The view from the Modern Luxury office
Print publications I contributed to in 2012
Well, winter break is officially in the air. School is
finished, I’ve returned my rental books and house keys, and moved back home.
I’m in a bit of a nostalgic mood about everything I’ve
written/photographed this year...I can't believe how fast 2012 went by. It seems like I've been working for my college paper for years. But everything that's been published has been within the last calendar year. Which is crazy. It's probably because I've been dreaming about doing it forever, but of course dreaming isn't enough. So 2012's writing and photos from work in review:
Working for The Signal seems so long ago—I was there from
January-October as a staff writer/photographer and Associate Living Editor. It
was such a great starting point. I don’t think anything I’ve done thus far
could have been possible without those resume points, and of course the
experience. My Journalism 1010 class was simple because I already knew how to
write in AP Style Format, could differentiate what was newsworthy from what wasn’t,
etc. The Signal was like a class (but literally more strict on deadlines than
my J-School professors were). And the joy of seeing my first bylines on photos
and stories published is something I will never forget. I wouldn’t be opposed
to going back fall semester, but I can’t predict what I’ll be doing at that
point. All of the opportunities I have gotten so far have been so last-minute
and spontaneous. And I truly believe in serendipity. I’m open to
anything/everything.
In June, CountyLine Magazine ran “Three Cheers for the
Flames” which I wrote and photographed. It was a full two-page spread in the
middle of the magazine and without a doubt one of the most fun stories I’ve
ever had the pleasure to write.
I went to a workshop at a media conference earlier this
year, and the photojournalist speaking (Mark E. Johnson) told the room about
how his most defining moment was when he took a photo for an orphanage-esque
story. He was instructed to get a traditional photo of a couple of kids, but
instead, accidentally captured a child playing with a toy airplane. He got an
up-close-and-personal shot of the child with the biggest smile you’ve ever seen
and eyes wider than the world. The child looked so genuinely happy. Johnson
begged his editor to run that photo instead, but the guy told him that it
wasn’t what they were looking for. A few things happened, blah blah blah, and
to his surprise, the photo did run. The day that paper went out was also the
day the largest number of children got adopted from the place in a single day,
ever. All because of that photo.
My story in CountyLine did nothing to that level, but once
the story ran, more children joined the mentally disabled cheerleading squad
for their next season. That was such an incredible feeling knowing I helped
contribute to that.
My last day of interning at Modern Luxury was almost a week
ago now, which is a little hard for me to believe! I don’t even know what to do
with myself/all this free time. I started that job in August not really knowing
what to expect. Would I grab coffee for my superiors every morning? Would they
throw it back at me in disgust because I forgot to order it skinny? (Cliché
nightmares stemming from The Devil Wears Prada,) Would they be kind, where
would I sit and would I ever get to actually write anything?
Answers varied. No coffee was ever thrown or rejected; yes,
I ran errands for the editors (think picking up lunch or running across town to
return designer dog sweaters. And yes, that is a real thing); I dealt with a
few Monday attitudes and some work no one else in the office wanted to do. But doesn’t
that come with every job? There were so many great aspects. I got so much
experience and really learned what the magazine industry is like from the
inside out. There was a thrill in driving to Buckhead twice a week, dressing
“fashion-business-casual” for work, seeing that gorgeous skyline view from the
office, and being surrounded by larger-than-life magazine covers decorating the
office walls. It was fun pretending to be a functioning adult.
I really learned some things about people, too. I used to be
so scared to contact companies, businesses, etc for stories and fact checking. The
first photo shoot I helped out on was for The Atlantan’s “50 Most Beautiful”,
and I wouldn’t say that I was star struck in any sense of the word, but I was definitely
nervous. Why? I’m not really sure why. As the months went by and I had to
continue speaking with people deemed worthy of being featured in the magazines,
I realized famous people really aren’t any better than anyone else. Truly. They
aren’t untouchable, they aren’t perfect. Ashley Tisdale and the new Bond girl
on the last couple covers of Jezebel…they aren’t anything other than people who
are exceptionally good at what they do. Whether you are an actor, photographer,
model, chef, philanthropist, whatever. They get photoshopped to look flawless,
sure. No denying that. Maybe I’m strange for thinking all of that, but I’ve
been so inspired by conversations I’ve had with people featured in the
magazines and have never personally come in contact with anyone slightly famous
who wasn’t as nice as could be.
I was talking to author Jackson Pearce about a week ago as I
was fact-checking an article for Jezebel. She told me, “I didn’t fall into this
career; I write every day, I’ve completed several unpublished novels, I
constantly research and immerse myself in the industry, and I read like mad in
an effort to better understand the craft of writing. Luck played a role, of
course, but I like to think hard work played a bigger one.”
This really resonated with me. I knew it before, but it was
confirmed after I spoke with her: rarely will you “get lucky” and land the job
of your dreams, achieve your life-long goal or succeed at what you want to do
in general. Especially in this industry, it takes a lot of work, a lot of
years, a lot of experience and trying. And you will be disappointed at times,
whether it’s because your photo or story didn’t run, because you don’t get a
job…anything. And I’ve found you have to want it. Not only do you have to want
it, you have to be willing to give up your free day every week to do unpaid
work. You have to go out of your way to get published, contact people, reach
out and love every minute of it. Although I don’t have a career yet, I hope I’m
on the right track to getting one. I’m so thankful for the opportunities I’ve
had at Modern Luxury and Cumulus Media over the last semester.
For now, I’m off to a meeting with CountyLine Magazine for a
freelance editorial I’m being offered to write and photograph. Tonight I will
start my application to be one of ISA’s “featured bloggers” for the duration of
my time abroad. Have I mentioned that I’m thankful?
xo
