Is This Real Life?

I ordered my cap, gown, and tassel months ago but today was the first time I tried it on. Eleven days are all that stand between me and the other side and I have not yet come to realize that college will soon be over (Blame it on my terrible ability to deal with loss and closure).

On June 18th 2012 at 12pm I will be graduating from the University of Oregon’s Journalism and Communications Program with a concentration in Adverting at the age of 20. I think I spent the entirety of my college education trying to avoid discussing and explaining my age. However, thinking about the weeks that lie ahead, I have recently changed my mind about that choice.

I am a strong believer that God allows things to happen for a reason. It is with that that I say with all the pride, honor, and humility, I am twenty! (My brother and I had started primary school early, in addition that, we moved around a lot as children). Sometimes I find myself thinking how different life would have been had we not started early and contemplating the what ifs. What if I had never started when I did, would I still have met all these amazing people in college? All that time I failed to realize that hypothetical is called hypothetical for a reason - IT’S NOT REAL. I did end up meeting some pretty awesome kids during my four years here.

Forget Disney Land, THIS is where all the magic happens. JCOMM Commencement 2012



[vimeo 17030412 w=500 h=281]

“I can’t say it enough times: Stay true to your vision. Remember why you do it… What you do, who you are – that’s your art. That’s all you have.”


Flight of Passage – This short is about  doing what you love.  Of course everyone in life has a different way of doing such but this film just reminds us to stick in there when times get difficult 

Director: James Gardner.

Story teller: Steve Mason

Skateboarder: Ben Nordberg

(Source: http://www.showusyourclips.com/)

25. The Breakfast of Champions

Find out what you love to do. Do it. Surround yourself with people who love doing similar things too. These people will motivate you when the next step feels like 100 miles away. Case in point. Here I am at 12: 43 in the morning and I am eating a cold  sandwich. If you couldn’t tell that it’s a McChicken it probably because you’re used to seeing this:

McChicken

Before I digress even further into the McDonalds industry, let me get back to the topic at hand.

I call this the breakfast of champions because it is now morning and this is the first meal I have eaten. Plus, I am in the presence of a champion. Ladies and gents, meet Kelsey Harris. This isn’t the first time we have pulled long-nighters in the berry (Library). Oh no, it is not. And let me assure you, this probably won’t be the last. It may look like we’re having a bag full of giggles at the moment but my eyes are laiden with sleep and mind has began the slow process of turning off. As sluggish as I become, I have the power to go forward because I am surrounded by people of the same mind and will as me. It makes me want to continue when I see others doing the same. It pushes me further. “Iron sharpens iron and the creatives push the creative.” It’s one of my new sayings now. Find someone or some people who do the same for you. You will not regret doing so.

25. The Breakfast of Champions

Find out what you love to do. Do it. Surround yourself with people who love doing similar things too. These people will motivate you when the next step feels like 100 miles away. Case in point. Here I am at 12: 43 in the morning and I am eating a cold  sandwich. If you couldn’t tell that it’s a McChicken it probably because you’re used to seeing this:

McChicken

Before I digress even further into the McDonalds industry, let me get back to the topic at hand.

I call this the breakfast of champions because it is now morning and this is the first meal I have eaten. Plus, I am in the presence of a champion. Ladies and gents, meet Kelsey Harris. This isn’t the first time we have pulled long-nighters in the berry (Library). Oh no, it is not. And let me assure you, this probably won’t be the last. It may look like we’re having a bag full of giggles at the moment but my eyes are laiden with sleep and mind has began the slow process of turning off. As sluggish as I become, I have the power to go forward because I am surrounded by people of the same mind and will as me. It makes me want to continue when I see others doing the same. It pushes me further. “Iron sharpens iron and the creatives push the creative.” It’s one of my new sayings now. Find someone or some people who do the same for you. You will not regret doing so.

25. The Breakfast of Champions

Find out what you love to do. Do it. Surround yourself with people who love doing similar things too. These people will motivate you when the next step feels like 100 miles away. Case in point. Here I am at 12: 43 in the morning and I am eating a cold  sandwich. If you couldn’t tell that it’s a McChicken it probably because you’re used to seeing this:

McChicken

Before I digress even further into the McDonalds industry, let me get back to the topic at hand.

I call this the breakfast of champions because it is now morning and this is the first meal I have eaten. Plus, I am in the presence of a champion. Ladies and gents, meet Kelsey Harris. This isn’t the first time we have pulled long-nighters in the berry (Library). Oh no, it is not. And let me assure you, this probably won’t be the last. It may look like we’re having a bag full of giggles at the moment but my eyes are laiden with sleep and mind has began the slow process of turning off. As sluggish as I become, I have the power to go forward because I am surrounded by people of the same mind and will as me. It makes me want to continue when I see others doing the same. It pushes me further. “Iron sharpens iron and the creatives push the creative.” It’s one of my new sayings now. Find someone or some people who do the same for you. You will not regret doing so.

25. The Breakfast of Champions

Find out what you love to do. Do it. Surround yourself with people who love doing similar things too. These people will motivate you when the next step feels like 100 miles away. Case in point. Here I am at 12: 43 in the morning and I am eating a cold  sandwich. If you couldn’t tell that it’s a McChicken it probably because you’re used to seeing this:

McChicken

Before I digress even further into the McDonalds industry, let me get back to the topic at hand.

I call this the breakfast of champions because it is now morning and this is the first meal I have eaten. Plus, I am in the presence of a champion. Ladies and gents, meet Kelsey Harris. This isn’t the first time we have pulled long-nighters in the berry (Library). Oh no, it is not. And let me assure you, this probably won’t be the last. It may look like we’re having a bag full of giggles at the moment but my eyes are laiden with sleep and mind has began the slow process of turning off. As sluggish as I become, I have the power to go forward because I am surrounded by people of the same mind and will as me. It makes me want to continue when I see others doing the same. It pushes me further. “Iron sharpens iron and the creatives push the creative.” It’s one of my new sayings now. Find someone or some people who do the same for you. You will not regret doing so.

24. This is me, in the lab. Besides the lab monitor and me, there is only one other person here. My eyes may look a little red and there may be bags underneath but on the inside I actually feel… I feel good. I’ve hit mile 3 and I’m now coasting. You know that runner’s wall where everything up to mile 3 is something you wouldn’t wish on anybody? However, when you stride past mile 3 you no longer feel pain, inhibition, or the spikes in your lungs due to little air flow.

I am here in the lab that is about to close and I feel pretty good considering the circumstances. I need to do this more often. I like knowing that I am making some dent in my life goals and daily to-do lists.  Now it is off to the J-lab on 4th floor because they run 24/7!

24. This is me, in the lab. Besides the lab monitor and me, there is only one other person here. My eyes may look a little red and there may be bags underneath but on the inside I actually feel… I feel good. I’ve hit mile 3 and I’m now coasting. You know that runner’s wall where everything up to mile 3 is something you wouldn’t wish on anybody? However, when you stride past mile 3 you no longer feel pain, inhibition, or the spikes in your lungs due to little air flow.

I am here in the lab that is about to close and I feel pretty good considering the circumstances. I need to do this more often. I like knowing that I am making some dent in my life goals and daily to-do lists.  Now it is off to the J-lab on 4th floor because they run 24/7!

24. This is me, in the lab. Besides the lab monitor and me, there is only one other person here. My eyes may look a little red and there may be bags underneath but on the inside I actually feel… I feel good. I’ve hit mile 3 and I’m now coasting. You know that runner’s wall where everything up to mile 3 is something you wouldn’t wish on anybody? However, when you stride past mile 3 you no longer feel pain, inhibition, or the spikes in your lungs due to little air flow.

I am here in the lab that is about to close and I feel pretty good considering the circumstances. I need to do this more often. I like knowing that I am making some dent in my life goals and daily to-do lists.  Now it is off to the J-lab on 4th floor because they run 24/7!

24. This is me, in the lab. Besides the lab monitor and me, there is only one other person here. My eyes may look a little red and there may be bags underneath but on the inside I actually feel… I feel good. I’ve hit mile 3 and I’m now coasting. You know that runner’s wall where everything up to mile 3 is something you wouldn’t wish on anybody? However, when you stride past mile 3 you no longer feel pain, inhibition, or the spikes in your lungs due to little air flow.

I am here in the lab that is about to close and I feel pretty good considering the circumstances. I need to do this more often. I like knowing that I am making some dent in my life goals and daily to-do lists.  Now it is off to the J-lab on 4th floor because they run 24/7!

23.

You wouldn’t know it from the looks on our faces but this is what joy and relief look like. The book, 20 Something to Life is now complete. It has been sent in to be printed. I just seriously can’t believe I am here in this current moment. I cannot really explain how this book came to be without comparing it to being pregnant. I have never been pregnant myself but I’ve heard enough stories to successfully compare it to the process of how this book was created.

Last year I applied for a study abroad trip to study at the University of Cambridge. Originally, my primary reason for studying in England was to listen to the accents all day long and to take in the sites. It was not until a week in the program that I realized how blessed I was to have this opportunity (Conception - Although the woman doesn’t know she is pregnant, just like my ideas, there is a baby growing inside). Not many people can say they did what I did, not many people will ever be able to say that. The culture there was just so intoxicating it made it all the more harder to adjust back to coming back. In the first months back I actually did become a little desolate. (I guess you could call this the morning sickness) However, it made me look around at my current setting and forced me to think: What about Oregon do I love.

I started to wonder, I’ve spent three years at the UO and what has it all amounted to? I remember that I used to get so jealous of my twin brother for attending the University of Southern California. He was making all these great connections with the children of celebrities and I was in Eugene. (More morning sickness) 

For some reason, the book, Roadtrip Nation popped up in all this. My Career teacher from 10th grade has first introduced me to the documentary but I didn’t read the book until I graduated from high school. Sidenote: no matter where you are in life, you MUST read this book. Anyway, the book made me realize that I do not need to meet famous people to be inspired. After all, before famous people were famous they were regular! (Morning sickness is steadily decreasing day by day)

My then, 3.5 years at the UO has not been achieved on my own. I definitely had A LOT of help getting to where I was. That’s where I started. Who were the people who helped me get to where I was? Then, what are those people doing right now?  How did they get to where they are right now? It slowly then morphed into a backwards timeline. With all these questions in mind it became all I thought about. It consumed me (Pregnancy glow). How did I become so blessed to have all these people in my life?!

BOOM! Find out the reason from the sources themselves! I then sent out emails to everyone who I could ever think of. Ranging from my educational adviser to the woman who helped me get accepted to the U of O. Then, it dawned on me, why stop there? Why not include ALL of the people who have inspired me in some way or another.  This list included my friend who just started her own jewelry line to professors I just met that day. If you allow yourself, everyone can inspire you.

It was through one of my interviewees that I found out this project of mine met the qualifications of a class I was going to take. (False contractions)

Roll forward about a few weeks - cuz I actually put off this project for a while. (This constitutes for the part of the pregnancy where it’s not really exciting, it’s just what it is)

(Finding out if it’s a girl or boy - it’s like, do I want to know or should I keep it a secret. Is the doc. going to find something wrong with the baby while they are determining the sex? ) I was a little apprehensive at first to tell my plans to my professor because I thought she would for some reason rip it to pieces and say she hated it. Luckily she did not and said that I can do whatever made me feel comfortable with it. (Everything is healthy)

(Are you taking your prenatal pill? Everyone hates take pills but it’s good for you) This is where Will Kanellos came aboard. I had been harboring this project for so long I did not want to share it. I thought no one else could love it, and execute it as well as I did. However, thanks to Doctor Deb Morrison, I came to realize that I cannot do this on my own. In order to let out greatness, you need to let great people in. Thank you Will for not proving Deb wrong. I don’t think I could have picked a better person to work with :)

(Telling friends and family the sex and the name of the baby) After we had worked on the project a little more we then told the class what our plans for all these interviews were. I don’t know if Will felt the same but I was definitely nervous (It’s like you tell your mom that you’re naming a the baby Jamie and wondering if she’s gonna say that name is too ambiguous or if she is going to accept it for its uniqueness) Luckily, it was more of the latter for Will and me. Catherine, our GTF accepted it but gave us more direction - she could probably tell that we had no REAL direction for this other than writing interviews into a book. Good thing her spidey senses were working that day.

(Feeling the kick for the first time) Once we had this advice and input, we really got to work. It was exciting to have something actually moving. (That’s not a pregnancy pun, I just could not find a better word). We decided for the sake of time and purpose that we would lessen the interviewees down to only college kids who are doing something with their lives. I would give you more information about this but I don’t want to divulge too much about the execution and somewhat new direction we decided on.

(Real Contractions) The book was slowly coming together. Writing pieces were put in a designs were working ever so seamlessly. Although, the fact that I knew it was coming down to the deadline made it even more uncomfortable.

(Contractions are 5 minutes apart) Let me tell you, grammatical errors are no joke. (As much as you want to push, you can’t. The OBGYN keeps on telling you to hold on and hold it in). Every time we though we were ready to send it out, there was always some sort of error in the fine print.

(Dialated) After all the nitty gritty corrections, we took one more look over it.

(Push) Everything is done and it is now ready to send off to the press!

Here is a little sneak peek of what is to come…

Partial book cover

(Although what I am about to say sounds like I am talking about babies, I’m not).

I can’t wait ‘til I can hold it in my arms. I pray that while it is getting printed out that nothing bad happens to it and no one on the printing side messes it up.

23.

You wouldn’t know it from the looks on our faces but this is what joy and relief look like. The book, 20 Something to Life is now complete. It has been sent in to be printed. I just seriously can’t believe I am here in this current moment. I cannot really explain how this book came to be without comparing it to being pregnant. I have never been pregnant myself but I’ve heard enough stories to successfully compare it to the process of how this book was created.

Last year I applied for a study abroad trip to study at the University of Cambridge. Originally, my primary reason for studying in England was to listen to the accents all day long and to take in the sites. It was not until a week in the program that I realized how blessed I was to have this opportunity (Conception - Although the woman doesn’t know she is pregnant, just like my ideas, there is a baby growing inside). Not many people can say they did what I did, not many people will ever be able to say that. The culture there was just so intoxicating it made it all the more harder to adjust back to coming back. In the first months back I actually did become a little desolate. (I guess you could call this the morning sickness) However, it made me look around at my current setting and forced me to think: What about Oregon do I love.

I started to wonder, I’ve spent three years at the UO and what has it all amounted to? I remember that I used to get so jealous of my twin brother for attending the University of Southern California. He was making all these great connections with the children of celebrities and I was in Eugene. (More morning sickness) 

For some reason, the book, Roadtrip Nation popped up in all this. My Career teacher from 10th grade has first introduced me to the documentary but I didn’t read the book until I graduated from high school. Sidenote: no matter where you are in life, you MUST read this book. Anyway, the book made me realize that I do not need to meet famous people to be inspired. After all, before famous people were famous they were regular! (Morning sickness is steadily decreasing day by day)

My then, 3.5 years at the UO has not been achieved on my own. I definitely had A LOT of help getting to where I was. That’s where I started. Who were the people who helped me get to where I was? Then, what are those people doing right now?  How did they get to where they are right now? It slowly then morphed into a backwards timeline. With all these questions in mind it became all I thought about. It consumed me (Pregnancy glow). How did I become so blessed to have all these people in my life?!

BOOM! Find out the reason from the sources themselves! I then sent out emails to everyone who I could ever think of. Ranging from my educational adviser to the woman who helped me get accepted to the U of O. Then, it dawned on me, why stop there? Why not include ALL of the people who have inspired me in some way or another.  This list included my friend who just started her own jewelry line to professors I just met that day. If you allow yourself, everyone can inspire you.

It was through one of my interviewees that I found out this project of mine met the qualifications of a class I was going to take. (False contractions)

Roll forward about a few weeks - cuz I actually put off this project for a while. (This constitutes for the part of the pregnancy where it’s not really exciting, it’s just what it is)

(Finding out if it’s a girl or boy - it’s like, do I want to know or should I keep it a secret. Is the doc. going to find something wrong with the baby while they are determining the sex? ) I was a little apprehensive at first to tell my plans to my professor because I thought she would for some reason rip it to pieces and say she hated it. Luckily she did not and said that I can do whatever made me feel comfortable with it. (Everything is healthy)

(Are you taking your prenatal pill? Everyone hates take pills but it’s good for you) This is where Will Kanellos came aboard. I had been harboring this project for so long I did not want to share it. I thought no one else could love it, and execute it as well as I did. However, thanks to Doctor Deb Morrison, I came to realize that I cannot do this on my own. In order to let out greatness, you need to let great people in. Thank you Will for not proving Deb wrong. I don’t think I could have picked a better person to work with :)

(Telling friends and family the sex and the name of the baby) After we had worked on the project a little more we then told the class what our plans for all these interviews were. I don’t know if Will felt the same but I was definitely nervous (It’s like you tell your mom that you’re naming a the baby Jamie and wondering if she’s gonna say that name is too ambiguous or if she is going to accept it for its uniqueness) Luckily, it was more of the latter for Will and me. Catherine, our GTF accepted it but gave us more direction - she could probably tell that we had no REAL direction for this other than writing interviews into a book. Good thing her spidey senses were working that day.

(Feeling the kick for the first time) Once we had this advice and input, we really got to work. It was exciting to have something actually moving. (That’s not a pregnancy pun, I just could not find a better word). We decided for the sake of time and purpose that we would lessen the interviewees down to only college kids who are doing something with their lives. I would give you more information about this but I don’t want to divulge too much about the execution and somewhat new direction we decided on.

(Real Contractions) The book was slowly coming together. Writing pieces were put in a designs were working ever so seamlessly. Although, the fact that I knew it was coming down to the deadline made it even more uncomfortable.

(Contractions are 5 minutes apart) Let me tell you, grammatical errors are no joke. (As much as you want to push, you can’t. The OBGYN keeps on telling you to hold on and hold it in). Every time we though we were ready to send it out, there was always some sort of error in the fine print.

(Dialated) After all the nitty gritty corrections, we took one more look over it.

(Push) Everything is done and it is now ready to send off to the press!

Here is a little sneak peek of what is to come…

Partial book cover

(Although what I am about to say sounds like I am talking about babies, I’m not).

I can’t wait ‘til I can hold it in my arms. I pray that while it is getting printed out that nothing bad happens to it and no one on the printing side messes it up.

23.

You wouldn’t know it from the looks on our faces but this is what joy and relief look like. The book, 20 Something to Life is now complete. It has been sent in to be printed. I just seriously can’t believe I am here in this current moment. I cannot really explain how this book came to be without comparing it to being pregnant. I have never been pregnant myself but I’ve heard enough stories to successfully compare it to the process of how this book was created.

Last year I applied for a study abroad trip to study at the University of Cambridge. Originally, my primary reason for studying in England was to listen to the accents all day long and to take in the sites. It was not until a week in the program that I realized how blessed I was to have this opportunity (Conception - Although the woman doesn’t know she is pregnant, just like my ideas, there is a baby growing inside). Not many people can say they did what I did, not many people will ever be able to say that. The culture there was just so intoxicating it made it all the more harder to adjust back to coming back. In the first months back I actually did become a little desolate. (I guess you could call this the morning sickness) However, it made me look around at my current setting and forced me to think: What about Oregon do I love.

I started to wonder, I’ve spent three years at the UO and what has it all amounted to? I remember that I used to get so jealous of my twin brother for attending the University of Southern California. He was making all these great connections with the children of celebrities and I was in Eugene. (More morning sickness) 

For some reason, the book, Roadtrip Nation popped up in all this. My Career teacher from 10th grade has first introduced me to the documentary but I didn’t read the book until I graduated from high school. Sidenote: no matter where you are in life, you MUST read this book. Anyway, the book made me realize that I do not need to meet famous people to be inspired. After all, before famous people were famous they were regular! (Morning sickness is steadily decreasing day by day)

My then, 3.5 years at the UO has not been achieved on my own. I definitely had A LOT of help getting to where I was. That’s where I started. Who were the people who helped me get to where I was? Then, what are those people doing right now?  How did they get to where they are right now? It slowly then morphed into a backwards timeline. With all these questions in mind it became all I thought about. It consumed me (Pregnancy glow). How did I become so blessed to have all these people in my life?!

BOOM! Find out the reason from the sources themselves! I then sent out emails to everyone who I could ever think of. Ranging from my educational adviser to the woman who helped me get accepted to the U of O. Then, it dawned on me, why stop there? Why not include ALL of the people who have inspired me in some way or another.  This list included my friend who just started her own jewelry line to professors I just met that day. If you allow yourself, everyone can inspire you.

It was through one of my interviewees that I found out this project of mine met the qualifications of a class I was going to take. (False contractions)

Roll forward about a few weeks - cuz I actually put off this project for a while. (This constitutes for the part of the pregnancy where it’s not really exciting, it’s just what it is)

(Finding out if it’s a girl or boy - it’s like, do I want to know or should I keep it a secret. Is the doc. going to find something wrong with the baby while they are determining the sex? ) I was a little apprehensive at first to tell my plans to my professor because I thought she would for some reason rip it to pieces and say she hated it. Luckily she did not and said that I can do whatever made me feel comfortable with it. (Everything is healthy)

(Are you taking your prenatal pill? Everyone hates take pills but it’s good for you) This is where Will Kanellos came aboard. I had been harboring this project for so long I did not want to share it. I thought no one else could love it, and execute it as well as I did. However, thanks to Doctor Deb Morrison, I came to realize that I cannot do this on my own. In order to let out greatness, you need to let great people in. Thank you Will for not proving Deb wrong. I don’t think I could have picked a better person to work with :)

(Telling friends and family the sex and the name of the baby) After we had worked on the project a little more we then told the class what our plans for all these interviews were. I don’t know if Will felt the same but I was definitely nervous (It’s like you tell your mom that you’re naming a the baby Jamie and wondering if she’s gonna say that name is too ambiguous or if she is going to accept it for its uniqueness) Luckily, it was more of the latter for Will and me. Catherine, our GTF accepted it but gave us more direction - she could probably tell that we had no REAL direction for this other than writing interviews into a book. Good thing her spidey senses were working that day.

(Feeling the kick for the first time) Once we had this advice and input, we really got to work. It was exciting to have something actually moving. (That’s not a pregnancy pun, I just could not find a better word). We decided for the sake of time and purpose that we would lessen the interviewees down to only college kids who are doing something with their lives. I would give you more information about this but I don’t want to divulge too much about the execution and somewhat new direction we decided on.

(Real Contractions) The book was slowly coming together. Writing pieces were put in a designs were working ever so seamlessly. Although, the fact that I knew it was coming down to the deadline made it even more uncomfortable.

(Contractions are 5 minutes apart) Let me tell you, grammatical errors are no joke. (As much as you want to push, you can’t. The OBGYN keeps on telling you to hold on and hold it in). Every time we though we were ready to send it out, there was always some sort of error in the fine print.

(Dialated) After all the nitty gritty corrections, we took one more look over it.

(Push) Everything is done and it is now ready to send off to the press!

Here is a little sneak peek of what is to come…

Partial book cover

(Although what I am about to say sounds like I am talking about babies, I’m not).

I can’t wait ‘til I can hold it in my arms. I pray that while it is getting printed out that nothing bad happens to it and no one on the printing side messes it up.

23.

You wouldn’t know it from the looks on our faces but this is what joy and relief look like. The book, 20 Something to Life is now complete. It has been sent in to be printed. I just seriously can’t believe I am here in this current moment. I cannot really explain how this book came to be without comparing it to being pregnant. I have never been pregnant myself but I’ve heard enough stories to successfully compare it to the process of how this book was created.

Last year I applied for a study abroad trip to study at the University of Cambridge. Originally, my primary reason for studying in England was to listen to the accents all day long and to take in the sites. It was not until a week in the program that I realized how blessed I was to have this opportunity (Conception - Although the woman doesn’t know she is pregnant, just like my ideas, there is a baby growing inside). Not many people can say they did what I did, not many people will ever be able to say that. The culture there was just so intoxicating it made it all the more harder to adjust back to coming back. In the first months back I actually did become a little desolate. (I guess you could call this the morning sickness) However, it made me look around at my current setting and forced me to think: What about Oregon do I love.

I started to wonder, I’ve spent three years at the UO and what has it all amounted to? I remember that I used to get so jealous of my twin brother for attending the University of Southern California. He was making all these great connections with the children of celebrities and I was in Eugene. (More morning sickness) 

For some reason, the book, Roadtrip Nation popped up in all this. My Career teacher from 10th grade has first introduced me to the documentary but I didn’t read the book until I graduated from high school. Sidenote: no matter where you are in life, you MUST read this book. Anyway, the book made me realize that I do not need to meet famous people to be inspired. After all, before famous people were famous they were regular! (Morning sickness is steadily decreasing day by day)

My then, 3.5 years at the UO has not been achieved on my own. I definitely had A LOT of help getting to where I was. That’s where I started. Who were the people who helped me get to where I was? Then, what are those people doing right now?  How did they get to where they are right now? It slowly then morphed into a backwards timeline. With all these questions in mind it became all I thought about. It consumed me (Pregnancy glow). How did I become so blessed to have all these people in my life?!

BOOM! Find out the reason from the sources themselves! I then sent out emails to everyone who I could ever think of. Ranging from my educational adviser to the woman who helped me get accepted to the U of O. Then, it dawned on me, why stop there? Why not include ALL of the people who have inspired me in some way or another.  This list included my friend who just started her own jewelry line to professors I just met that day. If you allow yourself, everyone can inspire you.

It was through one of my interviewees that I found out this project of mine met the qualifications of a class I was going to take. (False contractions)

Roll forward about a few weeks - cuz I actually put off this project for a while. (This constitutes for the part of the pregnancy where it’s not really exciting, it’s just what it is)

(Finding out if it’s a girl or boy - it’s like, do I want to know or should I keep it a secret. Is the doc. going to find something wrong with the baby while they are determining the sex? ) I was a little apprehensive at first to tell my plans to my professor because I thought she would for some reason rip it to pieces and say she hated it. Luckily she did not and said that I can do whatever made me feel comfortable with it. (Everything is healthy)

(Are you taking your prenatal pill? Everyone hates take pills but it’s good for you) This is where Will Kanellos came aboard. I had been harboring this project for so long I did not want to share it. I thought no one else could love it, and execute it as well as I did. However, thanks to Doctor Deb Morrison, I came to realize that I cannot do this on my own. In order to let out greatness, you need to let great people in. Thank you Will for not proving Deb wrong. I don’t think I could have picked a better person to work with :)

(Telling friends and family the sex and the name of the baby) After we had worked on the project a little more we then told the class what our plans for all these interviews were. I don’t know if Will felt the same but I was definitely nervous (It’s like you tell your mom that you’re naming a the baby Jamie and wondering if she’s gonna say that name is too ambiguous or if she is going to accept it for its uniqueness) Luckily, it was more of the latter for Will and me. Catherine, our GTF accepted it but gave us more direction - she could probably tell that we had no REAL direction for this other than writing interviews into a book. Good thing her spidey senses were working that day.

(Feeling the kick for the first time) Once we had this advice and input, we really got to work. It was exciting to have something actually moving. (That’s not a pregnancy pun, I just could not find a better word). We decided for the sake of time and purpose that we would lessen the interviewees down to only college kids who are doing something with their lives. I would give you more information about this but I don’t want to divulge too much about the execution and somewhat new direction we decided on.

(Real Contractions) The book was slowly coming together. Writing pieces were put in a designs were working ever so seamlessly. Although, the fact that I knew it was coming down to the deadline made it even more uncomfortable.

(Contractions are 5 minutes apart) Let me tell you, grammatical errors are no joke. (As much as you want to push, you can’t. The OBGYN keeps on telling you to hold on and hold it in). Every time we though we were ready to send it out, there was always some sort of error in the fine print.

(Dialated) After all the nitty gritty corrections, we took one more look over it.

(Push) Everything is done and it is now ready to send off to the press!

Here is a little sneak peek of what is to come…

Partial book cover

(Although what I am about to say sounds like I am talking about babies, I’m not).

I can’t wait ‘til I can hold it in my arms. I pray that while it is getting printed out that nothing bad happens to it and no one on the printing side messes it up.

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.