After 15 years of working in the fashion industry, Tam felt a sense of unfulfillment and disconnect. But a newfound love for creating content strategy and producing led her to a new venture. Although still related to the fashion industry, moving into the creative digital industry is a different world. Find out how she found the courage to take that career leap and became her own boss.

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Q: Tell us about your current work roles.

I have recently made the career shift and launched my Creative Agency servicing fashion and lifestyle businesses in the creative digital space.

Q: What led you to that career?

The feeling of unfulfillment and plateau after 15 years as a Designer and Creative Director in the fashion industry has led me to this point. I felt a huge disconnect with the commercialization process of clothing production. In the last few years, my main role as Creative Director was not only to oversee the design and execution of a collection but to ensure that the product is packaged and marketed well to the target audience. With the rise of digital and social media, I always knew the digital industry was going to play an important part in the fashion business, but for personal ethos, I resisted the social media craze for too long. I didn’t know how my life as a Designer could be impacted until I started producing photo shoots for the last fashion company I worked for. I found myself loving the process and naturally creating content strategy which sparked my idea of creating my own agency. I found a niche within start-ups to mid-size fashion businesses that need help communicating and utilizing digital platforms.

Q: What is your educational background?

I studied Fashion Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in NYC and Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles and I have a BA in Business Administration as well.

Q: Did you have any life-changing experiences that led you to what you’re doing today?

Definitely! I had an opportunity five years ago to take a Head of Design position for a heritage bridal label in London. Moving to London changed my life personally and professionally – it opened doors and my mind to new people and experiences I would have never received had I stayed in the States my entire life. That’s also where I made personal connections with lifelong friends and met my fiancé as well. It was the best career and life move!

Q: How has your family and upbringing influenced your career choices?

Growing up in a first-generation immigrant household taught me a lot about the value of hard work and not taking opportunities for granted. My parents worked very hard to come to the States to start a new life for themselves and their children. It was difficult to understand when I was younger, but now that I’m in my late thirties, I can see the sacrifices that they made to ensure that my sisters and I had every chance of success that they were not given having been uprooted from a war-torn country. Fortunately, my family is doing well now and I am so grateful that they have instilled those values in me.

Q: What are you most proud of accomplishing?

I don’t think there is one thing I am most proud of. I look back on my career and realize that I am proud of all the accomplishments that I made and I persevered through them despite the hard work. Life is a journey and we learn from all experiences and it’s led me to this place. If I had to choose, I’m most proud of my perseverance and not giving up. Many people leave fashion because they only see the beauty and the fun bits, but it’s not all glamorous, it’s a lot of hard work and dedication.

Life is a journey and we learn from all experiences and it’s led me to this place. If I had to choose, I’m most proud of my perseverance and not giving up.

Q: What would you say motivates you most to do what you do?

What motivates me the most is my passion for creative expression and human connection. I was born a very creative person and always needed an outlet for self-expression. To be able to do this and make it a career is a blessing!

On Making a Career Shift

Q: How did you find the courage to leap from one field to another?

It's always scary to take a leap of faith and not know what it may lead to on the other side, but experience has taught me that it can’t be worse than living in misery for the rest of my career. I had several opportunities to make career shifts and made a major one when I moved to London - that opportunity proved to be a very favorable one. Although scary not having ever moved outside the country nor knowing anyone there, I took the chance and it paid off. How I see it is if history repeats itself, then this will be as successful if not better a career move.

It's always scary to take a leap of faith and not know what it may lead to on the other side, but experience has taught me that it can’t be worse than living in misery for the rest of my career.

Q: What has been the greatest challenge for you when it comes to switching careers?

I always embrace challenges because I have an insatiable appetite for learning and achieving goals. I hate to be bored especially at work. I would say the greatest “challenge” would be starting over in a new industry that you’re familiar with, but may not know all the tricks of the trade. Although still related to the fashion industry, moving into the creative digital industry is a different world. I have to make new connections and learn as I go which takes time. The beauty with this industry is that it's been disrupted by technology, so we are all learning and evolving – it levels the playing field for veterans and newbies.

A sample of Tam’s work in her creative agency, Creative Revolution

Q: What advice do you have for others who are still trying to find their passions?

I’ve done a lot of consulting with friends on this topic and I always go back to the same thing. Write down a list of the things that you find most enjoyable. Try them out for size. It doesn’t matter if you don’t think that your most favored hobby could be a career - it might just surprise you and you could discover a market for your specific talents. We live in an amazing time in history where you can turn almost any of your passions into a career and market them online for the whole world to see. I have a friend who has a unique talent for painting Russian dolls on fingernails and she became very famous for it! Vogue even featured her in one of their editorials. There is no better time than now to launch your passion project!

It doesn’t matter if you don’t think that your most favored hobby could be a career - it might just surprise you and you could discover a market for your specific talents.

Q: What’s next for you, what are you looking forward to?

Since I recently launched my creative agency, I look forward to prospecting new clients and working on new projects. I want to get back into producing photo shoots and working with the talent again.

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Learn more about and connect with Tam at:

Website: https://www.creativerevolutionagency.com/

Instagram: @crtv_rvltn

From Designer to Creative Agency Founder: Tam Trinh