1. Getting my s#!t together. It’s now or never, right?

While it seems Deb Morrison’s slogan for our Creative Strategist class this fall is “Let’s do this,” the vibe I’ve gotten from Deb so far is that it’s time for us to buckle down and “get our shit together.” With the amount of times this is repeated in class, it might as well be the slogan!

Like many of my fellow classmates, I’m not 100% sure what I want to do yet. I know I’m obsessed and passionate about certain products. I’m a creative person. I’ve always loved ads that evoke emotions as opposed to just shoving the product (and price) in your face. I know I love to tell people about whatever it is I love and get them interested, and I know this is one of the things that led me to advertising. But what’s next? With so many jobs in the advertising industry, what do I do now? With this mindset, sometimes it’s hard to start doing things. If you don’t know what you want to do, how do you know what you SHOULD do right now? It’s hard to dive head first into something you don’t know everything about, and yet I’ve realized the only way to figure out where I belong is to start doing! Try things. Find what I like and don’t like. Step out of my comfort zone. Meet people! Listen. Read. Learn. Write. Create! Listing off things to do is the easy part. Actually doing it is the challenge.

I’m currently a 5^th-year student. A Super Senior. Taking my victory lap! However you choose to describe it. With two majors and two minors in the making, it’s time to think about eventually wrapping things up, bringing it all together, and getting out there. There’s no time to waste, which is why I wonder what I’m waiting for. At this point in my life and college career, the world is mine for the taking, right?

So today I start! I started by sitting down and writing. I have put off this blog post for fear of not knowing what to write about and thinking it wouldn’t be high enough quality for this class. We’re being treated like beginning professionals, after all. I looked at blogs of fellow classmates and thought, “Aah, their first post is so good! They’re so ahead of me skill-wise.” I have to forget about others for a minute and just do my own thing.

This first post has turned into more of a personal pep talk than anything else, but it’s what I need before taking on a class that, if I can rise to the occasion, will give me endless opportunities! I’ve come up with a little list for myself, just to keep me motivated throughout the term.

After completing Creative Strategist…

• I’ll be interesting and interested.
• I’ll have a better understanding of where my place is in the world of Advertising.
• I’ll be able to rattle off all the top agencies an Advertising student should know and be reading about.
• I’ll be more confident in thinking, hey! Even though I’m a student, I can create and produce something worth looking at.
• I’ll start doing, instead of waiting.
• Most importantly, I’ll have my shit together!

There is no reason not to.