It was a typical work day. The usual hum of keyboards and the occasional laughter floated through the air. But something was different. Rumors had been swirling for weeks about a potential quarantine and, sure enough, work from home indefinitely.
For most people, this was a huge disruption. They had to scramble to set up remote access and figure out how they would continue to do their jobs and manage to homeschool. But for Destiny Darcel, it was a blessing in disguise.
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Destiny Darcel, a digital artist and illustrator used this time to strengthen a skill that catapulted her career. Working at Apple at the time, Destiny started making graphics explaining Apple pay and Apple Care.
“I hated zoom meetings. I hated working from home. I used to fall asleep in meetings with the camera on. They were literally giving us busy work. [So] I started making graphics explaining Apple pay and Apple Care.”
E: Entrepreneurship is no catwalk – it is hard. It is not a nine to five; it is 24/7. How have you adapted to this, and what are some of the routines you’ve adopted to help you with creating discipline?
It was tough to create discipline. I’m still working actively working on the discipline part of it. When I started amid the pandemic, I had a roommate. We would stay up until five or six in the morning every night and then wake up at two or three the next day. And you cannot conduct business that way. At least, not every day. It started being consistent.
I’ve started a routine and tried to stick to it. I wake up at 6 am daily but may not get up until 7 am. I have time scheduled for content creation and everything. I try to be in bed no later than midnight, so I can wake up and do it all over again. I’m also off on the weekends – I don’t answer emails on Saturdays or Sundays.
- Destiny’s Daily Morning Routine:
- 6:00 am – Wake Up.
- 7:00 am – Get out of bed. Shower + Eat Breakfast + Answer Emails and Make To-Do List
- 10:00am – Create Content
- Noon – Take a Break
E: We know when you’re in corporate, you can leave work at work, but when you’re an entrepreneur, you don’t have that luxury. So, how do you manage your mental health?
I really take the weekend to do nothing literally.
[Though] I still post on the weekends – I post and put my phone down. My weekends are reserved for dinners with my friends. When I take breaks, I work on things I want to work on because it doesn’t feel like work. And whenever I get sleepy. I’m going to take a nap.
E: The “S” Word – Support. Many people lack support in the early stage of entrepreneurship. How did support from your family and managers push you to leave apple? Did you know – it was all going to work?
D: It was just never a doubt in my mind because they made me feel like it wasn’t a doubt in their minds. My managers – always told me they just wanted to see me grow. My mom was hesitant in the beginning. Being a mom – she [just] wanted me to have six months of all my bills saved up before I quit.
Now my mom and dad are a part of my team. She handles the logistics – she proudly packs all of my orders, and my dad handles the finances and makes sure my taxes are paid. Thank God.
E: One piece of advice you can offer someone that’s looking to change their career or getting into digital illustration, what would that advice be?
Consistency. 100% consistency. You can’t form a passion for something without consistently putting in the work and seeing how far you’ve come. If I only drew once every month, I would still be in August of 2020. You have to keep going even when you don’t feel like it. It’s not easy, but that’s what sets people apart.
E: What keeps you struttin’?
Girl, Black women. We are so bomb.
- Strut Confessional:
- I Strut in Nike Flats.
- Something you always say: Always Authentic, Never Perfect.
- Studied Journalism in Undergrad