I've become a bit of a dreamer lately. You can usually find me overthinking everything, but I guess having so many ideas needs to manifest itself in some shape or form, so that's why I am so grateful for my love of creating. These past six years of blogging have definitely molded into this huge timeline of my life, big accomplishments, goals, and everything and anything I'm thinking about in that given moment. Reflecting and saving those benchmarks of my life is not something people normally do nowadays, or if anything, journaling and keeping a diary seems so taboo now that we have social media and our camera rolls to mark those events. I thought it would be a good time to reassess what the future of this blog, my social platforms, and my personal brand is going to look like and where I hope to be heading from here on out.
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This blog is my main gig and what has been an extension of me for so long—my first big platform and what I absolutely love working on. It has evolved in so many ways, as of I, but for a while I've come to a creative plateau where TikTok and YouTube have taken over the blog space. There was actually a time during high school where I was posting constantly every single day and I wonder where I got that motivation and how I was chugging out posts left and right. It also seemed that in college I had much to talk about during the transition and living in the hustle and bustle of the city, so I think now is a good place for me to step back and rethink what I want this blog to be moving forward.
With all of the artifice that comes with digital life and social media, I've prioritized sharing real life and less "perfection" as most blogs do. I love the laid back style, impromptu bedroom photoshoots, or just candid iPhone pictures that aren't staged. I've also made it a goal to focus on my passions and interests, leading my own creativity and exploring out-of-the-box ideas that aren't cliched or already done before. It's easy to get lost creatively when there is already so much being put out there on the internet, so focusing on ideas that I love and am passionate about only matters to me.
Sometimes the old beauty updates or quick personal updates will always be my go-to, but there are definitely a ton of different topics I want to explore and express more about. Stripping back my platforms, like getting rid of Snapchat, has allowed me to focus on the type of presence I want to have online and what I want to be communicating and putting out there to everyone moving forward.
I feel like my Instagram is filled with potential in what I imagined it to be, however, it definitely is catered to an aesthetic. I want to relax a bit with it and just have more laid back postings. I also really want to incorporate my blog on there a bit more and get creative and in tune with stories. I love watching quick, daily snippets of people's lives rather than long haul videos, so I've been dreaming up ideas about how to bring my blog to a new video element on Instagram.
Either showcasing or previewing what could be on my blog for the week or just engaging or interacting a bit more with other bloggers and sharing what I'm loving live. I'm not one for the spotlight and dread watching myself on video, but hey, we have to get out of our comfort zones as creators a bit right?
General Creativity Goals
I've definitely rebranded and transformed this blog multiple times, but I want a new dedication to connecting with other bloggers and reaching out further to blogger communities online that are still thriving. I was once an avid Bloglovin' user, a blog sharing platform, and would stay up to date with my favorite writers and creators. Now that I've transitioned my work priorities, I've set my creative goals on the back burner and I really want to elevate this blog in a way that is still true to me and is connecting with those who find interest in it.
Stepping back and taking a look at what I'm doing and my future plans has definitely been top of mind. It's hard to do more than what I am already doing based on how much time I have during the day—especially fitting in exercise, fun summer activities and dinners with friends, or just logging off and having time without a screen.
I've always been dedicated to my work, but I don't envision myself as someone who is constantly consumed by it. Balance is key, but I am also thinking that now is the time to start changing it up a bit. This quote resonates a lot with me: “if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got”. Making small changes to my work and focusing on my future creative goals is definitely something I want to focus on in the coming months, so stay tuned!
The transition from virtual school to work could not have been more seamless. In a way, I definitely think that being accustomed to logging on every day and establishing some sort of routine while already working from home has helped with my new internship and balancing work and life. With that said, it definitely had some of its challenges, but everyone has already been so supportive of me and my wellbeing.
The biggest challenge is that, in the words of Dolly Parton, "I'm working nine to five" and it has already been a month so far. The post college life has already kicked into high gear and I know that I am very lucky to have had the opportunity to find a job right after graduating. The momentum is there and I am constantly learning and becoming more immersed in the work that Golin does. I think I've found a routine that works for me, but it's definitely going with the flow and finding the fun in every new day even if it's within the four walls of my bedroom.
Cultivating a Work Setting I Enjoy
There's something about having all of your ducks in a row at your desk that makes a work day feel much more productive and motivating. To me, I've always valued the power of interior design and what it does to your mentality, but also how putting together a space can entirely change your mood or mindset in what you want to achieve.
Building aesthetics that bring you joy, adding touches of personality that make you smile, or just swapping out an old pen for something a bit more sparkly is just the thrill of it all to me. I'm very proud of my cozy work corner and the mid-century touches I've added, including this new powder blue plush accent chair, these mini rattan shelves for my knick knacks, or this rad cheetah wall print I found. It all stimulates the creative brain cells and honestly who would want to work in a drab, grey cubicle over this?
Staying Organized and On Task
There's no doubt that working at home has risen the ultimate distractions: Cooper barging into my Zoom calls, lawn mowers out my window, or just the fact that my bed is two feet away from my desk have all tempted me to get up and just shut off work-mode. I've found it best for me to wake up early and get my day situated, rather than rolling right out of bed, and using a daily or hourly planner to segment my tasks and priorities for the day so I stay focused.
I know everyone has their own system, and mine consists of a few different planners, sticky notes, and online calendars, but I've found that having my schedule posted somewhere just helps me keep track and on task. There's always a spontaneous meeting or deadline here and there, but having my core tasks keeps me motivated and is always super satisfying to tear off at the end of a productive day. Setting reminders for meetings as well as using planning software such as Notion have been extremely helpful especially if you are someone who finds it overwhelming to keep track of everything you're doing remotely.
Taking Breaks & Prioritizing my Needs
We've all heard about Zoom fatigue and burnout, but now that everyone is pretty used to work-from-home, I think we can all get too ahead of ourselves with the "grind" and find it easier to make excuses to do more work than we need to be doing. Whether it's sitting there meeting after meeting, or just punching out deadlines left and right, we have lost very precious time to decompress and refresh during our days.
At least for those who still work at home, there are no mid day commutes, coffee runs, walking from board room to board room, you name it. I even miss sitting on the "L" and just listening to tunes before my next class. I've loved making summer Spotify playlists, walking my dog, or making an impromptu coffee run just to get out. I've also made it to local coffee shops and the library to just have a place to work. There's still whispers about whether or not we're going back into the office, but that won't be until the fall, so I've been really trying to switch up my days while at home and I think it is so key to just set yourself some time off. Even if it's five minutes to get some fresh air, it all makes a difference.
I just joined a gym this spring and have been the most consistent with it than I ever have been. Not just because it has a rooftop pool, but because my mental health has thrived from being able to release all of my pent up energy. I've felt so much better being able to at least get a run or lift in after a long work day. It definitely takes determination and discipline to do, but I reward myself with lazier weekends and yoga sessions.
They never really tell you how work life is until you're already in it and I realize that this is only the beginning step to my career. There is much more for me to learn, but the support, guidance, and appreciation I have been given keeps me humble and inspired to pursue this role to its fullest. I love my teams and have been welcomed with open arms, so maybe working from home for just a little while longer will be just fine :)
It's crazy to say that I'm already a week graduated from DePaul. When they tell you freshman year that time flies by in college, it never really dawns on you while you're cramming for exams until you submit your last project of college on a random Monday evening. After I *virtually* graduated last week, I was able to rejoice and relax with close family and friends for about two days until my internship at Golin started. So, I thought I would give everyone a little beginning of summer update.
The New Job!
I haven't officially introduced Golin, but for those of you who may not be familiar, they are a progressive PR agency in the heart of the Hancock tower. Their biggest client is McDonald's, although there are countless others such as Wal-mart (their newest and what I've been working on), Crayola, José Cuervo, and Allstate to name a few others.
As an insight and analytics intern, and during this six month virtual internship, I will be cross functionally working with the strategic planning and analytics team to do trend reporting and social listening to inform the best insights and observations on all brands they are currently working on. I have been welcomed with open arms and I cannot wait to learn from the best in the industry!
Summer Happenings...
While my internship is going on, I have been able to make the most of my summer evenings: heading downtown to local beaches, celebrating with some Top Golf, reconnecting with school friends, eating good food (mostly pizza), going on late night drives, and taking spontaneous weekend getaway trips. Having a lot of places open, especially roof top bars and being able to go to Cub's games, has made this summer already feel like we are back to normal. It's made me realize just how good it has been and how grateful I should be with the people I have around me.
This summer I actually have a couple of trips planned. The first being our annual summer camping trip up north in Petoskey, Michigan. Since I will be working, it won't be our usual ten day excursion, but we will still be able to celebrate my dad's birthday weekend up there and I'm so excited to get back to the lake—our happy place. With that, I will also be visiting my old college roommate up in Detroit, so I will be making all of the rounds up north this month!
I've made it a goal to visit as many national parks in my lifetime, and I'm so excited to be able to head out west to the Yosemite later this summer with the fam (and because camping isn't enough outdoors for us!). My dad has really been the planner for this, as it was his dream to visit, so we'll make the most of it for a week and hopefully not get eaten by bears LOL. As far as that, those are my big summer plans and this new chapter has me feeling excited and ready to learn. I will definitely be soaking it all up (including that vitamin D) and making the most of these long summer days ahead.
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