Today we’d like to introduce you to Misia Clive.
Misia, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was 19 I decided I wanted to pursue a career in Design. Before then, I had gone to university at 16 between London and Paris where I lived. I wrote, illustrated and self-published a children’s book and had an agent helping me grow my career as an illustrator. However, I then decided I wanted to try something different. I decided I wanted to work in technology to use my creativity to innovate real, tangible, experiences. By 21 I had moved to Los Angeles, was a Lead Designer working with clients such as Nike and Uber, and designing software, apps, and experiences. Now, today, I am 23. I’m getting married in a few days to my soulmate and business partner. Together we are building a business centered around the arts and design. We look to push the boundaries of what it means to be creative, what it takes to come up with true innovation, what it takes to be true to the self and channel creativity from the heart.
Has it been a smooth road?
Overall, it’s been pretty smooth, I’m incredibly surprised. And I think I owe it all to not trying to ‘control’ events in my life. There was a time when I thought I always knew what I wanted. I would say “I want this for my life”, and I found out I was almost always wrong, I hardly ever knew what was truly best for me. One day, I decided that instead of asking, I would say that I was ready for whatever was best for me in this moment and that I would not try and dictate what that was. And ever since then, I have been the luckiest person in the world. I’ve always found amazing work, been around amazing people, even met my partner for life so young. I am incredibly happy where I am, and at the same time, I’m open to anything that comes my way.
When you look back, what are you most proud of?
I think my proudest moment so far was when I realized that my identity was not linked to the career that I chose. That I can change paths at any time, and it will just add to who I am, rather than be known as the person that does “x” or “y”. This moment allowed me to find freedom in exploration.
Tell us more about the struggles you’ve faced along the way.
The struggles were the moments of unknown. The moment where I decided to make a big change in my life and was uncertain how it would go. I had to truly trust in myself to get through them, but without a doubt, it’s still a struggle every time.
Is there something we can do as a city to improve the outlook for professionals like you?
I feel like LA is a perfect place to start out. It throws you into the thick of it. There are hundreds of events, meetups, and classes that can allow you to truly dive deeply into the career you want to pursue. For me, this city has definitely been a blessing career wise, and lifestyle wise.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.misiaclive.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/misiaclive/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/misiacliveillustrations/
- Other: https://dribbble.com/misiaclive
