Sometimes, the biggest decisions we make in life don’t exactly turn out the way we want to. With evolving personalities, skills, priorities, and other factors beyond our control, there is a need for us to always go back to what is essential: doing something we love. And in the case of blogger, freelance illustrator/designer and graphic recorder Lorra Angbue-Te, the rewards of doing just this has gone far beyond what she could have ever foreseen.

Although Lorra studied Communication Arts in college, she felt she had not found the track she wanted to pursue under the course. After graduating, she enjoyed her first job as a preschool teacher, but still knew she was still looking for something else. After a short stint as an office girl, she had the dawning realization that the corporate life was not for her.

With the guidance of her then boyfriend and now husband, a writer, illustrator and designer, Lorra soon discovered the ins and outs of freelance work. “I tried freelancing and working at home and felt that it was the best fit for me and what I wanted to do, which is a lot of things,” Lorra says. “Freelancing allows me to pursue several paths - illustration, design, crafts, and doing the occasional teaching - at the same time.”

While she acknowledges that she may have sacrificed stability becoming a freelancer, not having a monthly salary to rely on, but she is proud to say that the big move she made did not feel like a risk at all.

“I've always been someone who would choose pursuing my passion over being on the safe side, but luckily, I think pursuing this particular passion was also the safe bet for me because I wouldn't have been happy otherwise,” she explains. “It's a bigger risk if I choose to do something I'm not passionate about.”

“There are so many rewards that come with pursuing a creative passion,” Lorra adds. “I get to be immersed in so many amazing works by wonderful people. And because of that, I get inspired to work on my style and creative voice and become a better artist every year. It's always fun to constantly learn new things. I love being able to tell the stories I want to tell through my art. Just keep creating and doing what you love, even when things get rough.”

(Photo courtesy of Lorra Angbue-Te)