Today was the final lecture for SCADStyle week. Though I only went to three events (Derek Lam kicked it off on Monday which was really interesting and inspiring), I found that each lecture/event I went to, it instantly brightened up my day. Lately, it's just been hard to constantly be in the classroom, working on projects and talking about industry related situations & textbook type definitions regarding marketing/merchandising. Maybe 'hard' isn't the right word, since to me already it doesn't feel like actual work because 9 times out of 10, the assignments I work on are fun and interesting. Most of the things I'm studying comes natural to me and doesn't feel like schoolwork. With that said, I think everyone (especially in a creative type major) needs to get stimulation from outside of the classroom. You grow hungry for it, and SCAD Style week has given me a bit of motivation and excitement that I really felt I needed.
To close the week, Glen Senk (CEO of Anthropologie, Free People, Urban Outfitters, BHLDN, etc.) came to speak to us. Honestly, it was just another one of those experiences that I've had at SCAD that reminds me how special this time is here. To have someone like him stand in front of me and my peers, giving us advice, answering any question and telling us about his experiences is pretty amazing. It reminds me once again how great of a decision it was to transfer here. Things like this simply would have never happened at my old college. Glen said numerous things throughout his Q&A/lecture that I know I will carry with me forever.
Keith Johnson (who has a reality show on Sundance called Man Shops Globe, is Anthropologie's head buyer & Senk's life partner) was there as well, just sitting in the audience along with a pink-haired Chris Benz. To hear the way that Glen spoke about Keith was really heartwarming. They have known each other since they were nine years old, and when asked where his favorite place in the world was, Glenn replied "Anywhere Keith is". How beautiful is that?
I thought it was really amazing to see such a powerful man who still balances out having an amazing career with a healthy and wonderful relationship and personal life. In fact, that's one of the pieces of advice he gave us. To have a balance between being in love with so many other things aside from your career, which will ultimately better your work ethic and attitude. It's something I've been thinking about a lot because I'm a girl who wants a career, but I know how important it is to have love and family in your life as well. Work isn't going to take care of you when you're sick, tell you you're beautiful, fall asleep with you at night and hold your hand when you need it the most. I want to feel stimulated from my potential career & from my personal life as well. Who doesn't, though? It's one of those tough struggles, especially for women, that I'm more than willing to work towards.
There were many other words of wisdom that he gave us that I know I will keep inside my brain, but something that he said that I believe wholeheartedly is that if you find something you love to do, it won't feel like work. I think that everything is so unknown, especially when you're about to graduate and enter the work field, but it seems that you need to have an idea of who you are, what you want and be willing to learn as much as possible forever in order to be on the right track.
It was the perfect way to spend a rainy Thursday afternoon.
photos below are from glen senk & keith johnson's home tour on elledecor.
