As kids grow up, the more they encounter societal disapproval. They begin to believe that passion does not pay the bills. “Get a real job,” their parents often say. Eventually, as adults, they spend most of their lives doing things they hate, just to get by.

One of the most celebrated Indonesian fashion designers, Barli Asmara, almost fell into the trap of society’s expectations when he was young.

As a young man, Barli never openly told his friends about his passion for drawing and sketching fashion designs. Back then, the fashion world was considered too feminine for a man to enter and so Barli did not get the approval of his parents to enter fashion school.

To please his parents, Barli decided to enroll in an interior design school after he graduated from high school. At the very least, he could channel his love of drawing there.

Eventually, Barli realized that interior design would not allow him to achieve what he really wanted to do and he dropped out after a couple of semesters. After dropping out, Barli started to work in a boutique, though he spent most of his time socializing and going out.

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