post-internship reflections

a few random reflections in no particular order:

• at first free, departments rely on each other. for example, the communications department needs to know what sermon series is coming up so they can design and print out new worship folders. until they communicate, nothing gets done.
  
• i have recently discovered the importance of a good website for your business/organization. because really, that is how people do research today. we have welcome cards in the backs of the pews for visitors to fill out. one of the fields is "how i found this church." a good percentage write "the website." our website is functional and decent, but it's somewhat old. we're in the process of redoing it. (it's a rather long process since we're redoing more than just the website... we're redoing the logo, etc, too.) i think some of the staff don't see the point in redoing the website, but the fact that over half the people that visit found our church via the internet, it just proves the importance of a good, sharp, informative website. it's worth the time and money.
  
• i've discovered that i have a lot of growing up to do before i would become a manager/boss of someone. i think by nature, i'm a better follower than a leader. i'm more laidback when it comes to sharing my opinion/giving orders. when we have department meetings, i usually have an opinion, but i rarely feel it's strong enough to share/argue over. perhaps that will change with more time and experience... it's just a personal observation i had.
  

no longer an intern.

as of last friday, i am no longer blake the intern. i am blake the... unemployed. and that is fantastic by me. :)

friday was a pretty grand day. without a doubt, the best day of my internship. i came in friday morning and finished printing out the care ministry brochures i'd been working out. (my boss LOVED them, by the way.) when i finished, i asked anna what else i should do. she paused to think... since she'd taken over the focus again, there wasn't much left for me to do. so she said, "you know what, blake? here's your assignment. go online and google "photoshop tutorials." then play around. i want you to have fun on your last day here!" how AMAZING is that?! so i played around on photoshop all day! (which was GREAT since i haven't had too much experience with photoshop.) then anna told me how much she appreciated me and what a help i've been and how she's going to miss me. and then i cleaned out my desk (there wasn't a whole lot there, haha)... and left... the state! i spent all of last weekend in chicago with friends. and let me tell you, on monday morning, it was SO refreshing to know that i didn't have to be at work! i definitely loved my internship... but... it's really nice to have a couple weeks to myself. and i'm back to my collegiate habits now! (staying up late, getting up late.) haha.

...more reflecting to come.

before i forget...

a woman just came into the office, wanting to use the giant cutting machine. since i'm the first person you see as you walk into the office, she asked me, "are you the go-to girl about how to use the cutting machine?" since i did, in fact, know how to use the cutting machine, i responded, "yes! i can help you." so we went into the copy room and i showed her how to adjust the machine settings and how to place the paper in and how to actually use the giant machine (remember? the big, huge one that could chop your arm off if you're not careful?). i demonstrated a couple times and then watched her do it. "THANK YOU SO MUCH!" she exclaimed, with a sigh of relief.

...aaand that's all. i just wanted to document that i am a cutting machine PRO. :)

winding down.

so i have 5 days of work left. crazy? yes. exciting? yes. a little sad? yes. it's hard to believe it's nearly over.

lately, i've been encouraged. this week was long. (it probably had something to do with having the previous week and a half off... then jumping right back in to everything.) but despite that. i was encouraged. several people told me this week that they're "really going to miss me." my pastor, the receptionist, both my bosses and a few coworkers. and i don't know... i guess it just helps make it worthwhile. (not that it wasn't already. i've learned more than i could have imagined i would. i showed up at the office on may 24 and jumped in headfirst. they gave me projects and i ran with them. and i got LOADS of experience.) but just hearing people tell me that they appreciate me and my work and that they're going to miss me... blake the intern... it's rather encouraging. :) my pastor took a bunch of us staff out for ice cream on wednesday. he said, "i'm taking you guys out because one, you're all really great people and i love you guys, and two, because our intern is leaving us next week and i want to make sure she knows how much we love her and appreciate her." aww.

so as this is all winding down, i'm still not exactly sure what i want to do "when i grow up." but i know this... there are parts of working in a church environment that are very appealing. i know a job is all about the people you work with... and in this case, i work with a bunch of amazing people! we'll see where God ends up leading me... but regardless, i am truly thankful i got to spend these 9ish weeks as a publications intern at efree. i've loved it.

a break.

this has been a lovely week. because i haven't walked into the office once. :) i traded a desk and computer for a beach chair and towel. i love my job, but it was a needed break.

breaks are good for clarity of mind and for reflecting. i only have 15 days of work left! that right there is just crazy talk. how can it already be winding down? then again, i've gotten a ton of experience and i've learned bunches... i feel like i've gotten a good grasp on what this kind of work environment is like.

so what's next? my aunt told me the other day that she could help get me another internship next summer... with the ST. LOUIS CARDINALS!!! she worked for them for several years and still has several connections. i'm not sure all that it would entail, but it would be excellent experience. i mentioned this briefly to my mom and she thought it was a great idea. the efree job showed me what it's like to work in a "church environment." if i end up getting the cards internship, i'd see what it's like to work in a more public venue... with only my favorite team EVER!! so i don't know. but it's sure fun to think about. :)

one month in.

so i've been working for just over a month. despite the longer-hours-than-i'm-used-to and the everyday-ness of it, that's still hard to believe. a whole month has gone by.

looking back, i've done a lot in those 5 weeks. i've worked on 4 focuses (not sure how to make focus plural, but... you know what i mean), several brochures, and... lots of little projects. (oh, and lots of boring stuff like printing labels and making copies. but you know, all of that stuff has to get done by someone...) :)

right now, i'm trying to decide if i could work in a place like this, post-graduation. i still don't know what i really want to be when i "grow up." but... i think maybe i could see myself in a working environment like this. i mean, after i take a few more classes, i could completely change my mind. right now, i think it would be amazing to work at some sort of magazine. but... who knows? at this current job, i'm not really utilizing the "writing" part of my major. but then again, i've always wanted to work in a coffeeshop, and that utilizes... let's see... none of my degree. :) so i guess we'll just have to wait and see where the good Lord leads me. and you know, i'm really ok with that. i'm thankful i like this job enough to say i could potentially see myself working at a similar place.

the details.

so today my boss said something profound. (well... in the eyes of a little comm. intern like myself, anyway.) :) she said that "when it comes to a piece like the focus, people don't really notice the little things you do to make it look good. they just know it's good." and that is so true. i can spend all day finding the "perfect graphic," resizing and cropping pictures, enhancing the brightness and contrast, curning the text so everything fits in the columns... essentially, being a perfectionist. and no one will notice all of that. they'll just notice that it's sharp and clean and informative.

this job really makes me see print in a fresh light. i have a significantly greater appreciation for writers, graphic design artists, and editors. they have a huge job and few people will ever be able to fully appreciate their work for the details. i guess that's just part of it.

amazing.

you know what's amazing about my job? well, i'll tell you.

this morning, my pastor walked into the communications department and stood in the middle of our three offices. "ok. so what do you girls think about getting out of this office for awhile? my department will take yours out for coffee..?" anna and jo (my boss and coworker) stood up immediately and pushed their chairs in. i just sat there, not sure if he was kidding. pastor hughes high-fived me and said, "c'mon, kiddo! let's do starbucks!" i looked at anna. "really?!" jo had already grabbed her purse and sunglasses and was standing in the hall ready to go. "listen, honey," she said. "the man said we're going to get coffee. if there's one thing you need to learn here, it's DON'T QUESTION AUTHORITY! get up! we're going!"

so we all hopped into his mini van and drove down the hill to starbucks. and the 5 of us had coffee together in the middle of the morning, when we were "supposed to be working." and that, my friends, is one of the many reasons my job is amazing. :)

...and it just keeps coming

it finally hit me today that this job never ends! all the jobs i've ever had have had distinct starting and ending points. a couple examples: when i counseled at a summer camp for inner city kids, i spent three weeks with the kids and then it was over. the kids got in the vans and went home. when i worked at the front desk of english hall, i worked for the year, and then i moved out because school (and the job) was over for the summer. but with this publications job, the work never ends. when i leave at the end of this summer, the workload will continue just like it always has (my boss will just have more work to do!). that's the nature of working in a publications department. we have a weekly newsletter that we put out. we have a specific schedule we have to follow (update information, add new graphics, contact people, rework layout, send out first draft, edit, package, send to printer, distribute). this is a long process. i work on the focus most on friday and monday... then tuesday, at noon, we send it out to staff for corrections, suggestions, and edits, and then on wednesday afternoon, we send it to the printer. we just sent it to the printer yesterday afternoon (wednesday)... and today, as i sat down to start working on the focus for next week, it hit me. i ALWAYS have something to do at this job. and there will always be something for me to do. if i'm not working on the focus, i'm updating church materials or printing off labels or making copies or... something. it's a department that cannot take a break. (which is good, don't get me wrong! i guess that just finally hit me today...)

a few pics

this is where i live 30 hours a week. (note my fake tree.)















































i opened my church bulletin this morning to find the ministry focus that i worked so long and hard on this week. there's something so ridiculously satisfying about seeing the finished product. it looked good. :) it's funny how this job has changed my entire sunday morning perspective. i now notice everything in my church that falls under the category of "communications." everything from the ministry focus to the inserts in the church bulletin to the powerpoint slides to the announcements. it's crazy having all this background knowledge and experience now. but i like it. :)

update from the intern

a few things i’ve learned this week:
1. finding graphics (what i said was my favorite part earlier) can be absolutely maddening. haha. so that clipart.com we subscribe to…? yeah, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. all i needed the other day was a simple ice cream cone graphic and i couldn’t find one. out of 6 million graphics, i couldn’t find ONE good one! (this might be where the perfectionist in me comes out, ha...) i had to resort to sites like flickr.com and google image, where i FINALLY found one (after working on it a bit in photoshop). but yeah, it’s a lot harder than i thought! i had trouble today finding some graphics, too. you really have to know how to search for them (which often involves a lot of creativity, i’m finding).
2. i’ve discovered lately that most of my job involves “playing.” i have to play to make the text fit, to make the pictures look right, to make the text wrap around the image so there’s some anchor text at the bottom and not too much text crowding the top and side, and that it's all evenly spaced throughout the layout. with every picture i find online, i have to take it into photoshop and change it into black and white (because it’s a black and white publication). then i usually play with the brightness and contrast and i always crop and resize it. that part's not bad, but the rest is tedious. it's not like i've never played around in InDesign before... it's just that i've never had to work with a publication that a couple thousand people will read! it's my responsibility to inform... and to make it all look good. if i make something too big, it will spill into the next column… or if it’s too small, i have too much white space. it's like a giant puzzle of text and graphics! good thing i enjoy that kind of thing. few things in life are more satisfying than making it all fit together perfectly. :)
3. taylor is everywhere! it turns out, my boss’ son went to taylor! AND not one, but TWO of my coworkers have kids who went to taylor! a-mazing. i love the connection. :)

and now some good news to report. this week was my first week doing the focus (our church newsletter) almost entirely by myself - the graphics, the text, contacting people, sending the focus out to staff for corrections (when i learned how to make a distribution list in outlook and how to make a PDF of the document - all by myself!), editing, and finally, packaging everything and sending it to the printer. my bosses (yes, i have two) were quite pleased. one of them said “blake, look at you. this is what, week 3, and you’re already running with this! think about all we can do in the next couple months! i am just thrilled.” then my other boss (the one who was in charge of the focus before i came) said, “not as thrilled as i am!!” ha. so that made me feel good. there’s nothing like a good pat on the back. i’m happy with this week’s focus,too. it’s clean and sharp. and i really love the graphics i used. (and i’m glad my bosses do, too!)

well, it's bedtime for this intern. more later.

THE office?

so, i work in an office, right? right. but sometimes, it feels like i work in “THE office.”

as i was sitting at my desk today, i came up with a few ways my office job is like “the office.” (this probably won't make sense if you haven’t actually seen the office…)

1. i have a fake tree by my desk. (enough said.)
2. the receptionist has a candy dish at the front desk at all times.
3. i go to tons of meetings every week (only most of these are actually important meetings – not meetings for “movie mondays” or “diversity day.”) :)
4. at an all-staff meeting last week, they announced the birthdays for the month of june. (and all i could think was “c’monnn dowwwn, meredith!”)
5. for pete’s sake, there is even a woman named PHYLLIS that works in my department!

ha, i love it! i’ll think of more later… (sometimes, when i’m bored at work, i think of office references... and then laugh about them... to myself. the other day, i wanted so badly to answer the phone, “dunder mifflin, this is blake.” but… i didn’t.)

of course, i thought the office was hilarious before, but now that i’m actually working in an office (my first time), it’s SO much funnier. (of course, my days would be far more amusing if we had a michael or dwight in the office… aaand i wouldn’t argue if a little jim halpert was thrown in, either…) ;)

quick update

a few things i’ve learned this week:

1. with this job, i work until i’m finished. i'm supposed to get off work at 4:00, but i haven’t left at 4:00 once this week. i can’t just leave in the middle of a critical project. for example, on monday, i stayed late to make edits for the church newsletter that we sent to the printer today. (however, before we sent it to the printer, we had to send it out to staff yesterday so they could make any edits or corrections.)
2. i am a nerd. you should have seen my face when i realized how to use the textwrap, curning, and eyedropper tools in InDesign. let’s just say i got VERY excited. (i think my boss was pretty amused…)
3. everybody does things differently. today, my boss noticed that i doubleclicked on a word to highlight it. she then made some comment on how it’s just so fascinating how everyone has their own little shortcuts that work for them. and… i don’t know… i just love being able to talk about shortcuts and program tools in everyday conversation. :) (i know. NERD.)
4. i hate “readability”! i can have fun with some of the titles and headings (in the brochures i’ve been working on), but apparently, the body of the text needs to be in times new roman or arial. and i just think they’re both so terribly boring. i understand the need for “readability” (obviously, ha)… but with 50-ish sweet fonts at my fingertips, i kinda hate being restricted to two plain, boring ones.

so far, the internship is going great. really. i’ll elaborate soon... :)

so far, so good

so, today is day 5 of the internship. let me bring you up to speed.

first, the important things: i have my own desk, computer, bulletin board, e-mail address, and PHONE EXTENSION! (even though i'm just a summer intern, everyone's being really great and making the effort to treat me like any other full-time staff person. and i'm not just copying documents and getting people coffee... i'm already WRITING and DESIGNING, putting those classroom skills to use!)

over the course of the past few days, i've sat in on probably 10 hours of staff and department meetings (way more than i thought i'd be sitting in on). these meetings can get long... and ok, a little boring. but to be completely honest (at the risk of sounding like a complete nerd) i like them. it's fascinating to see all that goes on "behind the scenes." when i applied for this job, i knew that it would provide me with more experience and insight. i figured it would also allow me a greater appreciation for the communications department at my church. but after just a few days interning there, i've discovered that without the communications department, pretty much nothing would happen. it's the communications department that designs, words, prints, and distributes all the fliers, inserts, signs, church bulletins, newsletters, and ministry materials. it's the communications department's job to keep the congregation, staff, and public informed. it's the communications department's job to promote and get people excited about events and ministries. without it, the church would fall apart. i knew it was important before, but i'd never fully realized HOW important.

that being said, the meetings have been interesting and beneficial... but i've gotten the most out of the projects i've been given. my main job this summer is working on the "ministry focus," my church's newsletter. i've gotten to know InDesign and Photoshop quite well these past couple days. :) my favorite part about working on the focus is picking which graphics i want to use each week. efree has subscribed to clipart.com, so i have access to like 6 million graphics. a-mazing. i worked alongside my boss this week, but as the weeks go on, i'll work more and more by myself.

i've also been given lots of random smaller projects like updating materials (making the necessary changes, printing, cutting, and distributing). yesterday, i used InDesign to design a flier for an event. today i used it to design and update the new "prayer focus" card. i've learned how everything around the office works now (i.e. the giant printers, copiers, scanners, paper cutters (not like the manual ones... the huge machine ones that could chop your arm off...), and even a PAPER FOLDING MACHINE, which is AMAZING -- it folds your documents to the size you specify in less than a second -- it just shoots it out!)

so... yes. so far, so good. (the whole getting up early thing has been... not so fun. but it's all part of the experience... i guess? and a perfect excuse to drink more coffee.) i love the people i work with, i love the assignments (and freedom/creative license!) i've been given, and i love the experience i've already gotten. i have a feeling it's going to be a great summer. :)