When we were younger everyone has been asked the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Some would have answered readily with much conviction while others may have hesitated—unsure.

Some of us don’t have one true calling, and that is fine. Award-winning author and artist, Emile Wapnick, popularized the term multipotentialite in her TED talk back in 2018, Multipotentialite is defined as a person who has many different interests and creative pursuits. Not having one true calling the way specialists do, multipotentialites have many different paths and pursue all of them—whether sequentially or all at once.

Manila is home to thriving creatives, and a good chunk of those can be considered multipotentialites—people who dabble in different fields and excel at the same time. One of those is Misha Salud. A quick search on her Instagram will tell you that she is a woman of many interests from social media management to photography, design, streetwear, and even coffee. We sat down with her to discuss all about her life as a creative, how she manages to immerse herself in her various interests, how she finds value and success in it, and how she gets by everyday while doing so.

Images — Zaldine Alvaro

First, please introduce yourself.

I’m Misha. I’m a multipotentialite creative. I’m pretty much all over the internet and coffee shops around the metro. You can find me in multiple niche communities like streetwear, specialty coffee, local hip-hop/rap, photography, and more.

How did you get started delving in all these interests and pursuits?

My curiosity has ignited opportunities I never realized would be helpful to me now. I simply wanted to try new and different experiences. I’d normally research a lot about it before I find the confidence to engage myself in actual conversations, activities, events, threads, and more.

Some creatives prefer to focus on one pursuit, but you’re quite the opposite as you delve in various different ones all at the same time. Why is this so?

Maximizing the potential I have in line with all my interests is important for me. The cool thing about being human is that we have the freedom to pick and be part of multiple communities—whether online or not—simultaneously that can help us grow physically, mentally, emotionally, professionally, or even spiritually. It keeps my creativity flowing and my connections growing. I don’t feel comfortable being stuck doing one thing for the rest of my life. I thrive in achieving multiple tasks and helping more people along the way. It’s much more fulfilling at the end of the day.

Why is having this mindset important for you?

Having this mindset encourages and motivates me to take initiative to achieve what I want in my life especially since I know my potential, strengths, and weaknesses. I can’t wait for anyone to hand me these opportunities on a silver platter whenever I please although I am aware of my privilege in some aspects of my life. However, everything is still up to me.

How do you find and define success?

Success isn’t linear. To each his own path of finding and defining success. Having completed a college diploma doesn’t always signify nor guarantee success. It can be as simple as being happy with how things are in the present moment, or being able to follow one’s bliss, be it in terms of personal life, relationships, passion, career, or all of them together.

What is your most important achievement so far in your career?

Being able to manage my own time as an employee, manager, and entrepreneur all-in-one wherever I am is one of my greatest achievements. I knew I couldn’t bear working in a cubicle from 9-5 since I am very spontaneous with my daily routine. Plus, I also love changing my view to constantly be inspired.

I’m currently juggling 2 work-from-home social media jobs which only require me to go to the offices only when needed while I am also managing Waiian and setting up a business with him. It’s overwhelming but also highly fulfilling. My younger self would be very proud of where I am right now. There’s still much work to do but this is definitely something I did not expect myself to achieve this early on as I remember having one job and already feeling super drained then. Now, I’m doing more tasks but feeling more motivated to achieve more and help others in the process. Maybe that makes me a workaholic now, but I love what I do way too much.

What are the overlaps that you see in these various fields that proves having a multi-faceted approach works?

One of the most obvious perks in my approach is the connections which allow me to bring people from different communities together whether it’s for work or just for fun. This also allows me to have a broader audience that I may be able to express my truth.

With everything that you do, how do you deal with burnout? Do you have any tried-and-tested routines you’ve done?

Burnout is something I deal with especially when deadlines and big decisions overlap. I have three tiers to help me cope: social, partner, and self. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic happened, the extrovert in me loves going to events and social gatherings every other day even after work. Just being with people from different walks of life stimulates my mind as I get to learn and enjoy at the same time. However, there are days when I’d just like to spend most of my time with my partner, WAIIAN, and have adventures with him. We’d normally just chill or have a day packed with activities. Most importantly when my social battery gets drained, I just let myself be. Breathe intently, say my affirmations, and repeat. I spend time in our garden and just go cloud gazing. During this time, I could also choose to practice yin yoga, brew coffee, read a good book, listen to the Secular Buddhism podcast by Noah Rasheta, or binge my favorite shows on Netflix or channels on YouTube.

How are you able to juggle everything that you do?

The mindset is an essential element in whatever I do. Our thoughts are like magic especially when we put intention into it. It’s important for me to have the initiative to believe in myself and my abilities even when things get tough or scary. I always make it a point to follow my bliss because ultimately, it’s up to me how I want to live my life. I just have to be responsible for whatever actions that happen next. Having a rock-solid support system is important, but it won’t be as powerful if you don’t believe in yourself.

Can you take us through a typical day in your life?

I never have a typical day because I love changing things up whenever I feel like it. However, I normally start my day with a 10-30 min yoga session—Yoga with Kassandra is my favorite yogi—and meditation wherein I set an intention for the day and meditate on my affirmations then say “Thank You!” out loud afterwards. I then check my phone for all the messages and emails I have in relation to my personal and work life, so I’ll be able to plan my day ahead. The activities that follow are all in random order. Having two work-from-home jobs allows me to work anytime within the day whether it’s early afternoon or at 3 in the morning.

During the daytime, I work mostly on my personal pursuits and joint endeavors with Pablo (aka Waiian) as we’re working on a business partnership venture while I also work as his Artist Manager. This is also the time I get to do whatever I want. During the evening, that’s when I work on my social media and marketing duties for KUSH Co. and Default Cafe Pub. Sometimes I’d go to Marikina or Manila when I have to visit the offices so that’s another adventure for me.

However, there are days when I get to finish my tasks in just one day so it’ll be easier for me to focus on other bigger projects or simply rest on other days. I’m never truly organized nor do I stop working on weekends so anything really goes! I just make the most out of my day.

How did your day-to-day change during this pandemic?

Life before pandemic was pure productivity and unceasing burn-outs, but now I have the freedom to choose where I want to pour my time and energy to since my work and businesses have very flexible schedules. I also had more time to get to know myself and discover new hobbies along the way. I’m actually way more productive now but still have enough energy to enjoy doing other things. Another major impact was public transportation. Unfortunately, I had to spend more just to get to destinations especially if it’s work related since I live in the south and work was in the far east. Even if there were lesser people on board the trains and buses, it was frustrating to shell out more cash than usual just to get to one point.

Were there new things that you tried at home while coping–especially during the time when we were on total lockdown?

For one, I’ve been practicing more yoga lately to ground me especially when things get very overwhelming. I noticed how doing it at least once a day improves my overall well-being and mental health. I’ve also explored the wonders of cooking and baking for my family. I started with 3 ingredient recipes I found online then challenged myself to try out more complicated recipes. Proud to say from a simple chicken teriyaki recipe, I now can concoct multiple dishes in a jiffy from knowing what’s available in the kitchen.

Since you’re also a barista, did you resort to a lot of at-home brewing? DId you develop new skills/had any new discoveries?

The transition to becoming a home brewer was liberating. Setting up my brew space by the garden has been one of the most therapeutic moments of my lockdown. But what made it really fun were the times I could experiment as much as I would like since I didn’t have to think of serving anyone but myself. I could try out numerous experiments and not worry about making a huge mess (especially when I got to borrow Yardstick’s Rocket espresso machine so I could create content for their Brew Buddies series on IGTV). I was very eager in trying out so many brew methods and recipes that I ended up documenting them and turning it into a vlog aside from already posting photos on my coffee-centric Instagram account, @espress0mi. Entitled the Cherry Bomb series, the videos are dedicated to my coffee journey particularly about bean, brew, barista, and bar. However, there were long periods of time when I stopped brewing or even drinking coffee just because I didn’t want to develop any serious health issues. But everytime I go back to brewing or drinking coffee, it would always feel like a really warm and comforting hug.

How would you describe your style—across all your pursuits from design to photography to even brewing?

I always put my heart in what I do and hopefully it shows. Having many opportunities from the different industries I am engaged in really trained me to be grounded and true to my identity and values while allowing myself to experiment and enjoy. I have no specific style as well as it highly depends on the project and the energy I put into it.

Where do you get your inspiration for your work from? What keeps you going?

Inspiration is found in everything I consume whether it’s conversations, social media, experiences, music, nature, and more. Knowing that I still have so much potential to explore within myself while pursuing my purpose and goals keeps me going.

Any advice for fellow creatives trying to make their mark.

Meditate on positive affirmations to start your day. Say it out loud if you need to. Tweet it if you want to! I remember tweeting about wanting to be a barista back in 2015/2016 and I officially became one after I graduated college in 2017. It was my first job. Believe in yourself!

In addition to that, be grateful, or better yet write down at least one thing everyday that makes you feel happy and thankful. Engage in multiple online communities in relation to your interests. There is much to learn beyond what you already know.

Read Steal Like an Artist series by Austin Kleon and Damn Good Advice by George Lois. These have changed the way I create and curate. And most important of all, follow your bliss. Live the life you want. Learn from making both smart and stupid choices.