Do you remember the last time you were at rock bottom?

你還記得自己上一次跌入谷底是什麼時候嗎？

For me, it was January 2023.

對我來說，那是 2023 年 1 月。

Three months into this journey, I was just fired from my first job out of college.

開始這段旅程的三個月，我剛被大學畢業後的第一份工作解僱。

A job that I thought was going to change my life.

一份我以為會改變我一生的工作。

As a kid, we all had big aspirations.

小時候，我們都有遠大的理想。

I dreamt of being an NBA player from the day I picked up a basketball at age 10.

從 10 歲拿起籃球的那天起，我就夢想成為一名 NBA 球員。

But somewhere along the way, our dreams die.

但是，在前進的道路上，我們的夢想會逐漸破滅。

And we end up spending a lot of our lives not knowing what we really want to do.

結果我們花了大把的時間，卻不知道自己真正想做什麼。

And here I am, half a year out of college, feeling the same pain I did when I got cut from my high school basketball team my freshman year.

現在，我已經大學畢業半年了，感受到了和高一被高中籃球隊開除時一樣的痛苦。

Picture yourself chasing your dreams for a second.

想象一下自己追逐夢想的樣子。

You probably do have a passion or idea that you want to explore further.

你可能確實有一種激情或想法，想要進一步探索。

You've done your research, have some sort of plan.

你已經做了調查，制定了某種計劃。

All that's left is just doing it.

剩下的就是去做了。

So what's holding you back?

那麼，是什麼阻礙了你？

It's quite scary taking the first steps into the unknown.

邁出未知的第一步是相當可怕的。

And even if you've started, the reality is, you'll have to execute better than 99% of the people around you to reach your dreams.

即使你已經開始了，但現實是，你必須比周圍 99% 的人執行得更好，才能實現你的夢想。

However, in a world where we're crowned for success, but clowned for failure, we often let our fears get in the way of figuring out what we're really capable of.

然而，在這個世界上，我們因成功而加冕，卻因失敗而遭人恥笑，我們常常因為恐懼而無法弄清自己真正的能力。

Getting fired ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me.

被解僱最終成了發生在我身上最好的事情。

Because without these 20 days of rock bottom, I wouldn't have experienced the best year of my life.

因為如果沒有這 20 天的谷底期，我就不會經歷人生中最美好的一年。

So how did I turn my life around after being fired?

那麼，我是如何在被解僱後扭轉生活的呢？

Landed a project with the NFL, working on a music video with Metro Boomin, and who even am I?

與美國國家橄欖球聯盟（NFL）合作了一個項目，與 Metro Boomin 一起製作音樂錄影帶，我到底是誰？

Let me introduce myself.

讓我自我介紹一下。

Hi, I'm Justin, or better known as Shinny Visuals.

大家好，我是賈斯汀，也就是大家熟知的 Shinny Visuals。

I'm a 23-year-old filmmaker from Portland, currently living in Chicago.

我是一名 23 歲的電影製片人，來自波特蘭，目前居住在芝加哥。

After graduating from college two years ago, I wanted to answer one question that's been in my head for the last few years.

兩年前大學畢業後，我想回答一個過去幾年一直縈繞在我腦海中的問題。

Could I make a living through my creative passions?

我能靠自己的創作激情謀生嗎？

Over the last 500 days, life has taken me on quite the ride.

在過去的 500 天裡，生活帶我經歷了很多。

While I went viral, traveled the world, met tons of new people, and I even made the news, I also went through self-doubt, heartbreak, and probably the toughest year of my life.

在我走紅網絡、周遊世界、結識大量新朋友，甚至成為新聞人物的同時，我也經歷了自我懷疑、心碎，以及可能是我人生中最艱難的一年。

Through the highs and lows, I wanted to make an honest video about the reality of chasing your dreams in your early 20s, and the 10 lessons I learned in between.

在經歷了高潮和谷底之後，我想製作一個誠實的視頻，講述 20 歲出頭追逐夢想的現實，以及我在這期間學到的 10 條經驗。

The journey all started when a company asked me to be their full-time creative director.

當一家公司邀請我擔任他們的全職創意總監時，我開始了我的創業之旅。

But how does a 22-year-old business school graduate even get this kind of opportunity?

但是，一個 22 歲的商學院畢業生是如何獲得這樣的機會的呢？

Alright, hey guys, Crazy Game here.

好了，大家好，我是瘋狂遊戲。

Welcome back to another episode of Minecraft.

歡迎回到 Minecraft 的另一集。

From a young age, I realized that creativity is in everyone's blood.

我從小就意識到，創造力流淌在每個人的血液中。

While my NBA dreams died at age 14, I got inspired by my favorite YouTubers to make Minecraft videos, mess around with 3D animation, and learn how to video edit, with the new aspirations of becoming a famous YouTuber.

雖然我的 NBA 夢在 14 歲時就已破滅，但我受到了我最喜歡的 YouTuber 的啟發，開始製作 Minecraft 視頻，搗鼓 3D 動畫，學習如何剪輯視頻，並立志成為一名著名的 YouTuber。

As you can see, that didn't work out.

如你所見，結果並不理想。

Eventually, I went to business school, where I felt like a bit of an outcast.

最後，我上了商學院，在那裡，我覺得自己有點被遺棄了。

I never got the best grades, and while all my peers were extremely confident and extroverted, I realized that I wasn't the best at expressing myself through small talk and quick-witted conversations, which felt essential to making connections in business school.

我的成績從來都不是最好的，雖然我的同齡人都非常自信和外向，但我意識到自己並不擅長通過閒聊和快人快語來表達自己，而這正是在商學院建立人脈的關鍵。

However, everything changed for me my sophomore year, when the world shut down from COVID.

然而，在我大二的時候，一切都改變了，因為 COVID 的世界關閉了。

During the long periods of isolation, I found solace in looking through memories from college, which gave me the urge to edit videos again as a way to express my nostalgia.

在長期與世隔絕的日子裡，我在翻閱大學回憶時找到了慰藉，這讓我有了再次剪輯視頻的衝動，以此來表達我的懷舊之情。

Being away from friends made me realize how valuable capturing each memory was.

遠離朋友讓我意識到捕捉每一段記憶是多麼珍貴。

So when the summer came around, I decided to buy a camera with the help of my parents to start documenting life through my eyes.

是以，暑假來臨時，我決定在父母的幫助下買一臺相機，開始用我的眼睛記錄生活。

And it truly felt like love at first sight.

一見鍾情的感覺油然而生。

In the blink of an eye, my camera would be with me everywhere, capturing precious memories for me and my friends as we explored the great outdoors.

轉眼間，我的相機已隨身攜帶，為我和朋友們在戶外探險時留下珍貴的回憶。

During the night, my camera would be by my side while I stayed up editing photos, reliving every moment from my latest adventure.

夜裡，我的相機就在我身邊，我熬夜編輯照片，重溫最近一次探險的每一個瞬間。

This new creative world made me feel so alive.

這個全新的創意世界讓我感到生機勃勃。

Not only was it the outlet to express myself that I couldn't find in college, but for the first time in my life, it felt like the walls of my world were being torn down.

這不僅是我在大學裡找不到的表達自我的管道，而且是我人生中第一次感覺到我的世界的圍牆被推倒了。

So when I went back to campus that fall, I made it a goal to make the most out of my newfound passion by following one simple rule.

是以，當我那年秋天重返校園時，我立下了一個目標，那就是遵循一個簡單的原則，充分利用我新發現的激情。

Let your curiosity lead you places.

讓你的好奇心引領你去更多的地方。

I wanted to share my creativity with friends, so we documented life and went on spontaneous photo shoots all throughout campus.

我想和朋友們分享我的創意，所以我們記錄生活，在校園裡隨興拍照。

I wanted to be involved with my favorite sport again, so I asked the basketball team to work for free.

我想再次參與我最喜歡的運動，所以我要求籃球隊免費為我工作。

I wanted to start freelancing, so I networked around campus to work with businesses and organizations.

我想開始做自由職業者，所以我在校園裡建立了網絡，與企業和組織合作。

And over time, my once mundane college life started feeling full of joy and excitement.

隨著時間的推移，我曾經平淡無奇的大學生活開始充滿歡樂和激情。

I bonded with friends, met new people, lived new experiences, ran my own business, and reconnected with the game I love.

我與朋友建立了聯繫，結識了新朋友，獲得了新體驗，經營了自己的事業，並與我熱愛的遊戲重新建立了聯繫。

But more importantly, it was the first time in life I felt a strong sense of purpose.

但更重要的是，這是我人生中第一次感受到強烈的使命感。

Through the thousands of pictures and videos I took, I saw the smile I put on people's faces, and I felt like I made a change in the world for the first time.

通過我拍攝的成千上萬張照片和視頻，我看到了我給人們臉上帶來的笑容，我第一次感覺自己改變了世界。

But once I graduated, life got real.

但我一畢業，生活就變得真實起來。

As much as I wanted to dive headfirst into the creative sphere, I couldn't help but feel like I reached the end of my runway.

雖然我很想一頭扎進創意領域，但我不禁感到自己的跑道已經到了盡頭。

And for now, the corporate job I had lined up would be the smarter and more comfortable path to a stable life.

就目前而言，我已經安排好的公司工作將是更明智、更舒適的穩定生活之路。

Do you ever catch yourself running for the train?

你有沒有發現自己跑向火車的時候？

From a young age, I've always been fascinated by trains.

我從小就對火車著迷。

Although we all have different aspirations growing up, most people end up waiting at the same stations, boarding the same trains, to end up in the same predetermined destinations as others.

雖然我們每個人在成長過程中都有不同的願望，但大多數人最終都會在相同的車站等待，登上相同的列車，和其他人一樣到達預定的目的地。

But once in a while, a different train will show up unexpectedly.

但偶爾也會有不同的列車不期而至。

It's not on the map as you know, and the tracks have never been tested.

如你所知，地圖上並沒有它，而且軌道也從未經過測試。

What would you do if I promised to take you to your dream destination?

如果我答應帶你去你夢想中的目的地，你會怎麼做？

Just a few weeks before my corporate start date, one of my old sportswear clients from college offered me a job to be their full-time creative director.

就在我到公司上班的前幾周，我大學時的一個運動服裝老客戶給了我一份工作，讓我擔任他們的全職創意總監。

This was my unexpected train.

這是我意想不到的火車。

I knew the tracks wouldn't be as safe, and there was no sign of the route on my map.

我知道鐵軌不會那麼安全，而且地圖上也沒有這條路線的標記。

But as I've done all throughout my creative journey so far, I've trusted my curiosity, which told me to hop on this train.

但正如我迄今為止在整個創作之旅中所做的那樣，我相信自己的好奇心，它告訴我跳上這列火車。

There was one catch.

有一個問題。

I kept a return ticket to corporate life for next October, giving myself exactly one year to prove I was here to stay in the creative world.

我保留了一張明年 10 月返回公司的機票，給自己整整一年的時間來證明自己會留在創意世界。

So this is how I started the 500-day journey to chase my creative dreams.

就這樣，我開始了追逐創意夢想的 500 天旅程。

I've always wanted to live in a big city.

我一直想住在大城市裡。

Growing up, I was spoiled by the nature of the Pacific Northwest, but whenever I visited Chicago or New York City, I was always enamored by the energy radiated by the bustling streets and concrete abyss.

在我的成長過程中，太平洋西北部的自然環境一直寵愛著我，但每當我去芝加哥或紐約時，我總會被熙熙攘攘的街道和混凝土深淵所散發出的能量所吸引。

Something about the possibilities felt endless here.

這裡有無限的可能性。

It was the perfect place to figure out the question I've been trying to answer my whole life.

這是一個完美的地方，可以讓我弄清我一生都在試圖回答的問題。

Who even am I among this madness?

在這瘋狂的世界中，我到底是誰？

Life after college comes at you fast.

大學畢業後的生活來得很快。

One moment, we're surrounded by friends and thousands of people our age on a lively college campus.

前一刻，我們被朋友和成千上萬的同齡人包圍在熱鬧的大學校園裡。

The next moment, we're all alone in a new city trying to figure out our new purpose in life.

下一秒，我們獨自一人來到新的城市，試圖找到人生的新目標。

How does one feel alone in a city with millions of people?

在一個擁有數百萬人口的城市中，一個人如何感到孤獨？

Although I was excited to start my new life, being on a different path than everyone was a lot lonelier than I thought.

雖然我對開始新生活感到興奮，但與大家走上不同的道路比我想象的要孤獨得多。

Not only did most of my friends not end up in Chicago, but it was hard to explain how I was struggling doing something I loved when everyone else was working a corporate job.

不僅我的大多數朋友最終沒有留在芝加哥，而且當其他人都在公司工作時，我很難解釋自己是如何在做自己喜歡的事情時舉步維艱。

Two months in, it was clear that my role at the company was diminishing, and the creative freedom I was promised was taken away by office politics.

工作兩個月後，我發現自己在公司的作用越來越小，公司承諾給我的創作自由也被辦公室政治剝奪了。

And for the first time, I felt myself falling out of love with the creative game.

這是我第一次感覺到自己不再熱愛創作遊戲。

Although I was doing my passion for a living, I quickly felt lost and alone, just going through the motions every day.

雖然我靠自己的熱情謀生，但很快我就感到迷茫和孤獨，每天都是碌碌無為。

And soon enough, my struggles became apparent at work.

很快，我的掙扎就在工作中顯現出來。

Hey, Justin, hope you're doing well, man.

嘿，賈斯汀，希望你一切都好，夥計。

Unfortunately, I don't think this is working out, and the company is moving towards a different direction.

不幸的是，我認為這行不通，公司正在朝著另一個方向發展。

We value citizenship here at and we no longer feel like you're a good fit here.

我們重視公民身份，但我們覺得你不再適合這裡。

So as of today, you're terminated from the company.

所以從今天起，你被公司解僱了。

You can pick up your stuff from the office next week, and I'll give you two weeks to get it.

你可以下週去辦公室取你的東西，我給你兩週時間去取。

Although I felt relieved from being set free, I thought I failed, and perhaps I wasn't ready to take on such heavy responsibilities.

雖然我感到如釋重負，但我認為我失敗了，也許我還沒有準備好承擔如此沉重的責任。

But worse, for the first time since I picked up a camera, there was no creative spark left in me.

但更糟糕的是，自從我拿起相機以來，我身上第一次沒有了創作的火花。

See, when you spend eight hours a day working on ideas that you have no control over, you're bound to be burnt out.

你看，當你每天花 8 個小時研究那些你無法控制的想法時，你一定會精疲力竭。

So here I was, nine months until my return trip, no job, no game plan, just a few months of savings, and the looming possibility that this was the end of my creative career.

就這樣，在離回程還有九個月的時候，我沒有工作，沒有計劃，只有幾個月的積蓄，而且我的創作生涯很有可能就此結束。

What scares you more?

你更害怕什麼？

Failing or knowing the outcome, realizing you didn't try hard enough?

是失敗還是知道結果後意識到自己不夠努力？

I think back a lot about why I didn't make it in basketball.

我經常回想自己為什麼沒能在籃球領域取得成功。

While I loved the game as much as anyone, I had this terrible fear of losing, and I would always mentally crumble whenever I played against people better than me.

雖然我和其他人一樣熱愛遊戲，但我非常害怕失敗，每當和比我強的人比賽時，我總是精神崩潰。

Instead of taking my losses as a learning experience, I thought about it as failure, and I was afraid the players around me would judge me for failing over and over again.

我沒有把失利當作一次學習的經歷，而是把它當作失敗，我害怕周圍的球員會因為我一次又一次的失敗而對我評頭論足。

But the more I lived, the more I realized, not only does everyone lose at some point, but most people don't care about your failures as much as you do.

但我活得越久，就越意識到，不僅每個人都會有失敗的時候，而且大多數人並不像你一樣在乎你的失敗。

And that's when I realized, the ones that truly fail are the ones that never allow themselves to.

這時我才意識到，真正失敗的人是那些從不允許自己失敗的人。

Sure, 14-year-old me could have used some more hours in the weight room, or a better handle, but what he really needed was a change of perspective.

當然，14 歲的我本可以在舉重室裡多練幾個小時，或者有更好的手感，但他真正需要的是改變視角。

Just before I was about to accept that this is the end, I took one last deep dive through my hard drive, filled with all my work, which helped me put things into perspective.

就在我準備接受這就是結局的事實之前，我最後一次深入查看了我的硬盤，裡面裝滿了我所有的作品，這讓我對事情有了正確的認識。

Not only have I improved so much in such a short time, but my life has also become so much richer in experience over the last two and a half years.

在過去的兩年半時間裡，我不僅在短時間內進步了很多，而且我的人生經歷也變得更加豐富。

However, over the last few months, I became so tunnel-visioned on turning my passion into a full-time job, that I lost sight on the bigger dreams I had for myself.

然而，在過去的幾個月裡，我一心只想把自己的熱情變成一份全職工作，以至於忽略了自己更大的夢想。

Freelancing full-time, shooting music videos for big artists, working with my favorite brands, and one day stepping onto the hardwood of an NBA floor.

做全職自由職業者，為大牌藝人拍攝音樂視頻，與我喜歡的品牌合作，有朝一日踏上 NBA 的賽場。

That last train was never going to take me there, and being fired does not make me a failure.

那趟末班車根本不可能把我送到那裡，被解僱並不意味著我是個失敗者。

The only way I'd fail was if I stopped chasing my dreams right now, knowing I didn't try hard enough like I did with basketball.

如果我現在就停止追逐夢想，知道自己沒有像打籃球那樣努力，那我就失敗了。

I thought back on the pain of never making the high school team, and I owed it to my old self to not make the same mistake.

我回想著從未入選高中球隊的痛苦，我欠以前的自己一個人情，不能重蹈覆轍。

And once I realized I had nothing more to lose, the picture became so clear.

一旦我意識到自己已經沒有什麼可失去的了，一切就變得如此清晰。

It was the perfect time to try freelancing full-time, work on my creative style, and see more of the world like I always envisioned.

這是我嘗試全職自由職業、發展自己的創意風格，以及像我一直憧憬的那樣去看更多世界的最佳時機。

With nine months left on the timer, I was determined to figure it out.

定時器還剩九個月，我下定決心一定要弄明白。

And if I do take the return ticket, I was going to leave with no regrets.

如果我真的買了回程票，我也要義無反顧地離開。

Being in Chicago had its advantages.

在芝加哥有它的優勢。

I knew it would be easier for me to stand out here compared to LA or New York.

我知道，與洛杉磯或紐約相比，我在這裡更容易脫穎而出。

So immediately, I started making my way around the city, reaching out to friends, and taking whatever I could to get my feet off the ground.

於是，我立即開始在城市裡四處奔波，聯繫朋友，想盡一切辦法讓自己站穩腳跟。

Events, clubs, shows, parties, behind-the-scenes for sets, socializing with friends, Some were paid, some weren't, but no matter the opportunity, I made it a goal to push my creative boundaries further than everyone else around me.

活動、俱樂部、演出、派對、幕後佈景、與朋友的社交，有些是有報酬的，有些則沒有，但無論機會如何，我的目標都是將自己的創作極限推得比周圍的人更遠。

Trial and error became the norm.

試錯成為常態。

And while I actively took inspiration from my favorite filmmakers, I always added my own original flair on top, embracing this idea of steal like an artist, a concept which argues that nothing we create is truly original.

雖然我積極從我喜愛的電影製作人那裡汲取靈感，但我總是在他們的基礎上加入自己的原創風格，接受 "像藝術家一樣偷竊 "這一理念。

They're all iterations of something we've seen in the past.

它們都是我們過去所見過的東西的迭代。

But the best artists build upon what's created before.

但最優秀的藝術家都是在前人的基礎上進行創作的。

Because what even is our own unique style?

因為什麼才是我們自己的獨特風格呢？

I think it's an interpretation of our own experiences, emotional connections, and all the art forms we consume.

我認為這是對我們自身經歷、情感聯繫以及我們消費的所有藝術形式的一種詮釋。

And that's what makes each and every one of us different.

這就是我們每個人的與眾不同之處。

As I started posting passion projects and networking around the city, people started noticing.

隨著我開始發佈激情項目，並在城市裡建立聯繫，人們開始注意到我。

In February, I directed my first music video.

今年二月，我導演了自己的第一部音樂視頻。

In March, I worked on my first film sets.

三月份，我第一次在電影場景中工作。

In April, I shot for my first big brand.

四月份，我為我的第一個大品牌拍攝。

And in May, I even got flown out to California to work with an artist.

今年 5 月，我甚至被派往加利福尼亞與一位藝術家合作。

Every month was something new and the progress I made started becoming apparent.

每個月都有新的收穫，我的進步也開始變得明顯。

But there was still one problem.

但還有一個問題。

I was still burning through my savings and in the four months until my return ticket expires, I had to figure out things financially if I wanted to stay on this track.

我的積蓄還在不斷消耗，在離回程機票到期還有四個月的時間裡，我必須想辦法解決經濟問題，才能繼續走下去。

As the economy stagnated, I was told that my return ticket to corporate was delayed for another four months.

隨著經濟停滯不前，我被告知我回公司的機票又要延後四個月。

Although I was excited for the extra time to figure things out, the reality is, as a freelancer, the fear of running out of work never goes away.

雖然我很高興能有額外的時間來想辦法，但現實是，作為一名自由職業者，對工作枯竭的恐懼永遠不會消失。

And I was still struggling to make ends meet. I wasn't sure if I could make it through the extra four months.

我還在為生計而掙扎。 我不知道自己能否撐過這額外的四個月。

I took this feeling of uncertainty and channeled it into my creative style, which became a reflection of how I felt at this point in my life.

我把這種不確定的感覺融入到我的創作風格中，這也是我人生中這一時刻的感受寫照。

I'm at the center of this chaos, constant but always changing, trying to find myself amidst this evolving world.

我處在這個混亂的中心，不斷地變化著，試圖在這個不斷變化的世界中找到自我。

Some might call it luck, but I think it's fate.

有人說這是運氣，但我認為這是命運。

Because without this extra bit of fear from the delay, I don't know if I would have experienced the biggest moment of my career.

因為如果沒有延遲帶來的額外恐懼，我不知道自己是否會經歷職業生涯中最重要的時刻。

In a month, the video hit 5 million views.

一個月內，該視頻的點擊量就達到了 500 萬次。

And for a brief 17 seconds, it felt like the whole world had their eyes on something I made.

在那短短的 17 秒鐘裡，我感覺全世界的目光都聚焦在我的作品上。

Inspired by my fast and chaotic life in the city, elements of Chicago would change everything for me.

芝加哥的元素將改變我的一切。

My once deserted inbox was filled to the brim.

我曾經冷清的收件箱被塞得滿滿的。

And every new opportunity was the reassurance I needed to know that I'm starting to be on the right path.

每一次新的機會都是我所需要的保證，讓我知道我已經開始走上正確的道路。

But the best part was getting noticed by some of the directors and creators I've been heavily inspired by along this journey.

但最精彩的部分是，我受到了一些導演和創作者的關注，他們給了我很大的啟發。

Without them, I probably wouldn't be where I'm at today.

沒有他們，也許就沒有我的今天。

In the following months, I continued to experiment creatively while wasting no time putting my business school knowledge to use.

在接下來的幾個月裡，我繼續進行創造性的嘗試，同時不遺餘力地運用商學院的知識。

I learned how to do my own contracting, invoicing, And my new LSC became the heartbeat of my opportunities from all over the world.

我學會了如何自己簽訂合同、開具發票，而我的新 LSC 則成為我從世界各地獲得機會的心臟。

From making elements of London for the NFL, editing parts of the music video for Calling by Metro Booming, to covering events like Lollapalooza, Formula One, and Electric Zoo.