Full name?: Stalking Gia
Position / Job title?: Artist / Songwriter
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? I knew exactly what I wanted out of life from an early age, in a way that immediately made me an outcast. I never dreamt up an unrealistic job title, I’ve always set forth in the motion that I was to be a songwriter.
Fast-forward several years/decades. How did you land (or create) your current position? Persistence is everything. You have to know in life that there are people that are going to be more talented, more beautiful, and better suited for a position than you are. The only way to beat them is to outlast them. To continue to have tunnel vision and have faith that your going to reach your goal.
Did you have to take on internships to get there? How important in general, do you think, are internships? I completely believe in internships, but not for the reason most do. I don’t see it as a way to land a job per say, but to test the waters. Even if the internship has nothing to do with your end goal, you’ll gain life experience from it. You’ll have a view from the inside of a certain company or position that you wouldn’t have known otherwise.
Tell us what a typical work day looks like for you. What is your job REALLY like, both the glamorous and not-so-glamorous parts? It’s a 24 hour, 7 days a week kind of job. There is never a time when you’re not thinking about “work”. Technically, my job is to be inspired by life… the good and the bad parts included. If I’m not, then hello writers block. On the artist side of things, not only am I thinking about the songwriting, I’m thinking about artwork, mixes, masters, video content, photo’s, booking shows, promotion, aesthetics.. the list is never ending!
What is the biggest career mistake you’ve ever made? Trusting others around me instead of following my intuition. My fear as coming across as a bitch for speaking my mind. Madonna said it best – ‘I’m tough, I’m ambitious, and I know exactly what I want . If that makes me a bitch, okay.’
What is the single most important piece of advice you would give to other career-minded women? Going back to my last answer for this one. Trust you’re gut feeling. It’s easier said then done, especially if there is a lot on the line… but in the end its better to live without regret.
Let’s talk about work/life balance. What does that mean to you? Is it important? Extremely. If I over do it in the studio and stop living life then I have nothing to write about. The key to songwriting is keeping up that balance.
On that note, do you think women can have it all? Both the baller career, and the happy family? Hell yeah. But I don’t think its about balance in this case. Its about priority. Day to day you’re going to have to focus on whats most important to you. Its impossible to be everywhere at once and keep everyone happy. There will be days when you have no choice but to disappoint others.
If you could look into a crystal ball and see 20 years into your future, what would you want to see? I just want to be happy and well traveled. All the other specifics don’t matter to me.
Do you have any career role models? Who are they? Ivanka Trump is the ultimate career oriented role model.
What is the best piece of advice that you have ever received – career-related or otherwise? Go against the grain.
Parents love to say, “just wait ’til you have to face the real world…” When you were in college or high school, what did you think the “real world” looked like? What is the difference between what you thought and reality? I’ve always been in the “real world”, thats just how I was raised. I’ve spent time with people my age that are currently in Ivy League schools. I used to feel inadequate around them, but the longer I observed the more I realized just how lucky I was. They would tell me how envious they were of me, that my career path was chosen and I knew what I wanted out of life.
Should you work for the money, or do what you love? Do whatever you excel in, if there’s passion behind it. Then you can achieve both.
How important is money to you when considering a job? Not going to lie, money has its benefits… if your just thinking on the creative end and not the business side of things, it could stifle you.
What is the single most important factor of a job? Knowing that there will be growth and promotions in what you do. If you can’t work up to a higher position then there’s really no point in investing your time.
If you married a millionaire husband and didn’t have to work, would you? (Be honest.) That’s an old fashioned type of question. Years ago that would have been the main goal for a women, now most don’t think like that. No matter what, a women should do whatever she intends to do. Without judgement. For me personally, I would never rely on another person for security. Thats the truth.
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