How did an art historian who owned a hostel in Cuba become a freelance content marketer?
My family and I.
In front of our Bed and Breakfast Casa Las Tres Naranjas in Trinidad de Cuba.
Just before COVID-19 happened….
I have a special bond with Cuba. From my early days as a student, I visited the island frequently as my father married my Cuban stepmother. With a degree in Art History and years of working in the arts in Istanbul and Quito, I was ready to start my own business. So, together with my partner, we established a Bed and Breakfast in Trinidad, a lovely and quaint Cuban town. A childhood dream of becoming my own boss finally came true.
In those days, there was a lot of optimism: Barack Obama visited the island, the Rolling Stones performed their first-ever concert in La Habana, and tourism boomed. We thoroughly enjoyed welcoming people from different cultures and walks of life to our place. I also created cultural experiences in which I explained the Cuban way of life, history, and the arts.
And then COVID-19 happened. At the beginning of the pandemic, Cuba was relatively safe. Soon, however, the economy collapsed, causing most random basic necessities to become scarce. No tourism means no income for both the government and business owners. Despite doing well compared to many other Cuban families, my heart broke when my son asked for bread and I couldn't give him any. Every day, it was a guess what to eat. Often I had to wait in line for a bunch of eggs or a bottle of shampoo. Daily, my husband biked wherever to find whatever.
We were very fortunate that we could leave Cuba for Spain without difficulty. At first, the hope was that the situation would improve and business could resume. However, the complete opposite happened. Cuba is facing a tremendously hard time right now with skyrocketing inflation causing impossible prices for basic items. Doctors don't have the resources they need to treat patients. There's a continuous lack of fuel, which means numerous long power outages and public transport is almost non-existent. These are only a few examples of what's going on at the moment. My heart goes out to my Cuban family, friends, and neighbors. Though I do what I can to help, I feel powerless that I cannot do more. Yes, it hurts.
After several painful months of realizing my business was over, I began to analyze how I could use my past experiences in a new career. What would be a logical step forward? Three years ago, I decided to become a freelance content marketer. Now you might wonder, how on earth did you choose that profession? Fair enough, but my answer is short: I'm infinitely curious about people and the stories they tell.
Art history is basically a long story of humanity. However, for me, it's not something static. I didn't just memorize facts about artists and their works. It was more than that. Here's a great quote by one of the founding members of Guerrilla Girls that sums it up nicely:
“There's nothing worse than the term "art appreciation". It implies that you're just there awestruck, and whatever you're being fed, you appreciate. Art really is about discourse and discussion.”
Check them out if you're unfamiliar.
Therefore, art explores the emotions it evokes. The arts also encourage you to challenge your assumptions and think about things differently. All in all, art history helped me become a critical thinker, a skill that helped me to understand myself and the world around me better.
My Bed and Breakfast enabled me to meet many different people. And there was more to my goal than simply handling keys and saying goodbye to guests. I wanted them to feel at home. It was about building a connection and creating a bridge between Cuba and them. Many times, for instance, we had breakfast or dinner together and had meaningful conversations about each other's lives.
But of course, I also had to adapt to Cuban culture, which is vastly different from my own. Listening to my Cuban family, friends, and neighbors opened my mind. As a result, I became more self-aware of my values and prejudices than ever before. I needed to accept that my perspective was just one of many.
It became clear to me that being aware of one's self is the key to making genuine connections. And this is exactly what content marketing is all about. Whether you design a visual or write a newsletter, it all starts with you.
When researching a target audience, for example, your perspective influences the way you take in information, give it order, and assign it meaning. Whether you're conscious of it or not, you bring to this blog already a frame of mind formed through your experiences and education.
It's the same with visuals. Imagine seeing an advertisement about snorkeling in the Caribbean. As someone who loves swimming but has never snorkeled, how would your view of this ad influence your opinion? In contrast, how would your perspective be affected if, as a child, you experienced a traumatic experience in a pool and are now terrified of water?
What do you feel when you see this picture?
So, recognizing how your perspective shapes your thinking is an important step in understanding yourself and communicating with others.
I could advise you on how to write terrific hooks or how LinkedIn's algorithm works. However, I've decided consciously not to. I'll have another intake for my blog posts.
I want to use my story to inspire you to reflect more deeply on how your past experiences have shaped you into who you are today. My work aims to help you uncover your authentic message and find the most effective way to share it.