I first came in contact with Brian Rhee during the early stages of this site. He read a couple of my articles and informed me about his dream of getting work in industrial design.

There was something about him that struck me during our correspondence. Itā€™s hard to say exactly what but you knew that there was something there.

A fire.
An ā€œitā€ factor.
A desire to see things through and I always had a feeling that he would accomplish what he set out to do.

He had been coming to this site daily for over six months from the very beginning of it and he told me that it really helped him focus in on what he wanted most and helped him learn how to reach out and take it.

Recently, I had the distinct privilege of getting an email from him informing me of his recent success.

I knew that other people out there would have loved to read about his story and would benefit from it and he actually offered to pass along his knowledge and experience to them over the blog so I took it upon myself to compose a list of questions to help frame his story in order to take advantage of that.

To save time on both ends, I emailed him the list of questions and asked him to answer them at his earliest convenience.

Below are the results of our endeavors. His story is a very, very good read and I think it addresses a lot of things that people think about, people of all ages - fears, concerns, doubts, problems, etc., and it shows what one person was truly going through to achieve his goal and how he dealt with it all, how he took that leap of faith and how it all worked out in the end.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Brian for doing this. I really appreciate it and I know those reading this will greatly appreciate it as well.

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Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself?

I am a 24 year old industrial designer living in New York City. I grew up in the suburbs of Detroit and graduated from the University of Michigan.

How did you come to find BrianKim.net?

I googled ā€˜business entrepenuershipā€™ and found a website with a link to BrianKim.net. This was over a year ago, in the formative months of the website.

How did you know industrial design was your passion?

My passion is in being challenged to learn and adapt, in being creative, in problem solving, and in creating systems. I find the pursuit and triumph of a challenge to be exhilarating.

ID fulfills these requirements. You have a design problem. How do you do x when you are limited by y and z? How do you make it fit into the consumerā€™s life? How do you make it look aesthetically pleasing, at the same time?

ID requires one to learn about the objective and criteria of a design problem fully before you can apply it to a product. Because of this, it fulfills me.

How did you know that industrial design was ā€œitā€? That it was what you truly loved to do?

I actually stumbled into it. As a child, my parents put me through art classes, but in high school they wanted me to become a doctor or engineer.

I was very rebellious in this stage of my life. I got into drugs and began devaluing school, but never seriously enough to denounce college. However, I decided I never wanted to study from a book again. I hated the monotony of memorization and regurgitation. If I was going to college, it was going to be for something I liked to do. Which happened to be art.

I chose Industrial Design because it sounded cool on the college applications. I learned more about it when I started the program and realized the profession really fit me.

Yet I still floated along this path until my final semester of college. I decided to commit to it four months before graduation. To let it go would have left me with nothing. I would have to start over. I had come down this path too far to turn back.

You mentioned that you decided to move to New York City to find work. How was that journey like? What kind of obstacles did you have to face and overcome? How did you handle the financial aspect of that?

I decided to come to NY because I was floundering in Michigan. I wasnā€™t using my degree and was on the verge of trying something else that would get me a job. Fortunately, something in me wasnā€™t ready to give up on ID. I had to give it a legitimate shot. This meant moving to New York, Chicago, LA, or San Francisco.

I picked October 1, 2006 as a move date and left for NY without housing or a job set up. I packed my computers, clothes, and guitars in a car and drove east. I had 2 housing appointments set up through Craigslist, and that was it. I visited both places and chose an apartment in Manhattan.

Financially, it was rough. Four months of unemployment in Manhattan cost me $10,000. $4k in my personal funds, $2k from my parents, and $4k on my Visa. My apartment was $3k just to move in, in first monthā€™s rent, last monthā€™s rent, and security deposit. Initially I also spent a little too much trying to fit in. I ate out, went to bars, bought new clothes, with the over confident mindset that I would find a job immediately.

Socially, I had only one friend from home in the area. It really pushed me to being ok alone. I had to really learn to do things alone.

What kept you going when things were tough?

Two lyrics of encouragement:

From a journal entry, circa 2003:
I live in the hope for another day;
That the next will be better than the last.

Words of encouragement I derived from Think and Grow Rich and BrianKim.net:
Cultivate desire.
Develop focus.
Winners never quit.
Quitters never win.

Mid-November, my initial job leads dried up and I was looking at the holidays. My actions were those of a depressive, but my mental state was not. I became an insomniac, didnā€™t get out of bed until 4 pm at my worst, bathed only once every couple days, barely ventured outside, and didnā€™t eat until I was starving and absolutely needed to.

Emotionally, I was homesick and lonely, but I never felt down and out. I never wanted to give up. My initial efforts of finding a job were not bearing any fruit so I became used to not doing much of anything. I could have easily lost grip on who I was and what I was trying to do, but luckily I had my journals and a sister in Philadelphia.

A month in, I knew I was off my rocker and did everything I could to pull it back together, to move forward. I visited my sister for Thanksgiving. She reminded me of where I came from. I reread my journals constantly to remind myself of who I was and where I wanted to go.

This is when the first journal entry really helped me out. Those lines struck a chord in me: I live with hope for another day; that the next will be better than the last.

I have the belief that I control the direction of my life. I believe that the things I do today effect my quality of life tomorrow. So, I began doing one thing every day to make it better and more productive than the last, and also planned how to make tomorrow better than today.

It started as simply as waking up and immediately taking a shower, a ritual Iā€™d given up many weeks prior. Investing in this belief snowballed my daily actions into drawing, computer modeling, and reworking old student projects for up to 14 hours a day, every day from early December to the end of January. I set a goal to develop and showcase a professional skillset in my portfolio.

My character also kept me going. My deepest fear is that Iā€™m not good enough to do what I want and, ultimately, be a failure. In Michigan, every one of my friends believed I would fail. They believed I would come home with my tail between my legs. I refused to look like a fool for trying something they were all too afraid to do.

Financially, I had until the end of February before I would have to plan a return to Michigan. I secured my job January 29, 2007.

What have you learned on your journey so far?

Commitment. Once you decide what you want, chart your course and do not steer away from it. It is appropriate to alter your route along the way, but it is not appropriate to alter your final destination. Otherwise, you second guess yourself, and it can be paralyzing.

Early January, I realized I was about to max out my credit cards. Iā€™d gotten to the point where I was paying my $1000 monthly rent with cash advances. So, I briefly tried finding a temp office job.

I failed finding a temp office job because I had spent all my time up to that point preparing for an ID job. I had to put the same amount of effort into learning Microsoft Office. After a two week effort, I quit and resumed my search for an ID job.

I felt as though I had invested too much time and effort into Industrial Design to start a new path. I felt as though I had to invest the same amount of time and energy to achieve something I didnā€™t want. I was at 95% and needed to give ID the final 5% push to get what I wanted.

Intension manifestation is real. If you consume yourself with one goal and work towards it, little by little, day by day, it will happen. Thatā€™s just the way things work. Conversely, you canā€™t shoot for too many goals at once; nothing will get accomplished. You also cannot alter course; that renders your previous efforts a waste.

Iā€™ve also learned that Iā€™ve made sacrifices to get here. I sacrificed $10,000 and my entire social circle of friends and family to get here. These sacrifices are worth it because Iā€™ve accomplished what I set out to do. I am happy knowing that I have continued moving down a path that I feel is right for me.

How does it feel knowing and doing what you love to do?

It feels good knowing Iā€™m on the right path. But Iā€™m always reevaluating where Iā€™m at and what Iā€™m doing. You canā€™t ever let yourself to get comfortable or else life becomes boring and stagnant.

Do I truly believe this is what I want to do the rest of my life? No. But industrial design is my starting point, and as that, I love it. It fulfills me, it allows me to enjoy living in downtown Manhattan, and it gives me a new vantage point. By vantage point, I mean that this is a very good stepping stone. I have found my way into a start up that teaches me skills outside of industrial design, ranging from marketing and branding to presenting to venture capitalists and angel investors.

For me, ā€œitā€ is being an entrepreneur. It will allow me to set up income generating systems that will allow me to spend my time as I please. I am not going to work 40 hrs/week, nor let my life hang in the hands of my employer for the rest of my life.

This will allow me to generate quality life experiences. I want to share these moments with people important to me. I am happiest when I know I am getting the most out of life.

What kind of advice would you give to those who are still on the journey of finding what they love to do?

Most often, what you love to do is hard to find because you have already been doing it your entire life. It is a part of you. It is a defining characteristic that is obvious to the outside observer, but blind to you because you have lived with it your entire life.

I would also recommend discovering your purpose in life and using that to drive you to find what you love to do. It is fundamental to know this before you find what you love to do. What you do must support your lifeā€™s purpose.

What kind of advice would you give to those who have found what they love to do, but are too afraid to pursue it?

Commit to accomplishing just one thing a day, no matter how small. The goals will grow larger naturally, but you must learn to spend time with it everyday. Sustained effort is 90% of the fight. If it is what you love to do, it will slowly consume you until that is all you think about and do. This is the place you want to reach.

For two months, I spent 14 hours working on my portfolio, 1 hour at the gym, 1 hr eating, and 8 hrs sleeping. Everyday. You canā€™t jump into that, but you can certainly start at 15 minutes every day.

The key is to learn how to integrate what you love to do into your daily life. Consistency is key.

Any last pieces of advice you want to give to motivate and inspire others to go for their goals and dreams?

When you find your lifeā€™s purpose, it will guide you in ways unimaginable. Life will always bring you to a crossroads, where a decision will irreversibly impact your course. Knowing oneā€™s life purpose makes that decision easier. It becomes your compass and keeps you pointed in the right direction. It helps manage the anxiety associated with these crossroads and squelches your second guessing thoughts.

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The first thing I want to say is that I admire Brian for putting himself out there like this. His story has a very genuine refreshing tone to it and itā€™s very honest. He doesnā€™t hold back. He tells it all - the good and the bad.

When people start reading the interview, I have a feeling that they will quickly be able to relate and connect with his thoughts on some level and start to ā€œpullā€ for him to succeed as they read through his story.

He had the courage to take that leap of faith and move to New York without any guarantees. Times did get rough for him, but he pulled through, with the help of his own tenacity, beliefs, his sister, his journal, his thoughts, books, and articles.

Thereā€™s so much ā€œmeatā€ to this interview, so much great advice that I could probably write pages upon pages about it, but his words more than suffice.

Brian stressed the importance of commitment and one of the things that struck me regarding that issue was this part of the interview:

ā€œMy character also kept me going. My deepest fear is that Iā€™m not good enough to do what I want and, ultimately, be a failure. In Michigan, every one of my friends believed I would fail. They believed I would come home with my tail between my legs. I refused to look like a fool for trying something they were all too afraid to do.

Financially, I had until the end of February before I would have to plan a return to Michigan. I secured my job January 29, 2007.ā€

Talk about sticking it through to the very end and never giving up!

Brian also points out another common phenomenon that most people will relate to ā€“ the fact that most of those around you, if not all, will unfortunately NOT believe that you can do ā€œitā€, whatever that ā€œitā€ is for you.

The key is not to become discouraged by this but to use it by leveraging it toward your favor.

Everyone will encounter tough times - you get through it however you can and start building back up little by little.

ā€œA month in, I knew I was off my rocker and did everything I could to pull it back together, to move forward. I visited my sister for Thanksgiving. She reminded me of where I came from. I reread my journals constantly to remind myself of who I was and where I wanted to go.

This is when the first journal entry really helped me out. Those lines struck a chord in me: I live with hope for another day; that the next will be better than the last.

I have the belief that I control the direction of my life. I believe that the things I do today effect my quality of life tomorrow. So, I began doing one thing every day to make it better and more productive than the last, and also planned how to make tomorrow better than today.ā€

And with regards to purpose:

ā€œI would also recommend discovering your purpose in life and using that to drive you to find what you love to do. It is fundamental to know this before you find what you love to do. What you do must support your lifeā€™s purpose.

When you find your lifeā€™s purpose, it will guide you in ways unimaginable. Life will always bring you to a crossroads, where a decision will irreversibly impact your course. Knowing oneā€™s life purpose makes that decision easier. It becomes your compass and keeps you pointed in the right direction. It helps manage the anxiety associated with these crossroads and squelches your second guessing thoughts.ā€

Very wise words for a relatively young person indeed.

These are just a few parts of the interview that I wanted to mention again, but the entire interview itself is a goldmine of inspiration and advice that I know people of all ages will benefit from.

Iā€™ll end this article with the quote from Brianā€™s journal that helped him get through the tough times.

ā€œI live in the hope for another day;
That the next will be better than the last.ā€

And it certainly looks like the quote held true for him.

  
     

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