So we had a Twitter assignment for my PR writing class. Here’s my dilemma: I have a personal twitter account and a professional twitter account. As someone who wants to enter a creative field I am having trouble finding a balance. Because creative people are supposed to be zany, off the wall and independent. And trust me, I can do that. Yet the other side of me is my public relations and marketing studies. In this field I must act professional, network, follow the guidelines and have a crisp LinkedIn profile. So my two Twitter accounts represent the imbalance I am feeling. I used my professional Twitter handle for this assignment since it related to PR. I enjoyed the pressure of having to create content for this account and it’s nice having a professional presence on social media. I also enjoyed tweeting about Marquette because it’s important to appreciate a place that has made such an impact on who I am and where I will go. Looking back on my photos of campus fills me with anticipatory nostalgia because I'm graduating this fall. There's this one spot on campus, on a pathway in between 11th and 12th on Wisconsin, where I have taken dozens of photos of the Jesu since my freshman year. Each photo shows a different season and a different stage in my life. I'm glad that this Twitter assignment had me reflect on what it feels like to embody that phrase #WeAreMarquette. What I didn’t like is that I had trouble releasing my own personality into this account. Which brings me back to the imbalance. I hope that as I advance in my career I am able to find a happy balance between the creative field and being a public relations professional. I definitely think that this is possible.
0 Comments
What’s frustrating about graphic design is that the only way I’m going to learn is by failing over and over. I’ve heard this countless amounts of times from the resources I’ve been using to study design. But lately what’s been exciting me the most is the new Netflix documentary, Abstract: The Art of Design, which follows one expert in a different area of design each episode. Anything from stage design to architecture to illustrating. These experts are who I aspire to be; not quite world famous like a celebrity in TMZ, but famous and respected in the industry. These people are my vision of success for myself. One of my favorite episodes so far followed Tinker “Tink” Hatfield, the legend behind Michael Jordan sneakers. Tink’s now an older gentlemen still designing, skateboarding, surfing... you name it. I admire Tink because he spoke about his failures in shoe design. He was not afraid to admit the downfalls in his career. The way that these experts think along with their total commitment to design inspire me heavily. Obviously there’s an episode titled “Graphic Design” but honestly I’m a bit too overwhelmed to watch it. Sometimes watching these experts overwhelms me with the amount of work I still need to do. I only have about 4 designs on my official portfolio and I know that I need to keep building it. Juggling school, an internship, a job, a social life and my dreams to be a designer are creating some obstacles for me. All those responsibilities I just listed are the reason why the #weeklychallenge I posted about last week will be so difficult to complete. But luckily, I received my order from RedBubble of my sticker designs and I love the way they turned out. Here comes a cheesy way to end a blog post but a few months ago I found the quote, “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” Perhaps I’m crazy enough to think that I can be an expert in design and one day be asked to be featured in a documentary. I’ll work with that for now.
Independent motivation is what I mentioned in my last post and my focus for this year. It's incredibly important that I stay determined and like Nike says, "Just Do It." So last week I created a design of Chance The Rapper in Photoshop using a photo of him from his gig at Saturday Night Live. I first posted it to my Twitter with 37 favorites and 7 retweets thus far... not bad considering I don't have the highest following on this platform. Later in the day I also ended up posting the design to my Instagram, currently at 164 likes, while gaining some new followers thanks to the ability to use so many hashtags like #GraphicDesign and #Photoshop. One week later I've finished a design for the little known hip-hop singer Kodie Shane. Which I just posted to Twitter. Utilizing social media is going to be critical to my career path as a public relations professional and graphic design artist. In fact, I just unfollowed all the inconsequential celebrities that were clogging my Instagram feed and dug around for some graphic design accounts to keep my eye on the prize. Luckily I feel like I'm pretty well-versed in the social media world. For example, I know that the best time to post an Instagram is after 5 p.m. so that is gets the highest amount of exposure possible. Unfortunately for many companies the social media thing hasn't gone so well. Lack of research or concern can create some embarrassing moments and messy PR crises. But there are some organizations that are doing it right. My personal favorite is Denny's. Their extremely casual use of social media along with their knowledge and correct usage of memes–that's key!– is a refreshing change from the boring, robotic corporations and their attempts at social media. So I will be using social media to post my designs while also keeping my followers engaged with my content. That's why I am making a goal to create something at least once a week so that I can stay consistent and motivated. I can already see improvements in my Photoshop skills– and that's just within one week. Take a look below and on my social accounts!
UPDATE: Kodie commented on my Instagram post! Super excited to be recognized by her and hopefully it will boost my exposure! |
AuthorMy name is Sarah Jane and I'm just figuring it all out. Archives
June 2017
Categories |