The Case of the Indoor Cat — Techniques for Networking for Introverts
Indoor cat (n.) — One who does not like to socialize more than necessary, one who hates networking, and/or someone who has recently moved in with their significant other and has given up their wild days for making organic blueberry pancakes from scratch and arguing over light fixtures. I would like to first say, I did not create this term. Let me set the scene: It was an ordinary Wednesday, and...
Finding Work-Life Balance After a Lifetime of Work
From the title of this post, you’re probably expecting something written by a boomer after finally turning in their work hat.
But I am actually 28 years old and have been (mostly) surviving on my own since I was 19. I was luckier than most. I knew how to leverage my experiences when I unceremoniously found myself dropping out of school after my mother decided she couldn’t/wouldn’t help me get...
How Being Myself Landed My Dream Agency Job
“ The Community Manager is a facilitator of all operations, as well as a key developer of company culture. As an experienced Office Manager, they will ensure that the office is kept in order and running smoothly … this person is expected to have acute attention to detail and an ability to anticipate and address any potential issue arising with the office. ” From the moment I saw this ad post, I...
Why Tech Experts So Often Struggle to Become Leaders
There was a short essay published on the early Internet — 1986, to be exact — called " Hacker's Manifesto ". It's a cringe-worthy screed that would be right at home on the "I'm 14 and this is deep" subreddit, but there's a concept buried within it that has stuck with me over the years, even if my own teenage angst has faded (or evolved). Amidst its cyberpunk-inspired social commentary, the...
Time to Jam: Why Rethinking Your Process Leads to Big Creative Payoffs
What does one do upon the introduction of a new component library into daily work practices? Set up a super fun, “Great British Bake Off”-style Creative Jam, of course! Come again? You may be thinking. That’s right. We decided to shake things up one day by taking an afternoon to create and learn together. Inspired by the Adobe Creative Jam that we attended earlier in 2018, we split up into four...
It’s Not Personal: The Art of the Design Critique
As an experienced design professional, part of my routine each day consists of giving and receiving design feedback. It’s such a regular part of my job, in fact, that it has become second nature to me. But that wasn’t always the case. As a young college student facing the prospect of hearing opinions about my work, I used to take critiques really personally. It wasn’t something I was used to, and...
To Manage Agency Life, Work Like a Chef
Before I was a producer and living the agency life, I worked my way through a few restaurant kitchens, and I now find myself relying on the skills I picked up along the way on a daily, if not hourly, basis. Cooking is a job that is well-known for being intense — requiring long hours under near-constant pressure — but one that mixes self-reliance with strong professional connections in a...