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“Having my small business keeps me sane. I genuinely look forward to working on it, and that desire is so important because it's hard work. The payoff is great, but you have to really want to do it.”

“Having my small business keeps me sane. I genuinely look forward to working on it, and that desire is so important because it's hard work. The payoff is great, but you have to really want to do it.”

When is it better to keep your side hustle on the side and stay with your day job? Teresa Au speaks to UX designer-by-day, illustrator-by-night Miranda Wong about the pros and cons of working a second shift in a creative field. Miranda shares her strategies for time management, why her illustration business makes her better at her day job, and the hidden rewards of meeting customers and vendors in real life.

 What you’ll hear on this episode:

How Miranda’s creative process has changed since graduating college and starting a job

Her thoughts on how to be creative in a time crunch

Use your body to inspire your creativity — take a walk or dance to a song

Miranda’s new confidence at her day job

A professional breakthrough from speaking her mind

Gaining support at work from early-career colleagues

The benefits of finding a mentor

Why time management is also about attitude

Prioritizing self-care and rest

Why she started Mando’s Bake Shop in the pandemic

Giving to worthy causes is part of the business, not an afterthought

Responding to Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate

Thoughts on future expansion and employee number one: her mom

How Miranda learns from her vendors by visiting them in person

Posting on social shouldn’t be a chore

The importance of creating a consistent brand online

What are the most successful posts?

Choosing self-expression over what’s popular with your followers

The popularity of fan art

Inspiration from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way and Tiffany Tan aka Apple Cheeks

ABOUT THE GUEST

Miranda Wong is a Chinese-Filipino American illustrator and designer based in California. Her illustrations are inspired by everyday life, memories, food and desserts, or anything that celebrates her Asian background and culture. She sells illustrated stationery and decor products online at Mando's Bake Shop.

ABOUT THE HOST

Teresa Au is an executive for community engagement at Adobe. Her career spans diverse creative fields, primarily in New York’s fashion industry, as well as architecture firms, and now Silicon Valley tech companies. She has always prized working with distinctive design and the interesting people behind it — from designer Elie Tahari to start-up CEOs.

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See the full list of episodes from this season of In the Making.