Setting Intentions with Miss Bradshaw
Sunday, May 5, 2019
The energy in Allen for the past few weeks (read: past several months) is comparable to the feeling of running a long-distance relay race, but your teammates are your past self (a young sprout in Creative Strat, overwhelmed and mesmerized by the possibilities ahead), your current self (*insert heavy breathing here*), and your future self (a blurry image that never quite comes into focus, no matter how hard Current You digs in their heels). The never-ending list of tasks builds and the baton gets heavier with each step.
Past You has spent several months preparing Current You for all that is to come, during this trip and beyond. The tireless portfolio-edit hours, the compilation of smart questions, the absorption of agency sites, the packing and repacking and repacking and repacking of bags. Past You, despite best efforts, at times fell victim to a collective chaos that made you question your preparedness, and at times your worthiness.
Current You feels that collective chaos too. But Current You knows something Past You didn’t always remember: Current You made it to this point and will continue on. Current You is in New York Freaking City. Current You channels that chaos. Current You has developed a skillset that will enable you to power through this week like a champ. You’ll be able to learn a ridiculous amount in a short period of time. You’ll successfully navigate an unfamiliar city (except Michael Albert Ryan Robelli III, who will not survive). You’ll eat killer food. You’ll meet interesting people. You’ve got this.
The last three days have reminded me just how good it can be to slow down and soak up what is all around you. All you can do is be Current You. This week is going to fly by and the best way to make sure you make the most out of it is to set the intention to lean into now and carry that baton.
In the wise words of one Carrie Bradshaw, “Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past, stop planning the future, stop figuring out precisely how we feel, stop deciding exactly what we want, and just see what happens.”
-Maggie Elias
Butterflies
Anytime New York has been brought up during the past few weeks, I’ve felt butterflies. Going on a trip to the Big Apple with some of the most talented people our school has to offer, to visit and learn from even MORE talented people; it’s hard not to feel a little overwhelmed. Throughout college, and well, life for that matter, I’ve come to realize that my greatest experiences and accomplishments have always begun with the same thing, butterflies. I have no doubt that this trip will continue that streak.
Matt Dzwilewski | 5.05.19 | #1
Excitement
As I sit this Delta PDX to JFK, a few days early, I can’t but think about all of the things that this upcoming week has in store. Though the journey to get here was not a smooth one, sitting on this plane makes it all feel real, and much more exciting.
Over the past 4 years, in all of my ad classes we have looked at the amazing work that is done in this industry, the people who have left our program and achieved greatness, the agencies that are pushing boundaries to create amazing work, and overall how we see ourselves fitting into it all.
I am excited to see how I feel standing in these power houses of agencies, surrounding by the best and brightest. I am excited to hear the knowledge that others have to share with us. I am excited to just be in this amazing city for a week and see if my dream of living here could be made a possibility.I am excited to learn what this career I crave, looks like in real time. I am just so excited.
Hannah Sanders/5.5.19/ #1
9th Grader.
Bags packed. Schedule memorized. “Empire State of Mind” has been playing in my mind for the past 72 hours straight.
I feel ready— and a little unsteady. New York is new, big, and bright. It’s kinda like your first day of freshman year of high school. You’re used to being a cool 8th grader that sits atop all of middle school. But then you realize that high school is a new world and there is so much you don’t know.
With that being said, I hear the cafeteria food is better than middle school. The classes are super interesting too.
“If I can make here, I can make it anywhere that’s what they say”— Alicia Keys
Jill Sullivan | 5.5.19 | #1
I feel nervous and anxious!
It is a strange feeling knowing that I will be in New York in a few hours, I am from a small town in Oregon so thinking about being in a big city feels like another dimension. I just want to take the time to self-congratulate myself and my peers. We really doing this thing!
I am more than excited to step out of my comfort zone and get the opportunity to bring in my diverse lens into the advertising world. I hope to be exposed to a wide range of subject areas that will help me build a well-rounded knowledge base. Navigate and explore different ventures and discover new skills.
Alejandra Antonio-Trejo 5.4.19
New York???
As I sit here in the Portland Airport, running on twenty minutes of sleep and a whole lot of excitement, it’s finally hitting me that I’m actually going to New York. I’ve dreamt of going for most of my life, but haven’t made it there yet. Exactly a year ago, I left London, where I learned to be a smart, efficient traveller after four months of stumbling my way through the tube system and various airports. And now the anxiety steps in: am I still a good traveller? Will I have as easy of a time navigating the subway as I did the tube? Why did my sisters have to use up all of our data literally days before this trip?
Don’t get me wrong, there’s also a lot of excitement. I already have, like, three instagram captions picked and a bunch of places I want to go and things I want to do. But still, can K hold her own in the big apple? We’ll keep you posted.
XOXO Kim Peoples (#1, 5.4.2019)
Just a Dash of Fear
From the application process to a couple of hours of departure, I just had a pit in my stomach. I never thought I would get to this point. Being with such incredibly talented people, you kind of get lost in the madness. There’s a lot of self-doubt running through my brain as I start to leave for the concrete jungle. I ask myself, “Am I ready to be here,” “Will I get lost,” “How do I stand out?” Trying to convince myself that I need to speak up when the opportunity comes. I’ve researched and wanted this since the beginning of the year.
That feeling. It is excitement with a dash of fear.
But as of now, I am going to go into this week with the utmost optimism and the confidence that got me here. Everything happens for a reason. And this is an opportunity of a lifetime that never comes
Dominique Ambat| 5.5.19 | #1
Ann Curry’s Wisdom
My first time to New York City I was nine years old. Bright eyed, I remember feeling the overwhelming sensation of opportunity brimming everywhere I looked. One of my fondest memories from the trip was when my family and I visited the set of the Today show, and ended up having a chance encounter with the then co-host and Duck alumni, Ann Curry. What I’ll never forget is what happened next: Ann knelt down to me, handed me her script for the show, and said “Come back in 10 years and take my job”.
Now, I may not be an aspiring broadcast journalist - but the motivation she instilled in me to come back to NYC and to live my dream has stuck with me all these years. Ann embodies a courageous woman who has not only excelled in her career, but broke glass ceilings in the communications field for women.
This week, I am so proud to be among such talented and strong peers - with the like minded determination to propel our world forward through something as impactful as advertising. Each one of us brings something unique to the table and I can’t wait to experience what we can make happen in the city. Ann Curry said it best, “If you can have faith in your real self, you’ll suffer less. Be bold about who you really are” - that’s my mantra for this week.
Elizabeth Beymer | May 4, 2019