You Get To Be You

You Get To Be You

My days of bumming around Austraila and Asia were sadly coming to an end.

Maybe it's time you got a proper job?- 😱

Yes Mother

Having scoured the job pages of the Evening Standard and secured an interview at one of London's coolest advertising agencies before I’d even got the job I felt like she could take on the world!

New suit purchased from Chelsea Girl - I jumped on the train to Big Bad London for my first interview with the HR team where we had an informal chat and a typing and grammar test along with 15 other hopefuls

75 w.p.m - I’d nailed it!

Before I knew it I was ushered up the stairs through the ageing but extremely cool agency - full of the mid 90s version of hipsters - to meet my potential boss.
 

Alberto Cappelletti - Group Director of Advertising for Head & Shoulders! The glamour!

What a name - what a guy - what a charmer (and I did my best) we got on brilliantly and the second interview was in the bag.

My dream was in touching distance - so now was the time to really pull out the big guns! Really impress. I had to look super cool and funky to work in London's best ad agencies - right?!

So how to do that?

With a DIY box of Wella Auburn Copper Blonde Hair dye of course. The very night before. So it would look its most vibrant. 🌈

Thinking back I’m not sure who I was trying to be – but by the time I arrived at the interview – it became clear – I was no Julia Roberts.

'What the hell have you done with your hair?'

Yep - not quite how I expected to be greeted by the lovely Bertie for my second interview – my face reddening to a similar shade as my head. 🙈

'At least it looks like you're interested in beauty products sweetheart' my mother had reassured me. I love my mum.

So why am I telling you this?

Way too often I see creatives and artists do something similar when they want to work with businesses.

• They dress try and 'look the part'.  
• Polish their shoes, wear a suit – tone it all down.
• Some even gen up on all the latest business news or learn all the latest terminology.

In short they try to be something that they're not.

Of course you need to be professional but the good news is– you get to be you.

Businesses work with artists and creatives because they are looking for something different. An injection of your creativity - your view on the world -your fresh way of doing things.

They are surrounded by suit-wearing, jargon speaking people all day long.

Your creativity and your colour can change their businesses.

It's up to you to give them a break and hopefully just knowing this should take the pressure off.

Let me know if I can help!

Hx

PS - Just in case you're wondering - I still got the job. Which led to the best 2 years ever of having a 'proper job' - but those stories are for another time!
 

PPS - I think this picture proves the point!