NEXT MOVES
As The Founder and Creative Director of Mr. Gumbatron, I have always believe in pushing myself to be the best version of me, learning and experiencing new things swiftly, consciously living outside of my comfort zone, up skilling as well as meeting with people from different walks of life who have the ability to passively inspire me.
I have spent the past twenty five years in Melbourne, in that time I have undertaken my entire education here, acquired two degrees in Architecture, worked in many hospitality roles over a period of a decade, Professionally I have worked for my dream local Australian Architecture practice Techne Architects, set up my own solo design practice AMAK DESIGNS and several other smaller businesses ventures along the way. It's been a lot of hard work, but incredibly rewarding. The time has come to make the real BIG moves in life. As a 28 year old entrepreneur, there are certain milestones I hope to achieve in the next couple of years, this new turning of a page will be key contributors to me achieving these personal goals.
The past year has been a year of great personal growth and achievement, however it also came with some low moments and self doubt along the way, I guess it's the consequences of having such a high expectation both from myself and the people around me This is normal we all struggle at some point in time, it is how you pick yourself up that matters, if you are ever feeling beaten, use that negative energy to fuel your new found desire to succeed and be happy again. Surround yourself with people who lift you higher in life.
I am in an unshakable mindset now both personally and professionally. The Gumbatron brand is growing in exposure, having secured valuable relationships with brands and individuals I had only dreamed of working together in the Hospitality and Fashion industries with both here in Australia and in Asia; these are little validations that with great tenacity you can achieve anything you set out to.
Set yourself goals and work hard to achieve them, incentivise your achievements along the way and you learn to raise the bar each and every time, until the impossible becomes possible.
Now to this new adventure, as you know I live and breathe Melbourne, it will always be home for me, however there is something more endearing calling for me over in Asia, in a big city is called Hong Kong, the place I was born, the place I have unfinished business and new dreams to fulfil.
The past few months have been a real challenging exercise, from tuning down some big opportunities in Australia, saying 'no' to important people, and putting promises on hold, but I have accepted that it is okay to be 'selfish' & focus on myself at this present moment in time. It takes a lot of courage to cut the momentum that you have worked so hard to build up, but sometimes one needs to change direction to realise their real purpose & calling in life.
I am seeking new challenges that reside outside of my comfort zone. From August this year I will be based in Hong Kong. I have recognised several felicitous opportunities over there in the past year and will be starting up a new business in the coming months; ultimately seeing what I am made of over there. Many people say "If you can make it in Hong Kong, you can make it anywhere in the world". I want that unparalleled international experience and to be one of those people. Who knows it might bring me back to Melbourne.
In a world where we once dreamed about having certain opportunities, the reality is that these opportunities we dream about actually do exist. Place yourself in it's line of sight, and maybe things might just align. Do what you love at your highest capacity, put yourself out there and the right people will eventually find to you.
Many people have asked what will happen to Mr. Gumbatron?
Well, Mr. Gumbatron was always a side project for me which I juggled in-between the other passions in my life, namely creating beautiful architecture and curating spaces for the ritual of people sharing their passion of food and coffee. Over time it has opened up some amazing opportunities and connected me with incredible people who are now close friends as well as earning me a long list of professional connections.
I will continue to blog & instagram sharing my curated lifestyle with the hope that an audience will grow in Asia, the same way in which the Australian audience has over the past year and half. I will be representing some Australian brands in Asia over the coming months and opening myself up to international opportunities.
I am going to miss Melbourne, especially it's coffee culture of which I am inherently apart of, but most importantly I will miss the dearest people closest to me. Thanks for sharing the highs and lows with me and being apart of this journey called life.
I have founded an incredible network of friends and industry people in Melbourne. I look forward to furthering our relationships whilst I spend time abroad. Lastly thanks to my close friends over in Hong Kong who have been so supportive, by encouraging and helping me set up the foundations for this new adventure over the past few months.
I am grateful for the support around me. although I am based in Hong Kong, there is no doubt that I will be retuning back to town for both work & pleasure; when I do make sure you have my coffee ('Melbourne Magic)' ready.
"Dare to dream" / "Life begins outside of your comfort zone"
bon voyage!
---------
dress well, drink well, live well
.
L.M
