Trust Your Gut - A Story From Bryant Park

Throughout the trip I had many waves of doubt about ad agency life. I listened to my gut at the end of an agency visit that it wasn’t where I was meant to be. This happened twice, (my next post will be on the second experience.) However, Tuesday’s was different. I took a wrong exit on my way back from Brooklyn and it lead to my unexpected first time at Bryant Park. A gorgeous surprise! I then made my way to this bar I found in the middle of the park. Which leads to my story of one of the wildest moments of fate I’ve experienced in my life..

It was 5 PM and the bar was absurdly packed. It didn’t stop me, I asked to be sat alone. “Sure,” said the hostess. “As long as you don’t mind sitting with someone else! She’s super nice.” Nice was an understatement. The woman I sat with ended up chatting with me for over 2 hours. Turns out, she’s a director at a female-run production agency in NYC who’s worked with my all time favorite artist (David Byrne from Talking Heads!) This agency works on creative PR pieces for artists. Fully! What! I want! To do! (My other aspiration is making music documentaries.. but I’ve been fully aware that it’s not always a full-time / decently profited career.)

This woman and I talked about literally everything. I think she may have seen something in me because within the unexpected 2 hours we drank together we nearly told our entire life stories. Within the SOJC notebook Deb gave me, I wrote her words in 6 full pages. These pages contain absolutely invaluable industry and life advice, perfectly curated jokes, and contact info for creatives she knows in the documentary and music industry! AND..Among those contacts..is her ex-fiancé who’s an executive documentary producer at HBO!

These are the best pieces of advice this absolutely magical woman gave me:

1. “Write a list of every single thing you have to do. Everything. Start each sentence with ‘I need to.’ After that list is done, cross out every single ‘I need to’ with ‘I choose to.’ You’ll quickly see which choices you’re wasting time on and which are actual priorities..like eating and paying rent. You’d be shocked at how much time you’re wasting. You’re more in control than you think.”

2. “Take the time you take for yourself as seriously as you take for other people. If you schedule self-care time, don’t be late. If you’re in therapy, don’t miss your appointments. Don’t be on your phone. Don’t give your attention elsewhere. Your time matters and without loving yourself enough to help others you’re useless in a room.”

3. “Don’t ever settle. Your career life is extremely long, and you’re going to get screwed over by a lot of men in this industry. Don’t ever let that happen. It’s better to take up bartending to pay rent and pursue your passions as a freelancer than work for a company who’s exploiting you and will immediately move on once you quit. You are worth so much more than you think. Don’t ever settle for less.”

After this unexpected whirlwind of gaining a new friend and contact at a production agency (which weirdly seems exactly like what I want?) along with an emotional rollercoaster of advice.. I realized I made the right decision by not sticking around after the meeting to network at an agency I wasn’t feeling. Some way, somehow, fate had another plan for me to meet Lindsay. I am a FIRM believer of sticking with your gut instinct. If you take a wrong exit, you just might meet the person who can change your life :)

-Cassandra Tollett 

Lost but Excited

New York was a whirlwind. I learned so much from so many hardworking creative professionals. The most important connections I made were from individual interactions after the meetings + reaching out to creatives on facebook and linkedin for coffee/lunch/drinks. The most pressing issue I faced was recognizing that agency life isn’t for me. And that’s ok! Many of us also faced that. It made me recognize I might need a reset to rethink what I really want out of this industry. The biggest takeaway from that was realizing your job and passion projects won’t always align. But it’s important to bring creative and positive energy wherever you go. Use your job to fund your passions and don’t get too sucked into any industry you aren’t passionate about. Trying to shift my perspective to not get too bummed out if I don’t get the career I want out of college. It all takes time but I had an overwhelming reminder to reserve time for the projects and hobbies I’m truly passionate about. Life is crazy but it can be incredible when you quit lying to yourself by forcing yourself to like a situation you aren’t meant to be in. We have more control than we think. Regardless of your job, don’t forget to make time for what makes you happy!

-Cassandra Tollett

Endless possibilities

Going into this trip I knew there was going to be something out of the ordinary at PSYOP. After seeing all of their work for Travel Oregon, Coke, Adidas, and more I knew that they never settled for anything less than awe-inspiring visuals. After speaking to one of their panelists I learned that he had no animation experience walking into his first internship, but walked out of that internship into the crazy world VFX and never looked back. 

Seeing someone’s trajectory so drastically change because of a chance internship is inspiring. I know that once I find my way into an internship or job, I will be able to test the different possibilities and begin falling into positions that are where I truly want to be. And the more time I spend thinking about it, that could very well be in something like animation. 

Gabe Keim 5.23.19

Building a Network

We talk a lot about “building a network” specifically with industry professionals but I think we forget that at the end of the day we are all a part of each others network as well. Each time I have gone on this trip, I have loved being able to meet new people within the program and build relationships with them. It is awesome to come back to Allen and feel more connected with my peers— I think this opportunity is truly unique in that sense and is something we should absolutely keep in mind as we graduate and move on to different places and careers. 

Emma McBride

Before this trip, I was unsure about whether I wanted to live in New York. Based on what I’d seen and heard, it seemed like exactly the kind of place where I wanted to live. Many of us experienced the allure of New York before we ever stepped foot there. But I’ve never lived anywhere but Oregon, and moving across the country to a city that was so expensive and so wildly different than my current life felt a little (a lot) scary. I wanted to be sure of my decision before I committed. I told myself that if I still felt the same way about New York at the end of the trip, I’d begin making plans to move.  

As I moved through the week, I felt more and more confident in my choice. I spoke to several New York transplants who agreed that the transition was hard, but that they wouldn’t choose to live anywhere else. On the surface, New York doesn’t look ideal. But when you dig past the tourists and crowded subways and the lack of recycling, New York is pulsing with activity. It draws people in like a magnet, and I’m no exception. So I’ve given myself permission to make plans - I’ll see you soon, NYC. 

Olivia Bowman | 5/23/19

Keep It Organized

One of the biggest pieces of advice I took away from many of the creatives I talked to was to get your resources together. Whether that be a Pinterest board of type specimens, different photography styles or inspiration, it is crucial to get those assets together so that you have an inspiration library, if you will, when you go to start a project. This piece of advice has since inspired me to organize my Pinterest so that it will be a valuable asset in my work. In addition, I have also made a spreadsheet of various photographers, illustrators, art directors, etc. that I admire so that I can refer back instead of searching through Instagram or my computer.

Emma McBride

A Different Type of Trip

I headed to New York this year with a different perspective than I did last year. Last year I was excited, anxious and eager to not only experience New York with my peers but to see what this whole advertising thing was about. Clearly, something stuck because I ended up living and working at an agency there this past summer. As I embarked on the trip this year, I left a day after signing a year-long lease on a proverbial shoe box in the East Village. My goal for this trip was to build a network— this trip not only meant getting career advice and learning more about the industry but also developing relationships with people and keeping up with those I had met last year and this summer. After this trip, I feel even more connected and am excited to continually build my network as I make the move.

Emma McBride

AuthentiCITY

From the moment I stepped foot on the brick streets of Manhattan, I could feel what makes the city so different than anywhere else in the world. It’s the clear determination and confidence that every person I walked past carried. It’s the fearlessness to be your truest self. After living in Eugene for so long it’s easy to forget the scale of the world around us, and NYC reminded me how endless the possibilities are. There is a path for all of us out there and hopefully, my path leads me back to the city.

Gabe Keim 5.23.19

I think writing these has gotten siginificantly harder because the longer I think about writing, the more I miss New York. As I reflect on the trip, I keep thinking about The Wing- a coworking space for women. 

On Monday, Taylor Moore and I got to speaking with Karen Khuong, a Freelance Art Director who spoke at the Flock event at Rokkan. After speaking with Karen for a couple of minutes, we exchanged information and decided that we would meet up the next day. While Taylor and I figured we would be doing a casual informational interview, we learned that Karen wanted to show us one of her favorite locations in New York City- The Wing in SoHo. 

After being shown around The Wing, Taylor and I got to chat more with Karen. We were able to pick her brain about Art Direction as a whole (which is cool because I’m an account person and could NEVER do AD) and we were able to ask for tips about making it in New York. 

Moments like these were the reasons New York was so awesome. Not only did we get to sight-see (both landmarks and agencies), but we were able to connect with people who just wanted to help.

Gelareh 5.23.2019

Portfolio Progress

Since the NYC trip, I’ve been going over the notes I took to remind myself of the important lessons I learned while I was there. One thing that jumped out at me was how many agencies and industry people gave us advice on the recruiting process. My portfolio is alright, but it could definitely use some TLC, and luckily my New York notes will help with that. Over the past few days, I have compiled all of the notes I took on recruiting and what employers want to see in a portfolio. Now, portfolio improvement begins! This trip has given me so much to think about and consider, and has given me the tools I need to present myself and my work in a more compelling light. Big shoutout to everyone in the Big Apple who answered my recruiting questions. Your advice will help me get my portfolio looking how I’ve always wanted it to. 

–Olivia Dozois–05/22/2019–