income every month? You get my point.

I just realized the topic for this post could be a lot of things, like “When visions starts to change…”, “Inner VS Outer motivation” and the winner “What are you “meant to do”?”. But I hope there was some sort of clear point to this (even though I was kind of everywhere, as usual). This is one of those nights where I felt it so in my stomach that I had to write something.

Please tell me if you have any thoughts regarding this! And you definitely deserve a huge cookie, pizza and ice cream if you read all of this… Love, Career Material xx

Stress & anxiety: My little breakdown… In public

Leave a comment

Hi guys!

Long time no see. What have I been up to? Well… Stressing.

I’ve been busy with finals. This semester I’ve had 3 exams so far – 1 more to go. Also, I’ve had a couple of performances with my music and been working on YouTube-related things. There has been a lot happening.

It’s weird. I thought there was so much time for me to study for finals. But suddenly they were here. I have felt guilt most of time, considering I haven’t read as much as I should. I think one of the exams went pretty well, but the rest…? They are more math-related subjects, and not something you can learn in 2 weeks. I’ve gone to most of the lectures, but the teachers usually go through “what you were supposed to already have read in your textbooks and done related tasks to”. So I guess that didn’t help much…

Ever since around December-time, I’ve gone back and forth in my head. I didn’t want the same things as I’ve wanted before. The goals I created as a 16 year old, had a slightly different direction now. It scared me a little, at the same time I was excited. You can change a lot in 3 years, especially between 16 and 19. But I was confused. What did I really want then? I questioned (still kinda question) my goals, work, environment, friends, boys, family, school, my music…

I’ve had my moments through this semester. But yesterday my body and mind told me they had enough. I was stressing to make it in time for dinner with my parents, and at the same time I was stressing in my head because I felt like I hadn’t read enough for my finance exam that day. And the fact that I still haven’t cracked that code for how to understand the subject really in depth.

I sat on the tram. My phone and all social media related things distracted me. I forgot to leave the tram at the right station. When I found out I stressed out even more. When we made it to the next station, I knew I needed to run to make the bus. I usually always run to make public transportation in time… But this time, I couldn’t. It was like my thoughts and feelings all weighted me down. It felt super heavy. I felt something weird happening to my body. “Maybe I should go home”, I thought. But then I realized I kinda had already ordered my dinner over the phone, so I felt like I had to keep going. And I actually made the bus in time…

But I felt a sting of regret as I sat down on the bus. My breathing quickened and started to become a bit heavier, and I was super scared to cry on the bus. “It’s OK”, I told myself. “It’s OK”. And the breathing started slowing down.

I arrived at the right station, and entered the restaurant a minute later. I said hi to my parents and sat down. They asked me how things were going, and then it didn’t take 5 seconds before I broke down. And I hate crying in public.

So… After that little breakdown, I’ve already done some changes. First of all, I’m already on a social media detox. The amount of time I spend on social media is something I’ve found is not healthy. Constantly checking for updates, the need to update everyone else on what you are doing, conversations that lasts too long so you forget what you were REALLY supposed to at that time, comparing yourself to people who seem to have the perfect life etc. The list is long. I announced on Snapchat and Insta that I needed a little break for a couple of days.

Second of all: PRIORITIZING. I think I’ve actually already become better at this before the little incident yesterday. I’ve become better at saying no to things if I don’t feel like it’s giving me that much of a value for the direction I want to go in, and saying no to people who I don’t really feel like give me that much energy. But I definitely need to prioritize school more. I already skipped a birthday party today that I was really looking forward to, to spend the time preparing for finance. Not sure whether I’m going to an event and dinner with the colleagues tomorrow night, but if I’m effective with my studying, I might.

So those two are the most important ones. Luckily, the breakdown didn’t make me feel like I needed a break from school or anything like that. I’m actually more motivated. I’ve read a lot of news within economy, and had a “study videos” marathon on YouTube. studyign, Study With Jess and Ana Mascara are some of my favorites so far! Oh, and I also found out about Doctor Mike and his channel yesterday. For those of you who already knows who he is… I don’t need to say anything more ❤

So, guys. Learn from my experience! Don’t stress yourself out. Don’t stress over your future – it’s OK to be confused, and not know what do yet. And definitely, do NOT start studying like crazy 2 weeks before finals. Effing start early. 🙂 I think I’m already going to read this summer and be prepared for the next semester… Bring it on.

Attending award show: Honoring the ones behind the camera

Leave a comment

Gullruten Fagprisen is a Norwegian award show to honor the photographers, video editors etc – basically the “invisible” ones who creates the magic of TV shows and movies in Norway. It was my first time attending this show the other day, and I love that it’s a whole award show dedicated to the master brains behind amazing TV.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

My outfit for the evening. Thanks to Bea for always putting up with me by taking 50 pics, haha… What do you guys think about the outfit?  

Hope everyone have had a fantastic weekend so far!

Exams & finals & stress

2 Comments

school

Hi guys!

About 2-3 weeks left until the first exam for this semester… Yikes! These are the classes I’m enrolled in this year:

– Organizational behavior and leadership
– Finance
– Mathematics for economists
– Statistics for economists

Organizational behavior and leadership is the first one out. This is the subject I enjoy the most, considering it’s a psychology-subject about how we behave at work.  It’s more of a subject you read for rather than doing tasks (like math) to understand & to be good at the subject. The other ones are more math- and economy-related, and I have to say I enjoy more of the psychology- and law classes. I’ve always loved to read about interesting subjects, and especially write. Math and finance is OK I guess, but not what I enjoy the most.

school2

So I was kind of stressed because I realized I had waaaay too many pages left for my O.B.A.L. class, so I decided to sit down and make a plan. On this plan it says how many chapters I need to be through with with a due date. And I’ve actually managed to stick to it!

It’s written in Norwegian though, but if you would like me to make a post with tips on how to study for finals, study routine, how to catch up etc – let me know in the comments!