As every entrepreneur knows, starting a business is both a terrific and terrifying call to adventure. A few snarling dragons are to be expected - You either slay them, or you turn around and run.

Aubrey Daquinag (@theloveassembly) embarked on this journey seven years ago. Today she is a photographer, published author, and world-class blogger who travels the world as her full-time job.

How’d she do it? Some of her superpowers came to light in recent conversation.

“It wasn’t always like this” says Aubrey, “I was an ordinary girl working a 9-5 marketing and PR role for fashion and lifestyle brands. I had worked my way to the top. But I wanted more. I wanted more creative freedom.”

Guns blazing and whips cracking, Aubrey set off to seek her fortune…

“I left my job and started to find out how other people had turned a passion into a career. My first entry into the online world was blogging because it allowed me to express myself creatively and that is what I was lacking in my 9-5 job. I wanted location-independence and to earn money online using my creative skills, so I started interviewing friends and talented colleagues who had made this happen, and I documented this on my blog together with my photography. I called this ‘The Love Assembly’”.

Aubrey’s professional background put her at an advantage, “I was able to apply my skills to the brand that I was creating”. But still, everybody has so to find their way. “That’s the beauty of online,” says Aubrey, “you can change and evolve. If I show you what my blog looked like in the beginning, it was completely different. The important thing is to just start.”

It’s truly refreshing, when listening to Aubrey’s story, to hear how her values are at the wheel. When reaching out to brands for collaboration, Aubrey says “I would never pitch something that I feel doesn’t work or is not genuine because it doesn’t align with my values. It’s both intentional and strategic because I feel that these are the best sorts of partnerships.”

On the subject of fear, which if you didn’t know, is actually a thing, we asked Aubrey to share some examples of how she has found her way around it.

“I still feel a lot of fear,” says Aubrey, “But I learned early on that it’s not fear of putting myself out there, it’s actually fear of success - which is so bizarre!

I specifically named my blog ‘The Love Assembly’ because it was a curation of people and places that I love and have assembled to share with the world, but also because it gave me a separation from what I was working on, so I wouldn’t take things personally. It’s not a personal attack on me if people don’t like it, and if people do like it then it’s not about me, it’s about my work.”

Today, Aubrey has strategically built a career that supports a lifestyle that she loves, is aligned with her values, and makes her thrive. We recommend reading more about the pivotal points in her journey, together with beautiful pictures of her adventures, on her blog ‘theloveassembly.com’.

“’If you really want something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse”’ says Aubrey. “I remember coming across this quote from Jim Rohn, an American entrepreneur, and it has been my mantra through it all.”

“What are some mistakes you’ve made in your career so far?” we asked her. “Wuah! Mistake is a funny word” she laughed, while searching for an answer. But nothing came to mind. Instead, she spoke of the tattoo on her arm.

The words ‘Beautiful Mistake’ are inked into her skin in Arabic, inspired by a beautiful quote from her favorite band as a teenager, The Ataris:

“How can you have a beautiful ending without making beautiful mistakes?”

“Everything that I have done has lead me up to this point” says Aubrey. “I truly believe that in life, you must just do, and see what growth will happen. For me, mistake is a funny word. I prefer to see these experiences as learnings.”