by Michelle Kim, Junior Artistic Engineer/Illustrator at VPG
My name is Michelle Kim and I have been a Junior Artistic Engineer at VPG since I was seventeen years old. I also illustrated two books Ashley Cheung authored on leadership and team building: Building a Leadership Habitat and Collaborating in Competitive Ecosystems. I also enjoy video editing, so Ashley often gives me assignments which help me grow my skills. This is so important to me as a young artist navigating the professional world.
For this assignment, I was asked to listen to and edit the video of the podcast interview of Lisa Sun. Additionally, I reflected on my confidence styles by taking the myconfidencelanguage.com quiz. Lisa Sun is the author of Gravitas: The 8 Strengths that Redefine Confidence.
Sun believes that confidence is a mindset that drives behaviors. The eight strengths are: leading, performing, achieving, giving, knowing, creating, believing, and self-sustaining. My superpowers are creating and giving, which I found interesting.
The topic of confidence has been discussed by many people, but Sun made it feel more approachable. Gaining confidence is not a fast nor a straightforward process. Many of the points raised by Sun resonated with me as she talked about how, even before you look for qualities you want, you should acknowledge the good traits you already have. Sometimes learning about how to gain confidence for us Gen-Zers can be overwhelming as we have not had much work experience. This podcast interview, however, through stories about Sun’s upbringing and the start of her business, showed me how to navigate the journey from humble beginnings to success, which is where she is now; I like her approach.
Sun's interview served as a reminder that confidence is a journey of self-discovery and self-empowerment. By embracing authenticity and embodying gravitas, I aspire to navigate my career with newfound assurance and conviction.