A little over 1,500 days ago, I started my very first job. Walking into the advertising world as a young, wide-eyed girl, I was too shy to even speak and looked to avoid any form of social interaction. Dedicating my lunch breaks to my favorite hobby, I finished knitting an entire scarf in less than a month. When I was asked by my colleagues to take a group picture of the team, everything changed. That was the day that marked the beginning of an unexpected journey.
As a young professional, my career was riddled with challenges and taxing interludes. Succumbing to the pressure of tight deadlines, obsessing about detail and passionate about creating the perfect piece of work, I began to face several inner conflicts, questioning my very ability to create. I was, what one may say, really stuck.
In the creative world, a beginner can grow attached to the initial idea, believing that there’s no way to beat it, and that no other idea will be as good.
It is only natural to feel that way. It took me some time to realize that this was all in my head; that I was a prisoner of my own insecurities, biased to believe what I kept convincing myself to be true. The reality is I am the same person who came up with the idea in the first place so I can come up with another one, and there’s every chance it will be even better.
On the 754th day of my career, I fell in love with advertising all over again. I had awakened to embracing the beauty of the creative process, in all its aspects –– the good, the bad and the ugly, understanding that it’s not always sunshine and rainbows in the early stages of an idea’s growth.
We create work for real consumers who have demands and expectations.
Creativity is raw and real. It’s a solid crystal with rough edges that needs to be chiseled to reach a valuable outcome.
The simple decision to transform my mindset turned out to be liberating. It was a crossing point into the world of the professional, allowing me to form opinions, express my voice, mature and grow as an art director and as a person.
I never thought I’d be spending so many days in this field, let alone in the same agency. Yet I have come to learn and discover so much about myself that I’m sure, if I had ended up working in any other sector, I would still be that shy, green girl.
Now, I can’t imagine myself anywhere else.
I hope every young professional in our industry gets to traverse this phase, coming to realize that going through the process has nothing to do with talent, professionalism and the work itself. Rather, it’s a mindset, an inner monologue that needs to be set free.
It isn’t easy, as this process forms part of a personal journey. But it is essential. All of us need to find the key to unlocking this experience, which is guaranteed to refine our personality and drive to create impeccable work. And believe me, it is worthwhile.
