Welcome to my new site! I'm excited to start on a new journey as I enter the next chapter in my life and career. As my homepage suggests, my career thus far has been in the video game industry. It is likely to continue in that direction, but I'm hoping to add more verticles to this site. It is my site, after all!
In this blog, you'll find discussions on community and influencer marketing that expands across industries and verticles. Additionally, I am going to start writing about my passions outside of Video Games: Anime, Fashion & Beauty, Fitness, and Food & Travel (maybe a life lesson or two)! Don't worry, I'll be sure to use hashtags and create some filters. That way if you're only here for one topic; you can stick to that topic. Follow as few or as many as you like. Those of you that are new or don't know me, please keep reading. You know, introduction blog and all... :P
So why in the world would I name my website Cat-Tie if I don't sell any ties for cats?! Yes, it is a play on my name, Cattie. No, that isn't pronounced Katie. It's pronounced Cat-tee which would only lead folks to believe I sell tees for cats instead. Original spelling is the claim to fame! Purrpare for puns (this post only, maybe...)!
A Brief Purrstory:
I am an Asian-American biracial woman that grew up on the TN/GA state line in a place called Chattanooga. I was raised playing every varsity sport imaginable, playing video games and watching anime. I guess you could say I was a bit of tomboy except for being obsessed with Japanese street fashion. I attended Maryville College where I played on the softball team and graduated on May 8, 2010, with a B.A. in Business and Organizational Management.
I packed up that same October and moved with $2000 in my bank account and desperate need for change. I served and bartended for a few years before trying to catapult myself into an "adult" career. After failing at door to door sales, I found myself living off of the good graces of others; couch to couch and one burned bridge after another. I was applying to every job posting I could find including one particularly scammy ad that read, "So, you want to play video games for a living!?" After applying and thinking I would either A. receive a prince in a random country asking for me to cash a cashier's check or B. nothing, something crazy happened. An amazing recruiter, Trey, set up a phone screen which led to an interview. An interview and test led to a trial, not just any trial, I was asked to work E3 2012 for Square Enix! Those of you who don't know games; you may have heard of Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts. Yes, this crazy scammy sounding ad not just led to games; it led to the playing with the big dogs! One longshot chance application that launched a career more fulfilling than any one person could ask.
That is exactly what that was. Someone taking a longshot effort on me. One I'll never forget. One that saved my life. A decade later, here I am. Still making it in this crazy world and still working on really cool video games. I've had the opportunity to build communities from scratch; come up in my career in an era new of content creators; and most importantly, learn from some of the best professionals this world has to offer. In the future, I'll definitely get into my homeless experience and what led me there and even more so into my career and the challenges there, but we're here to intro. Let's keep it brief.
Cat-astrophe Or Purrfect Storm?
That's what this blog/website may become. I plan on sharing far more about my life and the lessons I've learned than I have in the past. The availability of this site to professional employers may cost me jobs. The stories I tell about experiences & people (names included or not) may cost me respect or friendships built over the years. I plan on writing about working through trying to overcome abuse (in many forms) as well as dealing with problematic situations. We'll be digging deep and knocking so many glasses off the shelf!
I hope to master the blend of serious and light hearted topics while still bringing you great tidbits on topics that you can apply to your day to day or professional life. If you made it this far, thank you. I hope you come back as I start to give you more history and, of course, posts about topics you can apply directly. Who knows, I may even start selling cat ties in the future! If you're along for the ride, be sure to sign-up for notifications and share with friends. Until next time!
Comments