Summer Flies, Honeybee
Here we are, a month later, carving out my goals for the next month—August! Leo season is now upon us and my birthday is up and coming towards the end of the month. July went by quick as I got my routine back together and returned from Europe. The first week of July I was in Spain, made a quick trip to Missouri to see some family friends, and finally got back into somewhat of a routine again. July has shaped up to be a productive month and August will be one of last summer vacations and productivity. Here's what you might see from me this month...
01. My internship! A week back from Europe I started my public relations internship with a small boutique PR agency called Papergirl PR & Marketing. I interviewed for a public relations position in May and just so happened that they were happy to have me on board with all of the experience I have had at DePaul. It all occurred very fast and now I'm doing work for their clients which are restaurants, cafes, and bars around Chicago. Some of these include Umbria Coffee, Weber Grill, The Beer Garden at Navy Pier, and more. I am thrilled to be working with the team and will share my experience as the month goes on.
02. Getting back on it. I've felt out of sorts lately. Maybe it's because I have been away from a routine since the beginning of June, but I really want to find my footing again this month and get back to my organized and motivated self again. I want to try out new fitness classes, like barre or boxing, and take up new skills to get me motivated again. Possibly try out a new yoga studio? Read a book? I don't know, but hopefully, I can be less bored with the same old and more enthusiastic about trying new things this month.
03. I would really like to get my camera back out again. I didn't take it to Europe, and I was a little disappointed that I didn't. However, carrying it everywhere and worrying about it getting stolen was going to be an anxious nightmare. This month I really want to go out and find some aesthetically pleasing fields or murals to take pictures at and try to test my photographic abilities with other subjects. As much as I love photos of me (ha), I also love taking photos of other people. A few months back I did graduation photos for a friend and realized how much I love going on photoshoots and making people look good—to say the least!
04. My birthday! This year I turn the big 2-0 and am quite thrilled to be in my 20s. As much as I embraced my teenage years, I feel as though my maturity level has always been in my 20s. I haven't really made any plans for it yet, but I'm really into low-key birthday dinners and just a bonfire with friends. I just heard that Crate and Barrel has a new restaurant called Table at Crate, which I am eager to try out. Apparently, not all Crate and Barrels are transforming their stores yet, but it's a way to showcase their products which I think is brilliant.
05. Sprucing up my portfolio. Over the three weeks, I was in Europe for the international advertising abroad program, I had the chance to work on creative campaigns for clients each week and execute advertisements to go along with it. All of which I am proud of and would like to showcase on my blog. By next month, I want to have all of those campaigns on here, which will be under my portfolio tab for you to explore!
This summer has been jam-packed with things to do and I am looking forward to a new month with new goals! It's always refreshing to turn the calendar and make a plan for the time being until I start school back up in September. Anything fun on the agenda this month?
As I sit here, watching the rain pour outside my window, the only thing I am inspired by is the peanut butter toast waiting for me in the kitchen. I planned today to be a day to shoot and write, but Im really just feeling like I need a nap. The worst part about vacations is leaving that vacation and having to come back to reality. It's been a real treat being able to travel so much already, but when you get home, responsibilities hit you hard. At least, they hit me hard.
Over the past years, I have dealt with creative ruts and being uninspired. Some other creative writers or bloggers might find it easier to find a new strategy, new product, new medium, etc. to foster this new creativity, but as a college student who has an internship started, a nannying job, and a dog to take care of, it can be difficult to balance it all. If only I can balance it all once school starts! I guess I wanted to make this post a check in and also a way to find creativity and inspiration in places you might not realize—because eating this peanut butter toast is going to do any of that.
Luxurious week or even month long vacations can be amazing and there's lots to get inspired from, but the motivation to do anything after is a real struggle. Sometimes I feel like it takes me another week or so to get back on my feet. My mom had me double checking my calendars because I started overbooking myself as soon as I got back from Europe. Finding the will to continue work, especially in the summer, can be the worst. Here's what I've realized:
Stop What You're Doing
The only way I've actually gotten back into creative projects and blogging is just by leaving everything where it is and doing nothing about it. Sounds like a reverse way of handling it, but I guarentee that taking a break from what you're doing is going to give you a better headspace about it. I always find what makes it easier is to put my energy towards something else, whether it be yoga, being outside, biking around the neighborhood, taking a walk, reading a book or magazine, or even shopping can spark new ideas.
Take a New Perspective
When I come back to the drawing board of blog posts I want to write, it can be so hard to figure out how to make the next one different and better than the last. Developing my own brand on my blog has taken hours on end, so fluidity and consistency are key. However, if it seems like your old ways are biting the dust, change them. Try writing from a different perspective, using a new photography technique, or going out and being the subject of the photos. Find something in your work that can be changed or modified—as they say, spice it up. Take a new direction. New ideas will come.
Embrace the Process
It's going to be even harder to get inspiration if you don't embrace the creative process. Ideas take time, but they can also pop up in the middle of nowhere. It can be very challenging when we put deadlines on ourselves to get things up and published, but I would rather much have a developed idea than a last-minute, half-assed one.
Change the Environment
Sitting in the same living room or at the same desk during a time of writer's block and lack of inspiration might be one of the reasons no ideas are coming to you. Change your location, change the desk you are sitting at, create outside and hear the birds chirp, go to a local coffee shop, the library, someone else's house, etc. Find a place that gives you inspiration or at least isn't the place you always write or create at. You will get a fresher sense of atmosphere and if nothing comes, observe your surroundings. What do you see? Smell? Hear? Feel? Start thinking and relax wherever you are.
There's only so much you can do when inspiration becomes an agonizing feat of despair, but to put it lightly, it takes time and you need to allow yourself to get there. The internet is filled with content and creative work, so I always find myself looking for ways to be different.
The truth is, you probably won't be, but you have to love the work you're doing no matter what. Sure, I've had better posts than others, but I am satisfied with it and if you're not—I would suggest thinking about what type of work makes you passionate.
We all get into these ruts every now and then, but don't let them consume you. Vacations and relaxing are necessary for our bodies to take physical and mental breaks, it's normal if you feel like you can't get right back into it yet. If you're truly stuck on an idea, maybe it's time to change it. Write some goals down, outline, make a plan. Come back another day and try again. You will be thankful that you took the time to think things through, rather than rushing to figure out just an "okay" idea.
It felt like a dream.
One minute I was in Chicago, the next I was walking around the beaches of Cannes not missing any of Chicago's inclement weather, and breathing in the fresh French Riviera ocean air. A dream it was. Now that I'm finally home after three weeks, reminiscing all of the moments and memories I made, I think it's about time to share my adventures studying abroad in France, The Netherlands, and Spain. All countries have very different, rich cultures, and I was eager to explore it all.
My two professors, Juan and Marshall, worked very hard to manage a group of 15 girls and one guy. We were all very grateful to have two experienced travelers and prestigious DePaul advertising professors who taught us during our three weeks. The international advertising program consisted of our professors giving us briefs every Sunday catered towards a global client that we had to create an entire advertising campaign for—an opportunity to really build our portfolios on a global scale. Stay tuned because I will be including my final portfolio within the next week.
Advertising was not something I considered to be a career trajectory because if you're like a lot of people, all you want to do is skip an ad, mute the commercials, swipe past catalogs on your browser, and upgrade to no-ad premium subscriptions. All of which I have participated, but this trip made me see ads differently. Not as a way to sell or manipulate, but to share messages and facilitate authentic connections with people. Sure I'll still skip an ad, but this industry is really challenged by the way that ads shape our culture and an impatient one at that. It takes real talent to make people like advertising and it amazes me at how impactful a slogan, a word, a picture of a hamburger, or a puppy-monkey-baby can make #1 on Superbowl Sunday.
Cannes, France
This is me happy in my new French dress that I bought at a store called Mango.
After surviving a surprisingly pleasant eight-hour flight into Zurich, Switzerland and a connection to Nice, France, we were off to Cannes for the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, which isn't the Cannes Lions Film Festival, but close. It is an annual five-day celebration of some of the largest leading names in the ad industry, as well as, celebrity guests who discuss and honor their creative achievements this past year. It felt like an honor to be there, especially as a student. The festival is commonplace for creative minds and innovators. There were brainstorming workshops and creative presentations that everyone was able to experience. Every day we were required to visit two talks and reflect on them as our daily homework assignment. We saw the CEO of Edelman, John Legend, Laura Dern, Big Sean, Katie Couric, Kerry Washington, Jeff Goldblum, and many more.
The parties were filled with complimentary food and drinks (which we definitely took advantage of), fun activities like photo booths and playground equipment, and a chance to mingle with all of the professionals and presenters there. Though some of us just danced the night away and forgot we were here to get work done. It truly felt like a vacation.
I also met a Youtuber Caspar Lee, who I used to watch when I was a tween and just shouted his name at Pinterest Beach. We walked around the streets with an abundant amount of shopping and amazing seafood and French cuisine—escargot, of course. It felt like I was living in a fairytale and all of my stresses went away. No one can be unhappy in a place like that. Not even the accordion playing man.
We also took a free day to explore the island of Sainte Marguerite and took a train to Monaco to celebrate my group's success as we won our first campaign, named France 20/20, and did we gamble? Well, I definitely splurged a bit that weekend.
This was taken on Twitter Beach alongside Juan Mundel (middle) and a visiting professor Julie Ferguson (left) on a warm, sunny day filled with engaging presentations and happy hour.
This was taken after my big girl purchase at Gucci and a much-needed refreshment in Monaco, Monte Carlo. You can tell how blissful I looked and felt.
I fell in love with France, swimming in the sparkling blue water, perfect sunsets, beautiful people, amazing parties, delicious food, and constantly exhausting the phrase "Merci beaucoup". I really want to go back and explore different parts of the country. It all went by a little too fast, but we were all ready to move onto our next city, Amsterdam.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
We arrived in Amsterdam during an inferno heatwave and were all wishing we were back at the beach, but we were also very excited to see the brownstones and canals as we bused up to our hotel.
Bikers dominated the streets and everyone was ready to see the new city, but also focus on our work this week. We were earning for a bit more structure in our schedule after all that partying and met at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences every day from 9 to 12 to work with some of the students we got to meet and hang out with after class.
One of the many canals and bridges I saw during my trip. The bikes border the entire bridge.
Amsterdam is a very unique city, after class, we would work on our campaigns promoting a new coffeeshop to arrive in Chicago, these are basically cafés that legally sell weed, which was a very interesting thing to experience. So many people smoke weed there, it smells in every alley. We also toured the canals, the Anne Frank House, the Rijksmuseum, did the Heineken Experience and explored the brewery, and biked along the countryside to see some windmills.
I felt like Amsterdam was very similar to Chicago in some ways like the amount of traffic, the proximity of every bar and landmark, the diverse demographics, and so many different types of restaurants. Moroccan, Indonesian, Argentinan places, etc. Also, the canals were as murky as the Chicago River. Some days the weather was actually breezy and cool like the city. I was surprised at how I could feel a little at home there. 
Amsterdam is known to have a lot of nightlife, so I was going to bed around midnight every night and the sun never set until 10:30. We kept saying that time never exists in Europe.
I really enjoyed having the whole day to do everything and not feel like I had to rush to do activities while it was still daylight. Amsterdam was very different than the two other cities. One that was more frugal, modernized, and progressive.
My favorite parts of Amsterdam were along the canals and finding small boutiques, thrift shops, bars along the water, and eating as many stroopwafels as I could before we left. I also really loved walking down the side streets in the residential areas and peeking through balconies and getting a feel of what living there was like. It felt like we were walking through a movie.
These were some of the Dutch students we got to meet, work with, and spend time with. I got close to the girl named Jette (pronounced yett-a) and two boys, Terry (left) and Nathan (right).
Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona has a special place in my heart. I think I fell in love with it the most. For some reason, I found a connection with this city more than the others. I was able to speak and understand Spanish and could communicate with the locals. It was a revealing practice of my self-confidence and boldness, for sure. It's empowering to know a language and that's why I plan on continuing my studies with Spanish at DePaul.
After a while, I got very comfortable talking to people and asking around for the best tapas places. Our first night there we made it a goal to get tapas and sangria. Which inspired our last advertising brief which was to make McDonald's now serve tapas–McTapas. This was the hardest challenge for me because I struggled to elevate something that was already as good as it is, Mcdonald's, but now with tapas. I tried so hard to think of something more creative, outside the box, but sometimes maintaining brand equity in advertising has the most successful feedback.
I was on a mission to find an authentic painted fan and I found this beautiful one, along with two for my sisters, at a Mercería, which sells handmade fans of all colors and flamenco costumes. I made sure to bring it to our flamenco show—it also saved me and my friends from overheating.
We explored the historic alleyways of Gothic Quarter, Las Ramblas and the shopping district, La Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, Gaudi's House, and scoped out where the Cheetah Girl's filmed their second movie and all of the markets where I got to try kangaroo meat (it does taste like jerky) and drink lots of sangria.
We had a rooftop pool at our hotel, so on very hot afternoons during siesta time (between 1 and 4) we spent swimming after class and some people even made it to the beach. I also loved just staring at the architecture around every corner of the city. Terra cotta roofs, intricate balconies, breathtaking cathedrals, I definitely got some inspiration from them. Our Fourth of July was spent seeing Flamenco dancers and treating our professors to a final salud at a local pub.
I was very fortunate to have had this experience. I mean, it was a trip of a lifetime. Every moment was just amazing and there is so much more that I want to share, but also keep for myself to remember. Thankfully, there were no problems, issues, breakdowns, injuries—nada. I made lasting friendships and connections with people that I will carry on forever. I would one hundred percent recommend studying abroad to any college student thinking about it. Apply now, do it, you will regret it.
I never had doubts about applying for this trip. I knew exactly how bad I wanted to go and I persisted. I remember being so nervous because we had to interview for this program and it meant so much to me. On one of our first nights in France, I was standing on an old church ruin on the hilltop Notre Dame d'Espérance overlooking Cannes and just cried. I was so grateful to experience a view so perfect and a trip that my whole family probably wouldn't be able to ever go on together. Traveling is expensive. This was not something I could just "come up with," but every penny spent was worth it and I am willing to pay that debt.
There can be so much worry that aligns with travel and I'm sure there are lots of other reasons, such as financial, for why it is so hard to drop everything and get on an airplane. However, as clichè as it sounds, I want to lead a life of adventure and knowing that I can get out of my comfort bubble if I just allow myself to be open and spontaneous. I have to work for it.
I learned much about patience, maturity, problem-solving, adapting to a new culture, communication skills, and more about myself in the past three weeks than I have in college for two years already. I knew I was going to learn something more about myself and knowing that I can do it on my own makes me motivated to reach for these big, life-changing decisions and take risks every once in a while. These are experiences that I will take with me through life.
Traveling can be a very emotionally challenging, personality revealing, stress enduring, and life-changing time—I have proved to myself that I can do it. I hope you've enjoyed reading the beginning of my travel journey. If you have dreams of travel, continue to work towards it.
Someone once told me that if you aren't scared of your dreams, then they aren't big enough.
Where should I travel to next?
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