Shine like an emerging creative

Late one night, procrastinating on a school project, doom-scrolling Instagram, a small studio’s summer internship popped up. I did some sleuthing on the studio’s ethos, but what attracted me most was honestly these newsletters. These captured the studio's energy in a way no amount of social media stalking or project analyzing could have, and I was sold. I decided I needed to apply, a moment of synchronicity of stumbling upon this opportunity and sensing it would somehow fit.

What set a small studio apart from all other jobs I’ve applied to thus far, was my immediate decision to let myself play. Perhaps because it was midnight and I was loopy, or I was inspired by the studio’s casual tone, but I wrote more of a stream of consciousness than a cover letter, and upon submitting, I texted a friend saying I just turned in the most unhinged cover letter I’ve written to date. But I had fun. I was strangely relaxed doing it, not a word I tend to equate with stressing about finding a summer job.

Right when enough time had passed that I thought it was safe to assume nothing would come of it, I got the congratulatory email that I would be moving on to the next step.

But wait–next step? Not just an interview?!

The panic set in as I read over the questions they wanted me to answer in a short video. At the same time, I had a wave of creative confidence that this might just be what I needed to shine, and that same feeling of let’s play returned. The stakes were slightly higher, but I was filled with ideas. The studio had thrown the ball back in my court; it was up to me to run with it.

I stopped trying to guess what a small studio wanted to see and hear. Instead, I leaned into what I would enjoy making for them.

When a small studio asked applicants these video questions, they gave us the upper hand to play to our strengths, challenging us to think critically about what we have to offer and how our strengths would mesh with theirs.

I will admit I found this four-step process frustrating at times. Especially when the third step, a social content charette, happened to coincide with my finals week. I wasn’t sure I would have time to make another assignment for a job I didn’t even have.

However, I was inspired throughout a small studio’s process because it was personal to them, as opposed to other applications where my task has typically been to write 750 words about why I want the position (I imagine this is just as boring to read as it is to write). So, while I sometimes wanted to tap out of a small studio’s process, I powered through.

The intensity of it all showed me I did care about the position. I was willing to put in the extra time and push myself to think in a whole new way–eager to put myself in a small studio’s shoes before committing to the position. This empowered me as a creative to get a taste of the agency and establish if I believed in them as much as they would need to believe in me. Spoiler alert: I got the job!

Since I started last week, the idea that has echoed around the studio is the power of being an anomaly. a small studio is an anomaly in a sea of agencies that undervalue creatives. Their sometimes scary, sometimes draining, but mostly exciting interview process let me know I was applying for a job where a team of people truly cared. They’ve continued to show their commitment, supporting me to shine as an anomaly alongside them.