What if you didn’t have to quit your job to build a deeply creative life?

In this episode of Second Act: Life Beyond the Job Title, I sit down with Cielo De La Paz — UX leader at YouTube, photographer, filmmaker, educator, and creator — to talk about what it really means to build a creative second act while keeping a full-time career.

Cielo shares the story behind her photo being featured in Apple’s Shot on iPhone campaign, what happened when she tried to take photography full-time, and why she eventually realized that not every passion needs to become a business. We also talk about imposter syndrome, building a YouTube channel, teaching what you know, using AI tools as a creator, and why your job can sometimes be the “angel investor” for your art.

This conversation is for anyone with a creative dream, a side project, or a quiet part of themselves they are ready to take more seriously.

Chapters

00:00 Cold Open: Photography as Art vs. Business
01:12 Meet Cielo: UX Leader, Photographer, Creator
01:45 The Red Umbrella Photo That Went Global
04:15 Becoming a Creator and Facing the Camera
05:38 Imposter Syndrome and Sharing Your Work
07:28 What Happened When She Tried Photography Full-Time
10:48 Building a Course Business — Then Walking Away
14:06 Your Job Can Be the Angel Investor for Your Art
15:19 How to Create While Working Full-Time
18:03 AI Tools and the Future of Creation
22:00 Finding Community Through Art
24:12 Long-Term Goals and Aspirations in Art
26:17 A Bridge, Not a Leap
28:32 Is YouTube Too Saturated?
29:52 Why Being Multi-Hyphenate Is an Advantage

Tags: Second Act, creative career, career reinvention, side hustle, creator economy, YouTube creator, photography, AI tools, creative life, multi-hyphenate, personal brand, imposter syndrome, UX leader, women in tech, career and creativity, passion project, creative entrepreneurship, art and work, building in public, life beyond the job title, Cielo De La Paz