May Maelstrom: Brand Book Creator

22. I would say I stumbled onto this guy by happenstance but I truly believe everything happens for a reason. His name is Scott Spooner and his work… it’s beyond phenomenal. The work that he brings to the table in addition to the other creatives (and I don’t actually mean creatives as in the job title but actual CREATIVE people) he has collaborated with, it makes for some pretty dynamic stuff.

I want to do more things like this. Create books like this that are inspirational, provoking, and funny. I know that there are a lot of components and different positions that go into making books like this but is it possible to have a career that encompasses all of those elements. I wish to create copies, take photos, design layouts, pick and choose fonts - basically I want to do it all.  However, Matt Sanders’ line from yesterday really got me thinking. He said: “I know I’m good at everything but what am I really great at.”   So that begs the question, WHAT AM I GREAT AT?! I find it highly impossible for me to be in all the areas that come together to make Brand books so I need to stick to one. I don’t say impossible because of my lack of capabilities but because I know that in order for things to be great, one needs to share the glory. Other people need to be involved in it too.

With that said, what do I need to do to get to where this guy is?  Ironically enough, John Russel (more on him in a later post) came into talk today and told me exactly that.

- I need to build my resume (I feel disgusted that I have yet to update it ever since I made the switch from Marketing to Advertising)

-Connections Connections Connections - Luckily, I have not gone all 4 years without meeting some incredible people. Not just business owners and “important” people but anyone that can teach me something, which is basically everyone.

-Do projects - I’m currently doing 3 side projects but I need to invest more time into them to make them presentable. I feel like through that I maybe grow some skills in the area of multitasking.

-Be BOLD  - People tend to think I’m bold because I tend to be loud at times but I am tired of being that way. I want to be known for having a strong presence during times of silence too. I also want to grow more of a backbone.  I often get that confused for being rude so I tend to shy away from being bold altogether. Once I figure out a nice balance between the two maybe then I can be bold.

-Go to events - Where do people like copywriters, designer and creatives socialize for business?

- LinkedIn - self-explanatory

-Internship - No matter the time or place, some company is always looking for an worker. Go out there and find something. I just need to remember that it’s okay to start from the bottom. Russel started out as a mail man BEFORE email hit big, now look at him.

-Spurratic - You can go to a meeting prepared but outside of that time, what are you?  Once I have my resume ready and my portfolio is decent, I need to make business cards. Ones that I can pop out at a moment’s notice and hand to the person. I don’t want to be forgettable.

-Work my glutius maximus off. It will get tiring to do things over and over but you just gotta. You’ll thank yourself in the end.

So there you I have it. In order to get to this position, I need to take these steps and apply them to the field of copy writing.

16. Building Britches

To   Jonathan Weiss , Gabriella Navarez , Matt Sanders , and Leah -whose name I apologetically cannot recall so please forgive me. To all four of you I say thank you. Thank you for not getting to big for your britches. Thank you for helping me fit into mine. Thank you for words that surely did not fall onto deaf ears. Thank you for hope.

I’m sure as you can tell from previous posts on this blog I am on the journey to finding my dream position. It has been a hard and daunting trail but it is because of people like Jonathan, Gabi, Matt and Leah that trotting along has not been as difficult as I had imagined. 

 All four of them and 50+ others recently traveled with a few professors to New York for an agency tour with some of the biggest ad companies out there. W+K NY, McGarryBowen, and Huge just to name a few. While they could have soaked up all they could and then came back to Oregon without anything to share, they did just the opposite. This career field is a competitive one so it would have been understandable if they did not divulge any information but like Matt said, "Drop the competitive. We can be on a team and do everything together."  The fact that they were willing to take time out of their day to relive the moments that I and many others weren’t there for, I find that one of the greatest things anybody could ever do for someone.

So with that said, I now pass on the most prominent points I got from them.

It’s all about intrinsic motivation. Nobody is gonna tell you to do it, you just have to. - Jonathan

Stay around people you admire. It will keep you… sane. - Gabi

It’s about making the commitment to stay after hours. // There is an eagerness to be a part of cool sh*t. // I know I’m good at everything but what am I really great at. I shouldn’t be ashamed of that. // You just gotta get in where you fit in. - Matt  (I think I soaked up the most from him because I felt like we had the most in common with our “uncommon” way of thinking.)

Have outside interests. Make pie! - Leah.

Also, a big shout out to ALL the companies that hosted the #UONYC . I know I was not there to share and partake in the glory that was the Big Apple but seriously, I love when people who have been helped out never forget to turn around and do the same.