In the fallow period between my last job and my next one, I found a photo that reminded me who I am and showed me where I belong.
I was editor of my college newspaper, The Carletonian. The scraggly-haired boy watching me eat cheese fries was the news editor and is now my husband. This photo was almost certainly taken on a Thursday. The paper published every Friday, so Thursdays were all-nighters fueled by caffeine, junk food, and the collective energy of a dozen creative weirdos who chose to do this work for no pay or course credit.
Our process was an ode to obsolete technology: floppy disks, black and white photos slick with pungent darkroom chemicals. We began layout on candy-colored iMacs and finished hunched over light tables, performing Xacto-knife surgery to perfectly align each column on the broadsheet.
Technology has evolved, and I’m too old for all-nighters, but there’s something enduring among the memories of that messy, pizza-scented newspaper office. It’s at the heart of my professional identity; it’s where I belong and what I am yearning for.
⭐ Collaborating with smart, passionate people to create content that matters. ⭐
The best moments in my career sparkled with creative, collaborative magic. The frenetic buzz of the U.S. Bank Social Media Command Center at Super Bowl LII, where my team was live-tweeting the activity around our namesake stadium. The choreographed wildness of experiential marketing. The thrill of flipping through a fresh issue of Thrivent Magazine, seeing my name in the masthead and thinking, “I helped bring this into being.”
I considered quitting the corporate world. I thought about starting a consulting practice or piecing together freelance assignments while writing a novel. I like writing. But retreating into a private space with my words feels lonely and limiting. I shine brightest when I’m with people who bring different skills and perspectives and who share my passion for the thing we’re creating together.
Whether it’s a publication or a marketing campaign, I want to make content that brings joy, insight, and meaningful moments into people’s lives. And I don’t want to do it alone.
I am looking for a new job. I have leadership experience in content marketing, social media, and internal communications. I am applying for roles in all three areas, and I am applying for roles at smaller organizations where a marketing or communications leader wears many colorful hats.
I am here. I am on fire to work again. I am ready to meet my next team of people who want to work with me.