Eminent Visuals

On Thursday, I lost an opportunity that could have paid me $2,500 a month. And to be honest, it hurt. Recently, I’ve been intentional about improving my work as an AI video creator. I started studying more international AI creators, experimenting with better storytelling, cinematic visuals, transitions, and pushing myself to create portfolio pieces that go beyond what I was already comfortable making. One of those projects was my Samsung ad. The video did really well, and I added it to my portfolio on Contra. Before then, I would apply for opportunities on Contra, but rarely hear anything back. So when I got matched with a company looking for a Forward Deployed Creative, and they reached out after seeing my portfolio, I was genuinely excited. They loved my work and scheduled a meeting with me for Thursday at 7 p.m. I thought this could be a big break. The meeting started well. They asked me about my journey, my creative process, and my workflow. I was getting ready to walk them through how I work when my PC started freezing. I had too many applications open, including the tools I use to create and edit my videos, and my computer simply couldn’t handle everything while I was sharing my screen. I had to leave the meeting to sort it out. By the time I managed to get back in, the person I was meeting with had left. Just like that, what could have been a really significant opportunity became one of the most disappointing experiences I’ve had in a while. I sent an email explaining what happened and reached out on Contra to ask if we could reschedule. I haven’t heard back. And yes, I cried, it genuinely broke my heart. I had looked forward to that meeting so much. I imagined how good it would feel to share that win, especially after putting so much work into improving myself and my craft. But somewhere in all of this, I had to remind myself of something. Before I added that Samsung project to my portfolio, I wasn’t getting responses like this. Someone saw my work, loved it, and wanted to speak with me. Even though things didn’t go as planned, that means something. My work is improving. My portfolio is getting stronger. And my efforts are beginning to get noticed. I’m sharing this because we often talk about our wins but rarely share the disappointments that happen along the way. Sometimes, you come so close to something you’ve been hoping for, and it still doesn’t work out. And it hurts. But I’m choosing to see the progress, not just the disappointment. Until then, I’m still building. Still learning. Still creating. And I’m not giving up on myself. 💜