I don't have time for this, really, but I can't focus on those posters that I'm supposed to be doing. You know you're having problems with procrastination when you subconsciously create a song about it. The song I am currently replaying in my head is based on the Sesame Street "Cooperation" song from my childhood, only my version goes: "Procrastination makes it happen, procrastination working together (dig it)." Catchy, right? And totally inaccurate. I blame the Sesame Street reference on the fact that Joel is going to Alaska soon, because that reminded me of another old song called "Ookyook." It seems like they played that song all the time. So cute!
Work is going pretty well, I think. My first project is to make an events poster for the office. All the designers have made one with a range of themes. Mine is going to be in the style of a 1950's monster movie poster because it's a cool style and I was on an old movie kick not too long ago. They pretty much have three things in common: 1. They are mostly illustration with cool, hand drawn type, 2. There is a woman struggling to break free/fainting from the monster (in half of them), 3. People are running/gasping in horror. Since it's for October-December, the monster is going to be a godzilla-sized turkey (Turkilla Strikes Back) possibly flailing in front of a background of fire, maybe carrying a woman, and getting shot at from the ground/helicopter. I'm struggling with turning it into a painting in photoshop, though. Hopefully by the end, I will get it.
I like my co-workers and I've gone to lunch and/or drinks with them (drinks just today and Friday) every day so far. Aside from my boss who's in his early 40's, maybe, they're all basically my age or a few years older. They're either newlyweds or single and most don't have kids. I think our personalities mesh well. I can get along with almost anyone, but that doesn't always (or usually) mean I feel like I belong with the group. I just tend to be kind of "different" in most cases, which is not always a bad thing. It's nice to naturally belong to a group sometimes, though. At an agency, we're like the same or similar brands of "different." We get it. It's nice.
Three people that I work with used to be at Momentum. At least two other people worked with or went to college with friends that are not in the business at all. (Melissa--One is good friends with David from JFK!) St. Louis really is like a big small town in some ways.
I'm still trying to gauge the potential time commitment required for this job, but it sounds like I can leave around 6 most days. As long as it's not consistently later than that like at Momentum, that's fine. I don't know if I could go back to that kind of schedule after I've had a taste of a normal 9-5 job. I was asking a co-worker (28 and newly married, for some background) about what it's typically like and she said that some people at the company work late more consistently, but she makes sure she never stays too late. Her home life trumps work. I told her my concerns and she just said to stay true to myself. I think I've gotten pretty good at that, anyway, and am not that susceptible to being overworked anymore. Sometimes I can get a little lost in it, but that's usually a good sign. The days already seem to be moving 10 times faster than they did at the insurance company and I hardly have any projects yet.
Hmm, sometimes I get lost in writing, too. Time for bed!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
What goes around comes around
I went to lunch with someone from Momentum yesterday and it was nice to catch up. I found out some news that kind of made my day, too, and reminded me of more reasons why not moving to Chicago was still a good choice. Momentum unexpectedly lost a lot of Kraft business in late 2008/early 2009 and most of the team was laid off or they quit. The group creative director there, the one and only person I honestly disliked at the company and the person that put me (and many others) on the chopping block, was laid off about a year after me. As far as the person I went to lunch with knew, no one kept in touch with him or was sad to see him go--and he didn't like us, either.
Out of curiosity, I looked up some other old Chicago team members on LinkedIn. Only one person that I recognize on the creative side is still there and I don't know what became of the others. It's probably a combination of things, but my guess is that there were more layoffs than anything else. The girl that took my place on the team in Chicago lasted an entire 6 months, April-October. I can't say for sure why, but it makes me wonder if that would have been my fate, anyway. I can guarantee that she didn't even get to the real crazy parts of that job, though. Toolkit season started in late October! Now I'm pretty confident they really were screwed on that monster project, quite possibly the biggest and most expensive project of the year. It must have been easy if a peon like me was put in charge of it, though, right Mr. Pompous GCD? Surprise!
Getting laid off turned out to probably be one of the best things that happened to me, but I think it came about for the wrong reasons (the GCD's ego, for one). I get a tinge of satisfaction knowing that the Kraft team in Chicago imploded after it's St. Louis counterparts stopped coming to the rescue, anyway. I never wish bad things on people, but I just hope the group creative director got what he deserved. That seems like a fair statement. I hope I get what I deserve at this new place, too. At least, I think I do...
Out of curiosity, I looked up some other old Chicago team members on LinkedIn. Only one person that I recognize on the creative side is still there and I don't know what became of the others. It's probably a combination of things, but my guess is that there were more layoffs than anything else. The girl that took my place on the team in Chicago lasted an entire 6 months, April-October. I can't say for sure why, but it makes me wonder if that would have been my fate, anyway. I can guarantee that she didn't even get to the real crazy parts of that job, though. Toolkit season started in late October! Now I'm pretty confident they really were screwed on that monster project, quite possibly the biggest and most expensive project of the year. It must have been easy if a peon like me was put in charge of it, though, right Mr. Pompous GCD? Surprise!
Getting laid off turned out to probably be one of the best things that happened to me, but I think it came about for the wrong reasons (the GCD's ego, for one). I get a tinge of satisfaction knowing that the Kraft team in Chicago imploded after it's St. Louis counterparts stopped coming to the rescue, anyway. I never wish bad things on people, but I just hope the group creative director got what he deserved. That seems like a fair statement. I hope I get what I deserve at this new place, too. At least, I think I do...
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Transition
I forgot how nice it was to be off on weekdays. The house is slightly less neglected than it was before because I'm actually here in the daytime. Granted, I've been working on posters off and on, but also sort of cleaning intermittently. I'm reading that Eat, Pray, Love book that I keep hearing about, too. I picked it up on the way back from Rome and I'm just now starting the India section. I agree with the critics that say she complains too much, but I still like her writing style and the overarching point of the book, which is her journey of personal discovery. Go figure...
Tomorrow I'm going to lunch with some old Momentum people and going on a shopping spree! I still can't believe my team gave me a $150 gift card as a going away present. Sh*t, I didn't even get a thank you card from the company that laid me off! Some of my friends there took me to lunch, though.
I'm always surprised by some of the people that do nice things for me on my way out. For example, someone brought me lunch from Chick-Fil-A on Tuesday, my last day! It was the person that I carpooled with to Toastmasters, but not someone that I talked to much otherwise. Awkward guy wasn't even there on Tuesday, by the way. Maybe I'll find another creeper at my new place to keep up the tradition...but hopefully not. It's statistically less likely at a smaller company.
The gift card is a perfect example of why it was hard to leave the insurance company. Even though I was bored to death most of the time, they really appreciated everything I did for them, no matter how small. They even praised my great work ethic, which baffles me. That was nothing! If I was working at my Momentum speed, I could have come into my insurance job like once a week. Maybe I don't even know what a bad work ethic entails. I guess I should have taken naps. I actually prefer to work at work, though, which is why I like the challenge of crazy deadlines. Sometimes, I would fake a crazy deadline at Midwest just to make it more interesting.
My year and a half at Midwest really did as much as it could do for my career, though. This move is another step in the right direction. Oh, this is the new place. Joel calls it "Four-orce," which seems valid, based on the spelling. They just changed their name/site, so there's not too much on there yet. They're making a big push towards the user experience of a website, so they have a new testing lab and "Usability Scientists." It seems like a pretty good idea.
This all came out of nowhere, but I think that's a good sign. This new place seems to really want me there. It recently occured to me that I had kind of given up on looking for/recognizing "signs" altogether, actually. Maybe I was afraid of what they might tell me or that I would read them wrong. Since my career is getting back on track, though, I am reassessing everything. As I have been reminded so many times before, often the key to navigating life is simply knowing when to let go and when to hold on. Except, it's usually not simple at all. All things considered, floating with the current has gone pretty well so far, but when does it become necessary to fight the tide?
Tomorrow I'm going to lunch with some old Momentum people and going on a shopping spree! I still can't believe my team gave me a $150 gift card as a going away present. Sh*t, I didn't even get a thank you card from the company that laid me off! Some of my friends there took me to lunch, though.
I'm always surprised by some of the people that do nice things for me on my way out. For example, someone brought me lunch from Chick-Fil-A on Tuesday, my last day! It was the person that I carpooled with to Toastmasters, but not someone that I talked to much otherwise. Awkward guy wasn't even there on Tuesday, by the way. Maybe I'll find another creeper at my new place to keep up the tradition...but hopefully not. It's statistically less likely at a smaller company.
The gift card is a perfect example of why it was hard to leave the insurance company. Even though I was bored to death most of the time, they really appreciated everything I did for them, no matter how small. They even praised my great work ethic, which baffles me. That was nothing! If I was working at my Momentum speed, I could have come into my insurance job like once a week. Maybe I don't even know what a bad work ethic entails. I guess I should have taken naps. I actually prefer to work at work, though, which is why I like the challenge of crazy deadlines. Sometimes, I would fake a crazy deadline at Midwest just to make it more interesting.
My year and a half at Midwest really did as much as it could do for my career, though. This move is another step in the right direction. Oh, this is the new place. Joel calls it "Four-orce," which seems valid, based on the spelling. They just changed their name/site, so there's not too much on there yet. They're making a big push towards the user experience of a website, so they have a new testing lab and "Usability Scientists." It seems like a pretty good idea.
This all came out of nowhere, but I think that's a good sign. This new place seems to really want me there. It recently occured to me that I had kind of given up on looking for/recognizing "signs" altogether, actually. Maybe I was afraid of what they might tell me or that I would read them wrong. Since my career is getting back on track, though, I am reassessing everything. As I have been reminded so many times before, often the key to navigating life is simply knowing when to let go and when to hold on. Except, it's usually not simple at all. All things considered, floating with the current has gone pretty well so far, but when does it become necessary to fight the tide?
Sunday, July 11, 2010
I'm back (sort of)
It's been a while since I've posted much of anything on here, huh? It's not because I lack material to write about, that's for sure. I guess I lack focus because I'm not sure how to write about everything at once. I also lack time, but that's pretty normal. Sometimes I wonder how my version of "busy" compares to everyone else's. I tend to think that "normal" for me would qualify as "busy" for a fair amount of people. If I say I have "no time," for example, it means that I literally have maybe 30 minutes free to change clothes/eat dinner between 8am and 10pm--for a few days in a row. I just like to be out and about and I can usually relax and have fun once I get to my intended destination. Still, it doesn't leave room for home activities.
I keep myself especially entertained in the summer, so recently, I have had to practically force myself to stay home and work on some freelance. Luckily, it's fun stuff. I'm creating some posters for "The Producers" because a co-worker is in charge of a production of it. "Springtime for Hitler" is coming right along (but I can't get the song out of my head!). Next up is a "Funny Boy" poster, a musical of Hamlet.
Tuesday is my last day at my current job and then I start the new job on Monday. That means I have 3 days off and I'll be in town! Imagine the possibilities: the drive-in, Muny free seats, lunch with old Momentum people, and Third Friday at Third Degree Glass Factory top the list so far...and taiko? Uh, we'll see. I'm already bummed that the Aug. 6 performance botches my plans for Back to the Future at Union Station and the Star Party at the Science Center! Those things only happen once a month and only through Sept., I think.
So much to do, so little time. I'm still trying to squeeze a Blues Cruise, Grizzlies game, Boathouse night paddle, Live on the Levee, Jungle Boogie at the zoo, Joel's band thing, another MoBot Wed. concert, more Muny shows, a bike "amazing race" style competition, horse races, and Parties in the (old post office) Plaza into the next month! I'm pretty sure I'll get to most of it, too, because that's how I roll. :) That's why I was "busy" even when I didn't have a job, by the way, in case you were wondering.
Oh, and Italy was amazing! It's an entire country of art, history, food, wine, and ambiance. I'm really glad I got that new camera, too, because I think I got some nice pictures. I've been wanting to go there for a long time and I was not disappointed by anything...well, except the bathrooms. Most of the public ones didn't even have toilet seats and only about half of them flushed! Plus, some of them expected tips or an actual set amount of euros! I definitely appreciate even gas station bathrooms in America now. I also appreciate ice. No one goes to Italy for those things, though.
The Maryville group was a diverse mix of people, ranging from 24 to 80 years old, but we got along well. They want to continue the tradition every year, and next year they are going to France. I'm not sold yet, but I haven't ruled it out, either. I've found that it's really hard for me to turn down an opportunity to travel, though, because I think now is the perfect time to do it. I'm looking forward to San Francisco in November with taiko, at least! Then I'll just have to go to Boston, Austin, and possibly Maine and Alaska for my personal tour of America to be complete. I think I've been to 42 states so far. Maybe I'll go to the rest of them, too, at some point.
Well, it seems I have run out of time, but that should get you relatively up to speed. There's more to my story, of course, but who has time for that?
I keep myself especially entertained in the summer, so recently, I have had to practically force myself to stay home and work on some freelance. Luckily, it's fun stuff. I'm creating some posters for "The Producers" because a co-worker is in charge of a production of it. "Springtime for Hitler" is coming right along (but I can't get the song out of my head!). Next up is a "Funny Boy" poster, a musical of Hamlet.
Tuesday is my last day at my current job and then I start the new job on Monday. That means I have 3 days off and I'll be in town! Imagine the possibilities: the drive-in, Muny free seats, lunch with old Momentum people, and Third Friday at Third Degree Glass Factory top the list so far...and taiko? Uh, we'll see. I'm already bummed that the Aug. 6 performance botches my plans for Back to the Future at Union Station and the Star Party at the Science Center! Those things only happen once a month and only through Sept., I think.
So much to do, so little time. I'm still trying to squeeze a Blues Cruise, Grizzlies game, Boathouse night paddle, Live on the Levee, Jungle Boogie at the zoo, Joel's band thing, another MoBot Wed. concert, more Muny shows, a bike "amazing race" style competition, horse races, and Parties in the (old post office) Plaza into the next month! I'm pretty sure I'll get to most of it, too, because that's how I roll. :) That's why I was "busy" even when I didn't have a job, by the way, in case you were wondering.
Oh, and Italy was amazing! It's an entire country of art, history, food, wine, and ambiance. I'm really glad I got that new camera, too, because I think I got some nice pictures. I've been wanting to go there for a long time and I was not disappointed by anything...well, except the bathrooms. Most of the public ones didn't even have toilet seats and only about half of them flushed! Plus, some of them expected tips or an actual set amount of euros! I definitely appreciate even gas station bathrooms in America now. I also appreciate ice. No one goes to Italy for those things, though.
The Maryville group was a diverse mix of people, ranging from 24 to 80 years old, but we got along well. They want to continue the tradition every year, and next year they are going to France. I'm not sold yet, but I haven't ruled it out, either. I've found that it's really hard for me to turn down an opportunity to travel, though, because I think now is the perfect time to do it. I'm looking forward to San Francisco in November with taiko, at least! Then I'll just have to go to Boston, Austin, and possibly Maine and Alaska for my personal tour of America to be complete. I think I've been to 42 states so far. Maybe I'll go to the rest of them, too, at some point.
Well, it seems I have run out of time, but that should get you relatively up to speed. There's more to my story, of course, but who has time for that?
Friday, June 11, 2010
Gasp!
Did you see this new template design thing?! I don't have time for this, but I couldn't help it. Plus, I am going on vacation tomorrow, so palm trees are appropriate. I don't think they have them in Italy, do they? I'll find out soon! Still need to finish up some packing, but I'm not too worried about it. I didn't wait until the last minute, for once.
Oh, and I got a job offer today! Yeah, that place I was talking about is offering about 10% more than I make now and it's the kind of job that I really wanted before I fell into my current one. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with it, but I hate the thought of telling my supervisor. She is amazing! Maybe I'll do some freelance for them or something. I'll also be doing some freelance poster design for "The Producers" when I get back. Someone that I work with is in charge of a show in Florissant, so that's kind of fun.
You know what's weird? Two years ago I went on a big vacation (Australia/New Zealand) and came back to NO job. This time, I'll come back to TWO jobs. Oh, life. You're funny.
Oh, and I got a job offer today! Yeah, that place I was talking about is offering about 10% more than I make now and it's the kind of job that I really wanted before I fell into my current one. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with it, but I hate the thought of telling my supervisor. She is amazing! Maybe I'll do some freelance for them or something. I'll also be doing some freelance poster design for "The Producers" when I get back. Someone that I work with is in charge of a show in Florissant, so that's kind of fun.
You know what's weird? Two years ago I went on a big vacation (Australia/New Zealand) and came back to NO job. This time, I'll come back to TWO jobs. Oh, life. You're funny.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Decisions, decisions
I had an interview at lunch today. Someone that I interviewed with in 2008 remembered me and contacted me out of the blue to "chat" about a new opening. Well, it went really well and I think I'm actually the top pick for the position! He said if I wasn't interested I should let him know and he'll expand his search, but he's basically set on me if I'm in. There are many factors to consider still, but if they can beat my current salary, I should probably accept it. Barring that current unknown, the pros outweigh the cons. I'm glad that I struck out on my own in my current job and broadened my experience, but I am ready to get back into an agency setting with other creatives. I've been out of it for two years now.
It was a very honest discussion. I'm sort of a seasoned veteran in my professional life already and I know what I'm looking for. Momentum burned me, so I essentially wanted to know if this agency would do the same. The person that interviewed me worked at Momentum (before my time), so he knew how to draw the comparisons. For starters, it's an agency of only 20ish people, not part of some huge global bureaucracy like IPG (parent company to Momentum and third-largest marketing/ad company in the world by revenue). This place is set up so that everyone works on all the brands instead of a team that's devoted to just one brand, which means that if they lose business, they don't also lose the people dedicated to that business. Actually, they recently acquired O'Charley's and some other business, which is why they need to add someone. Working 50-60 hours a week happens occassionally, but it's the exception and not the rule.
I'm pretty sure I would be happier there and I feel like I belong in an agency. (It's in a new office in the center of downtown, too. Cool!) I've done a lot for my current company in a year and a half, but it's too easy and I'm rather bored. I'm just not living up to my potential. I got them started with a brand image and a million templates, so most things just require maintenance. I'm launching or wrapping up some big projects but should make plenty of headway on them by July, so if I left, that work should still last them for months (in some cases, years) to come. The thing is, I was planning on going back to an agency 6+ months from now, though, not one month from now. The insurance company has been good to me and my boss is AMAZING, though, so that's the main thing holding me back. I don't want to burn bridges.
I told the interviewer many of my concerns and he had some interesting things to say. For one, he said that "the curse of being valuable is that we're always in the middle of something." In other words, 6 months from now something else will probably seem "too important to leave." He also said that I should listen to my heart and he wouldn't push me too hard, which strikes me as an unusual thing to say in an interview. He knew I was torn, though, and he's been in this kind of situation.
I'm supposed to keep him posted on my thoughts, so I will at least tell him I'm still interested and hope for an offer. I didn't know what I was getting myself into this afternoon, but now that it's had time to sink in, I would be a fool to turn it down before I even get a written offer. So...life has gotten in the way of plans again, and I don't think I mind it so much anymore. We'll see.
It was a very honest discussion. I'm sort of a seasoned veteran in my professional life already and I know what I'm looking for. Momentum burned me, so I essentially wanted to know if this agency would do the same. The person that interviewed me worked at Momentum (before my time), so he knew how to draw the comparisons. For starters, it's an agency of only 20ish people, not part of some huge global bureaucracy like IPG (parent company to Momentum and third-largest marketing/ad company in the world by revenue). This place is set up so that everyone works on all the brands instead of a team that's devoted to just one brand, which means that if they lose business, they don't also lose the people dedicated to that business. Actually, they recently acquired O'Charley's and some other business, which is why they need to add someone. Working 50-60 hours a week happens occassionally, but it's the exception and not the rule.
I'm pretty sure I would be happier there and I feel like I belong in an agency. (It's in a new office in the center of downtown, too. Cool!) I've done a lot for my current company in a year and a half, but it's too easy and I'm rather bored. I'm just not living up to my potential. I got them started with a brand image and a million templates, so most things just require maintenance. I'm launching or wrapping up some big projects but should make plenty of headway on them by July, so if I left, that work should still last them for months (in some cases, years) to come. The thing is, I was planning on going back to an agency 6+ months from now, though, not one month from now. The insurance company has been good to me and my boss is AMAZING, though, so that's the main thing holding me back. I don't want to burn bridges.
I told the interviewer many of my concerns and he had some interesting things to say. For one, he said that "the curse of being valuable is that we're always in the middle of something." In other words, 6 months from now something else will probably seem "too important to leave." He also said that I should listen to my heart and he wouldn't push me too hard, which strikes me as an unusual thing to say in an interview. He knew I was torn, though, and he's been in this kind of situation.
I'm supposed to keep him posted on my thoughts, so I will at least tell him I'm still interested and hope for an offer. I didn't know what I was getting myself into this afternoon, but now that it's had time to sink in, I would be a fool to turn it down before I even get a written offer. So...life has gotten in the way of plans again, and I don't think I mind it so much anymore. We'll see.
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