Meet Joyce Chang | Creative Project Manager & Visual Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joyce Chang and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joyce, how do you think about risk?
The biggest risk I took on myself was walking away from a sole creative career. I believe risk-taking is an inevitable part of life. Risk-taking has always been a big part of my life and career. I think that risks are there to give you opportunities to try new things, to challenge yourself, and to grow into your potential. My life and career have never been easy. To say the least. There were many risks and obstacles I had to overcome for me to have the career that I have and become the person I am today. The journey I had to take was full of unexpected turns and uncertainty, but it has helped me become more tenacious and determined in the face of hardship.

I want to acknowledge that being able to take risks is a luxury. Not everyone has the time and space to figure out what they truly want in life. But these risks and seemingly backward steps ultimately helped me navigate what I wanted and how I wanted to live the rest of my life entering my 30s. I took a chance on myself to challenge myself and become a more fulfilled version of myself and my work. As I decided to pursue a career less creative, I now have more time to create for myself and enjoy my creative endeavors even more! I believe that taking a risk and committing even when I was reluctant and fearful has led me to appreciate the tenacity I built throughout my life and career.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art has always been a way for me to communicate a meaning, emotion, or mission. I’ve always seen art and creativity as a powerful tool for change and a way to reach people which has led me to the world of advertising. I would say my artistic journey has been unconventional. I never went to an art school and never formally learned art to its fullest. But the one thing that sets me apart from others is that I come from a family of artists and entrepreneurs. My mom is a renowned Korean folk art teacher in the community, my dad is a carpenter and can build almost anything, my oldest sister is a celebrity wedding planner and my second sister is a celebrity hairstylist. I have always been surrounded by art and creativity. I believe that has given me an upper hand in being able to pursue various career paths and to adapt quickly.

Since my childhood, I had a dream of becoming a graphic designer and the creative world was all I knew thanks to the artistic influences of my artist family. At the beginning of my career, I worked as a graphic designer at an established tech company which kickstarted my grand dreams of becoming a creative director one day. Then the pandemic hit. Throughout the following years, I struggled with job searching, freelancing, and figuring out what I wanted in my professional life. At the time, I explored various creative endeavors for fun. Through it, I worked many jobs as a freelance graphic designer, social media manager, and content creator whilst continually feeling unsure if the creative field was truly for me. Dabbling in all these different avenues of creative work was a way for me to explore new areas of work without turning my life upside down.

Last year, I had the opportunity to work as a creative director and operations manager with a renowned global Korean bakery. At the time, I took a risk to achieve my dreams and use my skills and talents to conceptualize and bring to life video and photo campaigns. I wanted to figure out if this path was for me and if I could push myself to my limits conceptualizing great creative work with minimal experience. Some people might have called me foolish for being up for the seemingly large challenge. But, I was up for it and desperately needed a change in scenery in my career. As the work went on, I became burnt out and quickly lost my creative spark more than ever before. I found myself contemplating leaving the creative field altogether as I was job searching again. Either continue pursuing a career I lacked passion in but was comfortable with or try something new.

For most of my 20s, I felt like I was in the center of many crossroads unable to move in one direction or another because of my fear of making the wrong decision. But this year, I realized how unhappy I was pursuing a solely creative career I was burnt out and experienced many obstacles finding a stable job. This crossroad helped me realize that I needed to take a chance on myself fully this time. Whilst navigating my wants for change, I was struggling with mixed emotions of wanting to stick it out, a lack of self-confidence in my creative work, guilt and shame of giving up, and doubts of whether I was truly making the right decision.

Throughout this tumultuous time, I reached out to friends who knew me well and former colleagues in various roles to figure out what was out there. I ultimately wanted to use my previous experiences, natural gifts, and talents to find a new career path that would be the right fit. That was when I landed on creative project management. I had always resonated not only with being a creative, but having an affinity with taking the initiative in managing people and systems, and creating a sense of community. I have always loved efficiency and coming up with innovative ways to make collaboration more enjoyable for everyone. I knew that I wanted to use both my left and right brain in my work and that was what I enjoyed throughout my creative career as well.

With the encouragement of many people in my personal and professional life, I took a chance on myself and started learning all about project management. Exploring my options and unknowingly already using the many skillsets needed to be a creative project manager. It was honestly a breath of fresh air to learn and figure out how I could use my creative background in this new career path. Fast forward a few months, and I am currently working as a creative project manager in the advertising industry. Seeing the bigger picture, I believe all the setbacks big and small has led me to this point of having the courage to pivot even through uncertainty. I was able to push through despite my fears, doubts, and reservations because of these seemingly small and insignificant steps I took prior. Realizing that my hardships weren’t in vain and they were steps, not setbacks leading me to my career today.

I want others to be encouraged by my story of perseverance and tenacity. I was lost and very unsure of myself navigating my career path in my 20s and chasing after the perfect career. If you’re feeling stuck and uninspired, I encourage you to think outside the box! There is no right decision. You will never know what’s out there until you try. It’s okay to fail! It’s another opportunity to grow and could be a powerful motivator. It’s okay to not know and to change your mind on things. There will never be a perfect path, but there will always be a way forward no matter how lost and stuck you feel in the process.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My itinerary for a week long trip in LA would start with breakfast 🍳-
Sycamore Kitchen, Cafe Los Feliz, Alcové Cafe & Bakery, Clark Street Bakery, Calic Bagel

Then we would grab a cup of coffee at either of these coffee shops ☕️ –
Stereoscope Coffee, Yeems Coffee, Harucake, Alchemist Coffee Project, Sightglass Coffee, and Camel Coffee.

Then we would spend many hours at these museums 🖼️ –
The Getty Museum, The Getty Villa, The Broad, The Academy Museum, LACMA

Then off to lunch at my go-to spots 🥪 –
Juntong Sullungtang (Korean beef broth soup), Jinsol Gukbap (Korean pork soup), Twozone Chicken, Witch’s Chicken, Pine & Crane (Taiwanese food), Bodega Park (Korean American sandwich shop)

We would pick up a sweet treat along the way🍦-
Jeni’s Ice Cream, Bacio di Latte Gelato, Tartine Bakery, Uncle Tetsu (Japanese soufflé cheesecakes), Coin De Rue Bakery

Head over to my favorite neighborhoods to sight see and walk around 🏡 –
Abbot Kinney, Larchmont, Beverly Grove, Silverlake, Echo Park, Malibu

Then get some dinner at 🍜 –
Kazunori (Sushi handrolls), Saap Coffee Shop (Thai), Myungdong Kyoja (Korean knife cut noodles), Ahgasshi Gopchang (Korean BBQ), Yukdaejang (Korean braised ribs), Lee Ga (Korean food)

Then end the night with a late night snack aka tacos 🌮 –
El Taurino, Leo’s Tacos, El Chato, King Taco

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shoutout to my friends, family, and colleagues that encouraged me to take risks and just go for it!

Special thanks to:

My former colleague, Carine Tomassian, for guiding me step by step in the world of creative project management and for ultimately helping me make the switch.

To my girls, Pattie, Jo, Michelle, Felicia, Cindy, and Lydia for actively listening to my worries and for the emotional support.

To my community group, for always celebrating my wins and praying with me in the lows.

To my artistic family that has always encouraged me to pursue my creative endeavors and to take risks.

To God for sustaining me and always pulling me through.

Soli Deo Gloria.

Website: https://www.byjoycechang.media

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rarejoy.s/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jjcxchang

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@changjiah

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@joysjiah

Image Credits
Sohyun Lee