On Making Lists And Taking Risks: Kayla Galang
Leading up to our Winter ‘20 iteration of WORK, we'll feature select interviews with some of our conference's speakers and thought leaders. In this interview, content strategist and filmmaker Kayla Galang discusses discusses leaving her full-time job and betting on herself. Click here for a look at Winter 2020’s conference schedule.
who:
Kayla Galang is a filmmaker and photographed based in Austin, Texas. She is the co-director of FemBeat, a film production team sharing stories by womxn and wisdom for everyone, and a partner at Breakfast, a boutique social content and strategy agency. Through FemBeat, she aims to candidly explore different feminist experiences and the intersections that inform them.
What are you currently working on? What does your work life look like?
I've been juggling a lot after quitting a full time job I held for three and a half years. For both FemBeat and Breakfast, I'm dreaming of and manifesting what I want both of businesses to look and feel like in the day-to-day. I'm working with my teams to answer questions like: How do we operate? What's our next move? What are our values? How do we take care of ourselves? How do we take care of our people? What are the impacts we want to create? And as a freelance filmmaker, I'm taking a leap by developing a proof-of-concept short adapted from a feature film I've been writing for the past year-and-a-half. All exciting stuff! I can't really describe what my work life looks like because it's kind of all over the place. I work most days to a large extent, but I try to focus on taking care of myself with breaks and rest. I indulge a little too much sometimes, though. (Still working on it!)
What goals are you working toward and how do you intend to reach them?
In the long term, I'm working toward being a career film writer and director who tells candid and honest stories, narrative and documentary. I intend to do that by making more films, continuing to create in different mediums like photo and design, and throwing myself in situations where I have to be brave. Between FemBeat and Breakfast, I get to do all of these things. I trust that if I keep doing and doing, I'll continue to learn, level up, increase my earning potential (filmmaking ain't cheap!), and hone my voice.
How do you hold yourself accountable to long-term and short-term goals?
I say them out loud to myself and to my friends and family. I make myself and my people aware of what I value and what I want to do. I'm pretty self-motivated and fairly okay at sticking to the plans I outline, but I always get that extra boost from my people who are also invested in me and my growth. For instance, my partner, Will, always checks in and asks how I'm doing with writing. My parents tend to ask how FemBeat's going and who our current/next subject is. It's like I've planted all these loving reminders in different places of my life. It keeps me moving.
How do you train your intuition?
By trying my hardest to listen to it rather than push it away! I'll be honest: I usually pause to self-doubt and talk myself out of things. Lately, I've tried to repurpose that pause to take a deep breath and acknowledge my trust in myself. I've learned and lived through a lot—I should trust my gut.
What's something you've unlearned lately that you're grateful for?
Two things that sorta go hand-in-hand: 1.) that you have to make everyone happy and bend over backwards to do so, and 2.) that standing up for yourself is bossy and/or mean. It's not inherently mean to advocate for yourself and your point of view, and it's impossible to make everyone happy—even when you're being a constant ray of sunshine. If clients and partners walk away from you for knowing your worth and not bending to everyone's will, let them. You'll find people who are in it for the long haul.
Do you have any daily habits that are crucial to your workflow or stress management?
Lists are crucial to my workflow. I love writing lists! (I love writing them so much that I recently gifted myself with a beautiful task pad and pen that I took, like, 45 minutes to select at the stationery store.) I kind of lump together everything I have and want to do, and go from there. It's satisfying to cross things off and take note of what I'm easily able to finish and what I usually gloss over (laundry, sigh). You can get a lot of insight into yourself and your habits by analyzing your lists. I've also recently discovered that I love mindful walking. It gets me out of my head and can really help me reframe even the shittiest day. Trying to make that a daily habit.
About WORK: WORK is a biannual conference, exploring ideas and approaches to creative, collaborative and entrepreneurial work. Hosting 300 guests every summer and winter, this biannual, one-day event's panels, workshops and speaker sessions touch on personal and professional development, marketing, wellness, business management and entrepreneurship. Our next conference pops up on January 11, 2020 at Rowling Hall in Austin, Texas. ✨Click here for more information.
