Out of so many brilliant and thought-provoking pieces of advice, one thought from Brittany Castaneda stuck out to me throughout the week. At the Flock panel on Monday evening, Brittany talked about one of her career-defining moments, when she was almost in a car accident that might have taken her life. To paraphrase, she said that the experience made her think “What if I died right now, driving to a job I hate?” I took this story with me and translated it to broadly mean: “If you were to die right now, would you be happy doing what you’re doing?”

This isn’t a foreign concept as I’m sure we’ve all heard before to “live like you’re dying.” However, it did remind me to think this way when considering where I want to work, live, and invest my time. It also reminded me to stress less throughout the trip because, at risk of sounding a bit morbid, if I were to die soon, here’s what I’d want:

-I’d want to stress less about the entire job search process. At the end of the day, each and every one of us is more prepared than we think, and many times, we’re more prepared than students coming from other programs and schools. This isn’t to say that we should leave college with big egos; rather, we should move forward humbly but keep in mind that we are smart, talented, and capable individuals who can take on more than we think. I’ve always known that the job search process is sort of like the lottery, in the sense that it’s all about being the right person in the right place at the right time. As a creative who doesn’t have a job yet, it’s easy to worry about where I’m going, but I think that my future self would want me to trust the process and know that I’ll end up happy, in the right place, eventually.

-I’d want to absorb everything about the NYC trip. This week was my second time in New York so of course there were times when I felt like I needed to do everything, especially all the touristy things. However, UO NYC Creative Week is a completely unique experience and I wanted to make sure that I took it and all of its events in. New York tourist spots will always be there, but never again will I be able to walk into 7+ famous advertising/design agencies in one week. It won’t be as easy to meet up with so many alumni for coffee, and I’ll probably never attend another UO alumni networking event as a student again. My advice to next year’s trip attendees would be: go to every advertising/networking event possible. Go to every panel offered, attend and immerse yourself in everything the award show night has to offer, schedule coffee with at least one alumni or professional, and be fully present for every single agency visit. You (or someone else) paid for you to go on this trip and, while the sites of New York will always be there, you’ll never be able to have this UO NYC Experience again.

-I’d want to stop and embrace each little moment. Every time I’m in New York, I’m in awe by the diversity of faces and experiences around me. I think that one of the best things to do in New York is people-watching. The little things around me were the best and most inspirational, heart-warming moments. It was the woman in Central Park who was singing “Wheels of the Bus” with her small children in another language. It was the young parents on the Subway with their son who looked like he had just performed in a play, from the bouquet of flowers to his school uniform and stage makeup. It was the conversation I had with two designers from SVA before the award show started, only to find out that one of them was the winner of the social brief competition.

By the end of the trip, I realized that I don’t need to be in New York to notice these little things every day. I want to challenge myself - and I think everyone should challenge themselves - to embrace the little moments in Eugene, our hometowns, and the cities we go to after college. Embrace the craziness of advertising and don’t stress too much about where you stand in the job hunt. Just like it seems to in New York, everything will fall in place eventually, but time will pass you by if you don’t pay attention.

Emily Foster

5.15.18