Me working hard on the YDJ launch page
That's how I founded YDJ™.
Building from the grounds of passion & inspiration, YDJ™ serves the global design & art community.
If you’re creative professional, you know that having and building on your portfolio is essential for showcasing your skills, and experience.
So build on it, and we'll help you showcase your work and your creative talents to the world!
I'm Hazel Lee, a once struggling digital designer who faced discrimination at my workplace.
I'm always learning and seeking opportunities to grow, but I found that the corporate world was not providing me with the environment I needed to thrive.
Whenever I had some free time, I would talk to other fellow creatives either on social media or with like-minded friends, curious to find out if they faced similar career challenges.
Feeling motivated by the support received, I started a design blog in June 2015 to provide a platform for creatives to showcase their work, share inspiration, resources and career tips.
That's how I founded YDJ™.
I was still doing part-time freelancing, designing websites and brand identity projects for clients, while continuing to grow the YDJ™ platform as a side-hustle through blogging.
At this time, I was also proactively attending entrepreneurial workshops and startup related events to further develop my entrepreneurial and business skills.
In 2017, I finally registered YDJ™ as a business.
Around this time also, I took part in volunteering work and Hackathons to broaden my tech skills.
It occurred to me in late 2018 that I wanted to take YDJ™ to the next level.
I launched YDJ Marketplace, an online marketplace for digital goods.
Unfortunately, it was a failed venture, but the experience taught me valuable lessons in business management and marketing.
My team and I organized CAAD – an art fair to support local artists, and advocated for Greenpeace and climate action awareness in 2019.
This has been our most successful and impactful event so far.
Despite the pandemic, I launched an online art fair called IMAGINE Online Creative Fair 2020.
Though the fair did not receive a good response, I was able to meet a lot more new creatives online. We expressed hope that there would be better times and opportunities ahead.
Since founding YDJ™, it has functioned as a social-enterprise startup. Being financially challenged, I realized it was time to pivot my business model to ensure sustainability and growth.
So, I said goodbye to my freelancing years to focus fully on turning YDJ™ into a revenue-generating startup.
I've also added digital marketing to my entrepreneurial portfolio.
I'm determined to remain committed to making a positive impact in our community.
We are now supporting more creatives who are self-employed or own a small business.
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