My 1 Year Workaversary!
That's "one year anniversary at work" for those of you who don't like making up words.
When LinkedIn notified me earlier this month that I've been at my current job for one year, I realized this was a milestone. I've never stayed at one job longer than a year (the closest I got was 11 months)!
Most people would have the decency not to share this with their boss at their 90-day review, but I happen to have a boss who encourages transparency so I told her one of my goals was to be part of her team for longer than a year. I have others but I'm really proud of myself for having met the first one!
I started my career treating corporate environments like the plague, which led me to experiences that helped me grow as a designer in both studio and freelance settings. As I started to define what I like and what I don't, the corporate environment I'm in now has surprisingly been my favorite so far. I enjoy the structure, defining goals & expectations, and that there's an end date to every day. My absolute favorite part is the team I'm on – environment and culture are everything to me.
Over the last year, I've played a key role in redefining our brand standards which involves a lot of brainstorming, conceptualizing, and strategizing (this is seriously equivalent to frosting on cupcakes for me). I've learned about the myriad of details that goes into manufacturing even one tiny piece of a product and the ebb & flow of product cycles. Oh, and my email game's pretty tight now too.
What I love most about where I work is how it's broadening my horizons to what design means. In the furniture industry, there's a slew of interior designers, industrial designers, product designers, colorists, textile gurus, the list goes on & on. It's a daily inspiration to be surrounded by so many creative people.
I'm still in a cubicle with reminders telling me to get up and walk, in case you were thinking I have my shit together.
So to commemorate this time in my career, my top 2 projects I can share so far:
2015 Holiday Party
Art direction / Photographer / Designer
I foraged behind our house on the trail, styled my finds on our kitchen table, and turned them into fun posters and invites for our annual holiday party at The Cheney Place. I wish I had a picture of the drink menus held up by little pinecones as the centerpieces, so cute!
NeoCon Showroom Stylist
Concept / Execution / Print Materials
This was my biggest styling event so far! I spent a week in Chicago prepping for the largest national tradeshow event in the furniture industry. We chose dramatic silhouettes of greenery in clear glass vases to complement our sleek, high-end products. Oh, and here's how I looked most of the week running around the city gathering last-minute items & stuffing Whole Foods anything into my mouth. Top knots + coffee will forever make me smile.
The biggest takeaway I've had in my career so far is, don't knock it 'til you try it. I was so caught up with what I thought I wouldn't like about an office environment that I closed myself off to a lot of opportunities at first. Obviously, the Universe knew better so I wound up here anyway.
Cheers to one year!...and many more, Em
