When Your Old Life Becomes Part of Your New One

Shavonne Wong is a new media artist working in the NFT space today.

But before all of that, she was a well-established fashion photographer.

Her work had been featured in major magazines, and she had photographed celebrities and worked in an industry that, from the outside, seemed like the dream career for a photographer.

Then COVID happened.

Like many people in the creative industry, her work came to a sudden stop. Studios closed, restrictions were everywhere, and photography assignments that once required her to be out in the world simply weren't possible anymore.

But sometimes, when one door closes, you end up walking through another one.

For Shavonne, that was digital art.

We were commissioned by an art gallery to create a brand story video featuring her, where she shared how she transitioned from being a fashion photographer into becoming a digital artist.

And I found her story really interesting.

Not because she completely changed direction, but because she didn't really leave her old life behind.

She took it with her.

As a digital artist, much of Shavonne's work happens behind a computer. Obviously, we could film her sitting there, working away, clicking around on a screen.

But that wouldn't really tell us much.

For one, we couldn't show everything she was working on because of confidentiality. And secondly, watching someone sit in front of a computer for several minutes isn't exactly the most exciting thing to watch.

So I started thinking about how we could visually connect her past with her present.

And the answer was right there in front of us.

Her photography.

We filmed Shavonne surrounded by her published photographs, magazines and books from her years as a fashion photographer.

Suddenly, the story made much more sense.

These weren't just old photographs.

They were part of the person she had become.

The years she spent photographing people, understanding light, composition, emotions, expressions and human connection didn't disappear when she moved into digital art.

They followed her.

Everything she had learnt as a photographer became part of how she approached her new work.

And I think that's something we often overlook when we talk about changing careers or starting something new.

We sometimes think we have to start from zero.

“I'm doing something completely different now, so everything I learnt before is useless.”

But maybe that's not true.

Maybe the things you've learnt along the way are simply waiting for you to use them somewhere else.

Your previous experiences, failures, skills, relationships and even the things you thought were wasted time can become part of the next chapter.

Shavonne's story reminded me of that.

It also made me think about why I enjoy making brand story videos in the first place.

To me, a brand story isn't simply about telling people what you do.

It's about understanding why you do it.

Before we started filming, I spent time talking to Shavonne and understanding her work, her journey, and what she wanted people to feel when they encountered her art.

She spoke a lot about emotions, connection and love.

Those things became important elements of the story.

Because when you're making an introductory video for someone, you're essentially giving them a first handshake with your audience.

You have a limited amount of time to tell people:

This is who I am.
This is what I care about.
This is what I'm trying to create.

And hopefully, someone on the other side of the screen connects with it.

That's why I think trying too hard to impress can sometimes work against you.

I've seen it happen.

We try to sound smarter.

We use bigger words.

We try to make ourselves look more successful.

We try to become the version of ourselves that we think people want to see.

And sometimes, you can feel it.

There's something slightly forced about it.

I think people are much better at sensing that than we realise.

When I interviewed Shavonne, I wasn't trying to turn her into someone she wasn't.

I simply wanted to understand her.

And once you understand someone, the story becomes much easier to tell.

You don't have to manufacture a personality.

You don't have to force a message.

You just have to find the interesting parts of who they already are and bring them forward.

That's probably one of the biggest lessons I've learnt from making these kinds of films.

You don't always need to become someone new to tell a new story.

Sometimes, the old version of you is already part of the story.

Shavonne didn't throw away her years as a photographer when she became a digital artist.

She built on them.

And perhaps that's what growth really looks like.

Not starting over.

Just taking everything you've learnt so far and seeing where it can take you next.

And when you're comfortable enough to be yourself along the way, everything becomes a little easier.

The story flows.

The work flows.

And hopefully, the people watching can feel that too.

That's when the connection happens.

And that's when, I think, the magic starts.