For the wide-eyed creatives, here’s what you can learn from Sari Yap, the woman who introduced fashion to the publishing industry.
Related: The Legacy of Sari Yap: Dreaming Big and Moving On
Tucked in the underground basement of an old building in Makati was the thrift shop that I grew up in. Except it was no ordinary thrift shop, it was almost like a fashion depository. There were aisles of avant-garde pieces, as well as aisles of luxury brand staples. How did a thrift shop become so glamorous? Well, many of the city dewellers around Salcedo Village would drop off their out of season clothing to make room for the new. But, my favorite part of the store wasn’t the racks of clothing. My holy grail was the magazine pile. It was there where I saw the Philippine’s first glossy fashion magazine, Mega. At the time, I was still pretty young, so I would only read the Editor’s Note. My juvenile mind may not have exactly understood what was written on the note, but I remember how it made me feel. Inspired. Hopeful. Curious.
I would have never imagined that after 15 years I’d be working for the same magazine that I was browsing through in the thrift shop. Unfortunately, I never got to meet the author of the Editor’s Notes I’ve read. Ms. Sari passed away a year before I was hired in the company. Despite never having met her, the notes I’ve read was enough for me to learn from her. Here are the three things I have learned from Sari Yap that have helped me become the writer I am today.
Lesson #1: Take the risk
What I truly admire about Ms. Sari is that she made her life her own. You need to be able to reach a level of self-actualization to be able to know what you want and to pursue it. She did exactly that. When Mega started in the middle of nowhere, she took the risk and ran the play. Now, she has left a successful business with a strong future ahead.
Lesson #2: Think of the positive
From my understanding of who Ms. Sari is, I could say she wasn’t so idealistic. I believe she was a bit more practical than what others would assume. But, practicality doesn’t necessarily equate to pessimism. She knew exactly what she was doing, honest to the people around her, yet she was hopeful. Every mistake was a lesson learned and every milestone was a step in to the right direction.
Lesson #3: Enjoy the journey
Without ever having to meet Ms. Sari, I can confidently say she loved what she did. She wasn’t working long hours to be somewhere or become someone. She was doing it for the fun of it. It was the journey that fueled Ms. Sari’s passion throughout all these years. Sometimes we’re so focused with what’s up ahead that we don’t recognize how beautiful the struggle actually is.
