Like all good things, they must eventually come to an end. With a bittersweet finale to my internship at Curator, I can effectively say that it has been an exhilarating learning experience. On top of the amazing time I had with Curator, I will be leaving with a new perspective on the public relations industry as a whole, and what it takes to survive in it.
The biggest lesson I learned is to find what makes you excited and passionate, and to chase that interest. With some past experience in public relations, content creation and photography, this internship really made me stop to think about what I want to do. I always jumped at any opportunity I could get to work with Shawn, Curator’s Creative Director. But, at the same time I was responsible for a very different kind of work on the PR side of things, which at times made project management all the more important to balance. So, my advice to my peers in a similar phase of your career: give some thought to your passions and how that can translate into an area of work. Of course internships are designed to be a learning experience and aid that process, but it helps to begin with your basic interest or talents that you can build off of and develop.
Looking back on my four months with Curator, I‘m proud to have worked on a variety of projects, including writing press releases, pitching bloggers, shooting and editing a video, and photographing plants in a studio. Feels like I did it all. While every assignment was unique and interesting in its own respect, I found the days spent outside, “in the field” with clients, were some of the most fun I’ve had all summer.
It was an absolute pleasure working with Swanson’s Nursery. I should be so lucky to work with future clients who are interested and open to collaborating, and giving us as much creative freedom as we were able to play with. Not to mention, I am a budding gardener at home (pun intended). While I’m proud of all my client work from this summer, I would most like to share the projects I was involved in for Swanson’s Nursery.
The first project I was pulled in to help with was covering their exciting and thoughtful community art garden project at the Ballard Boys & Girls Club. The art garden build was part of Swanson’s “Grow with Us” Project, which is focused on helping communities make the best use of their outdoor spaces. With three days spent in the summer sun, I was able to photograph and film the transformation from start to finish.
The next, and my most favorite, project was working with Shawn on the photography for the Autumn Project Month Lookbook. I was most excited about this particular project because of the creative liberties I had throughout the process. I was able, within stylistic direction from Shawn, to really take the reigns and produce the photos that would capture the essence of a fashion look book, but for plants. Seeing the final product and actual lookbook – skillfully and tastefully crafted by Curator’s design intern, Maggie – is a very cool feeling and a wonderful reminder of the whole experience.
So, after a whirlwind summer, I’d like to say thank you to everyone on the Curator team who I had the privilege of getting to know. Thank you for taking me in and giving my work a shot! More than anything, I appreciate all of the help, guidance, and friendship everyone showed me during my time here.
It is with a heavy heart to say goodbye, so I just won’t say it!
Thank you all for one of the most rewarding summers yet!
