Goals and Aspirations: Two Terms Before Graduation

(The following is for my Business of Photography class. Becky wanted to know about our post-graduation goals. Thought it might be cute to post them here)

Goals and Aspirations:

1. Find a job

-Of course. But where? Like I said in class on Tuesday, I’d like to have a staff position at a design firm; somewhere where I’m part of a larger identity, (partly because it takes some of the pressure to succeed off my shoulders, but we’ll keep that between us). I also like to feel like I belong somewhere, and that what I’m doing is depended upon by my colleagues. Ideally I’d want to be a staff photographer, but realistically I could see myself as assisting (of course, when I start out, this is most likely what I’ll be doing), or on post-production, or even a graphic design position.

I have to interject here a little something I’ve just discovered about myself in the past couple weeks. I REALLY like the results I can get when I design something. I love it when it’s done. But the process of actually doing it, the designing and creating itself, is like pulling teeth for me. I am constantly finding excuses to take breaks, dick around on the internets, open Photoshop and start looking at a photograph from a while back. I wish I wasn’t like this, because I like graphic design, (especially typography) but it’s so hard for me to actually do it and enjoy it.

So finding a job is obviously the first goal. But after that?

2. Move up in the firm

-Like I’ve said, I’m probably going to end up assisting or interning at first in a firm. My hope is that eventually I can work my way up the ladder, and end up in a more independent position. That’s the weird thing about how I work. I like to belong to a larger group, but mostly I want to be able to do my portion of the work independently. Not saying that my work style is anti-social. I have no problem being in communication with other people about ideas, methods, etc. But when I’m actually sitting down in front of the computer, I get extreme tunnel vision. It’s not a bad thing at all. It allows me to concentrate, but it’s a lot harder if someone’s breathing down my neck the entire time.

What if I can’t find a job? It’s a real possibility in this market. Well.

3. Go back to school

-I’m a learner at heart. I’m constantly gaining knowledge about various things here and there; software coding, baking, quantum physics, falconry. I love to learn about this kind of stuff. In my artistic career however, there are some things I wish I had learned. Basic marketing principles are lost on me. (Marketing in terms of advertisements and branding, to be more specific). There’s definitely room in my curriculum vitae for a second Bachelor’s in Marketing. Or just continue with photography at a graduate level. If I play my cards right, I could possibly score a fellowship somewhere, and teach. This would definitely put my student loans on hold a while longer, at least until the inevitable crash of the government and the dissolution of credit everywhere. (Right? …Right?)

Non-career related goals:

4. Get the hell out of the Midwest

-Don’t get me wrong. I love cows. Kidding. I do love the Twin Cities, and there are certain things I’ll miss here. But it’s all too much like my hometown of Port Washington, Wisconsin, and I’ve spent 18 years there, and now 4 and a half years here. I want to go live next to an ocean, with different geography, please. Ideally I would live in the Pacific Northwest, in either Portland or Seattle. The only hang-up I have with this is that I have no idea what the market is like in the Pacific Northwest. Will I be able to find work doing commercial photography? If it doesn’t look like it, I’ll have to head east, to Manhattan. My best friend just moved to Brooklyn, and it would be nice to see him on a regular basis again. There’s also the question of work there, but I think I may have better luck. Then later on:

5. Get the hell out of this country (continent)

-I’ve never left the country before. I went to Canada a few years back. I don’t think that counts. (Sorry, Canada). I need to explore the planet a little. I want to go to Europe, and India, in particular. Eventually I’d like to live in Europe for a while. I’m thinking Scotland.

Okay. Now I’ll get to the second part of this: what is the one thing I want to learn? I want to learn about different markets. Like I’ve stated before, I want to go places. But I don’t know how the commercial art world functions outside of the Twin Cities. Do I have a chance in the Pacific Northwest? Do I have a chance in Europe? (Where specifically, in Europe?) Where can I live if I want a staff position at a design firm? Where do I look to find the information for myself?

That’s all. Hope this was enlightening.