Fashion photography taught me about life—rejections and all

An editorial shot by the author for Vogue Taiwan

It has been 10 years since I decided to venture into fashion and photography, become a traveler, and pursue a dream—to shoot for the greatest magazines and produce beautiful work. The plan was to sustain a comfortable life and live and work permanently as an artist in Europe, all while toiling in three different continents.

I left Singapore (where I worked as software developer) in 2011, and moved between New York, London (where I resided most of the time), Milan, and Paris during the fashion weeks, and elsewhere for the remainder of each year. But since 2020, I have been back home here in the Philippines.

Looking back over the past decade, I learned many things. Here are my personal reminders:

It is okay to dream, big or small. In my case, it was the former. There were many rejections and hurdles.
Learn to move on after each rejection. Borrowing a line from the late American singer Aaliyah, “If at first you don’t succeed, then dust yourself off and try again.” Improve, and restart better.

If it doesn’t work, it’s okay, too. Pat yourself on the back for trying.

Sometimes, a break, a breath of fresh air, will give us a clearer direction of our dreams.

Pause for few seconds. Proceed.

Know when it is time to end it. Stopping even when you haven’t achieved it isn’t equivalent to failure.

Hold on (if you can). Continue the journey. Continue reading.

There are times when our frail human nature gives in.

There were dark days in my early endeavors when I felt completely alone, and my path was downright uncertain. Personal and societal pressures were too difficult to cope with. I succumbed to despair, and resorted to sexual dependency in the hope of finding temporary comfort and strength. In the long run, it didn’t work.