Redefining Success
I had longed for an office job for years! YEARS! I’d always worked in random jobs that were more physically demanding. I kind of always thought an office kind of job was what it meant to be successful for me.
When I moved to Australia in 2017, an office job was not on the cards due to study. I gained a lot of skills in the food and beverage industry… I would actually say I THRIVED in that industry for a while, i made TIPS… in AUSTRALIA... that means something (I think). I worked at a water park, at a vineyard, as a barista, I managed (kind of… when the owner would let me) a cafe in Canberra, and then.. broke my foot 10 days before my wedding! (talk about bad timing!)
I had applied for 50 office jobs when I was allowed back to work. I ended up working as a Dental Receptionist full time — my first non-casual, full time job! Hooray!
After a year and a half at my office job, I gave birth. Expecting to take only 6 months of maternity leave, I went back to the office two days a week for 5 weeks but did not transition well and realised I was not mentally healthy enough to take on work along with sending my son to day care. I took another 6 months off and returned to work two days a week for 8 months.
THEN I QUIT my office job.
Ive never quit without another job in hand! This time I was quitting to be self-employed as an ARTIST! WHO ME?!
I low key wanted my bosses to say ‘no stay! please! we need you! we love you!’ but they were so supportive of my desire to try a new thing!
I’d done art for a long time — I opened my art instagram page in 2018 during a creative challenge and kept going from there.
When I was dating my now husband, I made three big pieces of art for his computer room. I was so dang proud of myself! I’d been dabbling in acrylics for a few years by then but never thought I’d actually make much money.. I never believed I’d succeed as an artist outside of my family and friends.
Kobe Bryant Dunk, Fresh Prince Surprise, Kendrick in Colour. (Alia Menezes, 2021) Prints available in shop
I got hit HARD with postpartum depression, I thought I’d lost my passion for art all together… I mean, I created a few digital things here and there but felt I’d never get the chance to paint with acrylics again. My infant/toddler has zero chill when it comes to allowing me to do my own thing.. even my own thing in the same room as him. He also was a terrible night sleeper so I spent every day nap sleeping because I was so damn exhausted.
My husband and I discussed at Christmas 2025 that quitting my day job to back myself in art felt like a once in a life time opportunity. It was now or never. It was impossible to make an art business with only one day a week to myself so I needed to resign and jump in!
I thought having 4 months to ‘prep’ would be great, but honestly when you have a toddler, a husband, a house (and SO MUCH GRASS TO MOW) and a part time job, it’s surprisingly hard to get anything productive done on your only day off cause there’s about a million things to do on that day… I focused a lot of effort on painting a series of crushed pop cans that I had been thinking about for a while. Originally I thought it would just be a cool series to do.. I didn’t actually consider HOW MUCH it would teach me in such a short amount of time.. I tried to decide what kind of style and what techniques to use.. I tried a few and really only LOVED the third one.. but damn I learned so much about light and shadow and colour mixing.
If I’m honest… I’m totally terrified. There’s a lot of admin work in starting and continuing a business like this… But hoping and praying I can show my son (who is totally into anything artsy/messy) that he could make a dream come true and work a non-conventional job if he wants to, he only needs to believe in himself and have a support network (even if it’s just us to begin with.)
Success to me, used to mean having an office job… then the thought of success meant I’d have a fully thriving art business and be commissioned multiple times a month with my artwork in local stores and a confident ‘I’m an artist’ when someone asks what I do for work. But now, even if I don’t find ‘success’ in full time art, at least I tried! At least I wont spend my whole life wondering what might have happened… At least I learned some new skills, made some new art, and maybe some new friends along the way.
At least I gave it my best go and that to me is success redefined.
I’m going to keep showing up, keep making art that makes me happy, and as I heal from the grief that has gripped me over the last couple years, I’m going to do my damnedest to be myself.
Have fun, be yourself,
Alia
