Since my first year of college, I've had five years of experience in many fields of digital design. I was recognized during my third year of school, when I designed a promotional poster for Eastern Connecticut State University's 2021 senior art exhibition. The design was selected from a pool of 30 other designs, commended for its attention to detail, then displayed to represent the exhibition.

 

In Fall 2021, I received an internship, where I collaborated on an informational booklet about fine line illustrator Murray Tinkelman. In January 2022, I was offered a job at ECSU's office of fine arts, where I did a lot of clerical work for the art department, created graphics to advertise classes, and edited photos of student artwork. About the same time, I was offered (and accepted) another job working for a political advertising company known as Mission Control Inc., where I designed promotional material for political candidates in the upcoming midterm election (May 2022 - October 2022).

 

Doors just kept opening, and it was amazing to experience. I also spent much of this time working for a handful of clients who were developing LLCs, which gave me a lot of experience in website building and social media presence. After Mission Control however, I felt like I didn't want to pursue graphic design because I felt very uninspired. I didn't enjoy my time there at all, I didn't want to take the internship in the first place, and I felt like I wasn't creating anything I wanted to create. I didn't know what I wanted to create or if I even wanted to. It was something I contemplated for a few jobless months, and I figured the best thing to do was to return to my roots: being a barista.

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I applied to work at a local cafe and bakery in Hebron, CT called The Flour Girl. It was a really tough adjustment because I was coming from a very different environment and I was already a quiet person. It was hard to feel like I was welcome, but at one of my lowest points, something in my gut told me that I needed to stay. All I needed was a mindset shift. I couldn't tell you what specifically that was, but a little over a year later, my boss needed someone to run our social media. After recalling my resume (even though I had no social media experience), she chose me. 

 

I'll be real: after being at The Flour Girl for over two years, I am having the most fun. I can't really put my finger on what exactly I love the most... it could be my direct engagement with our growing community. It could be forming real, genuine connections with random people with no expectation to. It could be getting involved with all parts of our business, from retail to baking to being a barista. It could be creative freedom, or simply the fact that I'm not sitting at a desk for eight hours a day. I just know that I love it.

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Be open to the possibility. There's always better. Don't expect it, but just trust that opportunity will find you and every conscious (and subconscious) decision you make will lead you to it. Even if you don't know what you're doing or what you want, I have solid faith that you do.