Searching for a Job is a Full-Time Job

You ever heard that phrase before? Well I hadn't, and I'm learning the unfortunate truth that it is. I'd love to sit around for the next few months pretending that all I have to do is go back to classes next year, but alas...the threat of unemployment looms.

Luckily for me, my final semester is structured in such a way that I'm required to think about the job hunt and how I want to present myself in that search. For the past few weeks, I've been googling the words "architecture firms hiring in city" with few hits, most of which bring up job descriptions that require 5+ years of experience - a very disheartening qualification. If anything, I've learned if I'm going to get a job in a design or architecture firm, I'm going to need to be the one showing interest in the firm, not the other way around. Obvious? Yes. But any job I get probably won't be posted directly on a firm's site.

Regardless, I've been spending some time developing an application package for myself - this includes the standard cover letter, resume, maybe a letter of recommendation, and for me, portfolio samples. If you're like my parents at all, you might be surprised to see how involved, and creative this process might be. Writing the, gulp, cover letter is still a major pain in the butt, and the resume is no walk in the park, but imagine making it something that's going to stand out in a field of creatives.

There's a lot of whacky stuff out there, but let's be real, I'm not one of those people. The package design I chose to go with is relatively simple, but I think it really represents me. For my application package, I chose to use simple fonts and little bursts of color - specifically a bright green that I love. Plus, the inner envelope is made of this awesome wood-grain textured paper. See below:

So...would you call me for an interview? :D Let's hope hiring managers will!

Until next time,

Guys, I'm Famous!!

...Just kidding. But I was featured in an article in my school's student run paper, The Daily Orange.

Check it out here!

Best,

Life is too Short for Bad Coffee...or Design

I've always been a coffee person.

Ever since my grandparents started me on decaf, probably way before I should have been drinking coffee at all, I've loved the taste, warmth, and smell of a good cup o' joe. Long gone are the days of adding a gallon of flavored creamer and a pound of sugar, though. Ever since starting my job at Cafe Kubal in June of 2012, I've learned to love my coffee black and my espresso sweet. (No, not with sugar you ninny...just with superbly roasted espresso beans of course! Pssh) 

Of all the jobs I've had, this one is by far the most enjoyable, exciting, and rewarding. What's better than crafting a perfect cappuccino or smelling fresh-brewed coffee all day?

On top of over a year and a half of being able to rock it behind the bar, I recently started down another exciting avenue within the company. Knowing my background in interior design - it is, after all, what I'm studying at Syracuse - my boss came to me when it was time to redesign the SU cafe. Of course I was thrilled, and the various projects have since been completed. Check out the before and after!

New grab-n-go display refrigerator with merchandise display shelves and new, 

wall-mounted menu boards and lighting.

Baked goods display case was lowered to be flush with the existing counter. 

Hanging menu boards were removed to allow for more visual access between baristas and customers.

New lighting was installed and brick was painted to help reflect light into the space. 

New commercial grade chairs were specified to stand up to wear and tear of a busy cafe environment.

This week, I just finished working on fitting a cafe design into an existing space within a local medical center. It's been quite the challenge, with everything currently an awful shade of mauve, a focus on economy, and only 150 square feet to work with. But with some quick tricks, an eye for detail, and a knack for space planning, I managed to pull together a little design in just a few, short weeks. See it below:

What's more exciting is the cafe just opened its doors this morning. If you're ever in the Camillus area, check it out! And of course, I'll have photos of the space itself soon!

Take care!

Checking In

So, real talk...raise your hand if you feel like you're constantly being pulled in a million different directions?

...yeah, that's what I thought.

Honestly, this is far from a new phenomenon, but for some reason the feeling seems exponentially stronger right about now. Welcome to senior year, I suppose. 

With 18 credits, a 15-hour work week, volunteering for thesis, and a pathetic attempt to maintain a social life, it really shouldn't be that much a surprise I'm feeling this way. Let me tell you, the impending doom of graduation really motivates you to try and do everything, all the time...even if there isn't enough time in the day. I've got FOMO like you wouldn't believe, cause' let's be real - after this year, who knows where I'll be, who I'll be with, and what I'll be doing. In other words, I'm trying desperately to squeeze as much as I can into my last year at SU without a clue as to what I'll be doing in seven, short months. Call it a quarter-life crisis?

Typical night in the life of a college senior. Shield your eyes, children.

Regardless, I've been putting as much as I can into my classes without completely losing my mind. Insert smart relative here...can't lose what you never had...funny. Right now, I'm taking an interior design focus studio, thesis prep, history of illustration, accounting, textile handprinting, and a marketing class. Surprisingly, I don't hate accounting or my marketing class - I'd even go as far to say that the marketing class I'm taking is one of my favorites of the semester. Maybe I should tell you about it, eh? Alright, if you insist.

It's called Sales & Strategic Partnerships. Sounds fancy schmancy and super-businesslike right? Well, it is - the class largely focuses on business to business selling and is catered to retail management students. On the surface, it hardly seems like the type of class an interior design major, who has zero experience in selling much more than a large cup of coffee to a starving college student, would have any interest in. Fair point, but it's actually turned out to have more overlap with what I do as an interior designer than I could have anticipated.

(Shameless plug...any retail management minor, marketing minor, or design student should try to take this class...it's awesome, I promise)

What's been most relatable/beneficial so far are the ideas of building rapport and discovering needs. Sales is largely based on creating meaningful relationships built on trust and then working with a prospect to really figure out what they need. Hmmm...sounds familiar. Working with clients as an interior designer requires a whole heck of a lot of trust - after all, I'm coming into your life/workplace/institution and dumping ideas on you right? I'm certainly not going to come in completely oblivious to the needs you have in relation to space, either. Anyway, this class has been a semester-long exercise in learning how to go about finding those needs as well as persuading - not manipulating - people that you're offering effective solutions to those needs. Pretty cool if you ask me.

Anyway...let's talk thesis. Gross, I know. This semester has been full of research, observation, and experimentation - it's mind-numbing really. Starting out, we were asked to identify three things we loved or were interested in. Naturally, coffee was the first to come to mind, followed closely by kids and education. After a few weeks of deep thought and mulling through ideas, I finally decided to combine kids and education...because, well, they pretty much go hand-in-hand.

Now, ten weeks of research later, I've chosen a location, topic, and focus for my interior design thesis. Using the Syracuse City School District as my focus, I've found that middle and high school students are in need of motivation to learn as well as an outlet to deal with issues occurring outside the classroom and often in the home environment. Looking forward, I intend to create a space that fosters improved academic performance as well as a sense of self-efficacy among inner-city students through a creative arts lens.

Now what does this space look like and how does it function, you ask? What a great question! Next semester really focuses on the programming and physical design of the space based on the research we've collected. That being said, I've already started exploring what our thesis looks like conceptually. A few weeks ago, my class was required to narrow our ideas down to two words - yes, just two. After a lot of stumbling over words, I boiled it down to empowered pursuit. Since then we've all produced tons of scrap models, endless sketches, and three final models. Check out what empowered pursuit looks like to me below:

Check back soon for more musings from a stressed out college kid! Mmmm...your favorite!

Until next time,