Today we’d like to introduce you to Mackenzie Belcastro.
Mackenzie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Far from a clear cut path, my career’s been cobbled together through lessons and reflections, which all began in 2016. After graduating from Polimoda, I began working at a couture house in Paris—my dream! Or, so I thought. A month into the job, burnt out and disconnected from myself, I realized that, though I loved the artistry of the fashion world, the industry was not for me.
Lost and unsure how to proceed, I found myself guided by a mentor back to my roots. The summer of 2017, I admitted my dream of writing and began freelancing for travel blogs and magazines. When journalism grew stale, I pushed myself to dig deeper and dream bigger, beginning my first novel, The Play House, in 2018. The two years it took to write was the most mentally challenging, yet rewarding. I’d finally found it—my passion.
In this same bracket of time, I started Saturday Social TO. An event series put on to inspire and educate aspiring creatives and entrepreneurs. I have also pivoted my freelance career. To preserve writing energy, I now only write for select outlets. However, I offer more by way of creative services that tap into complimentary areas of expertise, like coaching and editing. As I said, this has been far from a straight path, but I’m grateful for the twists and turns. They foster constant learning, plus the meeting of and collaborating with new people regularly, too. In other words, they breed growth, which feels to me like one of the main purposes of life.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not been a smooth road. I believe in following your gut instinct, and for me, that means that I do not hesitate to pivot my career when I feel I’ve outgrown what I’m currently doing. But as your 20s are a period of such exponential growth, I’ve had a lot of change in my professional life over a very short period of time. This has to lead me to question myself now and again, to question my “staying power.”
That said, what I’ve come to realize is that every change I’ve made has really just brought me closer to who I am and what I’m really meant to do. For example, I mentioned I’ve become more selective in who I write for. This has not only preserved my writing energy for fiction, but it’s also given me the space to consider the outlets, consider their teams, assess how they want to use my voice, and if it’s a genuine fit for me. That means I no longer write articles or even copy for brands that I feel anyone can write. Usually, now, when people come to me, it’s because they appreciate my style or my personal take on a topic.
I’ve also had to learn the business of freelancing—how to pitch and price, which has its own mental and emotional components. In the end, the questions this brings up though, of worthiness self-confidence and value, are powerful. They’ve helped me see the answers lie within me, and how much I’m willing (or not) to advocate for myself.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
My freelance business encompasses writing, editing, coaching, and content creation. That’s quite a few branches; however, they are not all active at once. As mentioned, I’m consistently playing with my sandbox of services to ensure an optimal fit. Most of my clients these days, especially in the writing and editing realms, come through my Instagram page, which showcases my writing. And so often they’re coming to me for my storytelling abilities, my ways with imagery and rhythm. I’m known for my ability to suck readers into well-painted worlds. It’s these editors and businesses tend to want from me: an application of these skills with respect to their lines of work. Similarly, I have writing coaching clients who want to learn how to write more vividly, too. I suppose then, I’m most proud of having developed a very personal, distinctive style of writing that others enjoy, can make use of, and be inspired by.
My events business, Saturday Social TO, brings creative and entrepreneurial minds together for functions throughout the year that include motivational talks, educational seminars, group meditations, networking sessions, lunches, etc. We are known for our warm and collaborative community, which we are very proud of. My co-founder Danielle and I started these events to bring people together for both professional and personal purposes—meaning to foster unions that bring about both projects and friendships, and so seeing this come to fruition is deeply fulfilling for us. I believe it’s the aura of genuine love for the community that sets us apart from other networking-type events. We’re about empowerment, not competition, and that shines through.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
The thing is, I could say I wish I knew to charge more for my services when I first started out, or that I knew how to better advocate for myself as an independent creator. But the truth is, all of those struggles I encountered have been moments of massive learning for me. I can quickly identify now when I’m not being valued, and understand that I am not only within my right to part ways with a client who doesn’t treat me with respect, but, in fact, I owe it to myself. I have become so much more self-confident because of this, and this has radiated throughout all facets of my life. I can now say that I trust my intuition that I am learning every day more and more how to have my own back, and that is a beautiful thing. So, in the end, I would not have done anything differently.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mackenziebelcastro.com
- Email: mackenzie@mackenziebelcastro.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mackbelcastro/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/mackbelcastro/
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