Today we’d like to introduce you to Hayne Kim.
Hi Hayne, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I’m an English Lit major by training but a jack of all trades. Currently, I work in the auto industry as a product performance manager but I’ve been in marketing, global business, tech, and a few other industries. Photography and fashion have always been interests of mine; like some other people, the past two years? three? of the pandemic have helped me explore that more. I’ve always wanted to wear more Korean hanbok in everyday life instead of special occasions. Being away from the office and having more time to think, has given me that courage. I also wanted to document the kind of creative play you can do with vintage wear with traditional hanbok, as well as more modern looks.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Having varied interests as a child, I’d always heard the quote, “A jack of all trades, a master of none.” Only as an adult, and only a few years ago, did I find the rest of the quote, “a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one”. Instead of worrying about what box I fit in, whether it’s a career that “matches” my major, hobbies that can become a side hustle, I’ve decided to just do what I’m interested in. It may look chaotic and not make a lot of sense to other people, but it brings fulfillment to my life.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My day job has very little to do with most of my hobbies! However, I’ve always liked cars, ever since I was little. I used to have a huge plastic tub of Matchbox cars but never did I imagine myself in the automotive industry. Even after moving to Michigan for my dad’s job and attending the Detroit Auto Show every year, it was truly a pipe dream to be able to work with cars every day. Mostly, I thought you had to have an engineering degree to get into the industry.
Graduating with an English Literature degree, I meandered about in different fields for a few years before entering automotive as a bilingual Korean translator and budget administrator.
I’m autistic and have dyscalculia, which means I sometimes have difficulty reading and remembering numbers. Given that background, I’m proud of having made it up to regional headquarters for the company I’m currently in. Most of my colleagues have finance, business, or engineering backgrounds.
It’s very much been a steep learning curve and continues to be one, but I do enjoy the challenge and knowing that it’s a path that not many are able to choose, in the way that I’ve walked.
Similarly, with my hanbok photography – everything has been self-taught. I work with a designer in Korea for some of the pieces to sketch out custom pieces, others are ready-made. I’ve never modeled either. Location scouting was also very new to me before moving out to California from Michigan – I mostly did photoshoots in my backyard. Working a lot of different jobs has given me flexibility to wear the different hats required to do the self-photoshoots: photographer, model, makeup artist, stylist, location scouting, all the way to photo editing.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I know most people like to tout their optimism, their grit, their perseverance but honestly? I think it’s my pessimism.
There was a certain point in my life where I faced a lot of burnout and exhaustion due to work and wanting to succeed so badly. There were certainly incentives – I grew up financially disadvantaged and I’m BIPOC. In addition to the autism, etc.
But once I let go of the actual idea of success and thinking more along the lines of, well, no one died. That is to say, just because I do not accomplish something this year or not reach a goal, or find some sort of success in the way that others see it – no one’s going to die because it didn’t happen.
I’ve worked many different jobs in my life. I’ve tried to learn something in every single one of the jobs I’ve held, whether it’s retail or in corporate. There is definitely something to learn in every job, even if it’s “how not to do” something. Often, I feel that people try to look for the good when you can certainly learn from the negatives as well.
With my photography, there’s never been an end goal of needing to be the best. I’ve let myself learn at the pace that works best for me and I’ve found that I’ve improved more that way than pressuring myself.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @goodbyeapathy
Image Credits
Hayne Kim
