photos, designs & words

The Approaching New Year

With the end of 2009 just around the bend, I decided instead of making a list of ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ I would make a list of all I want to accomplish in 2010. The list is fairly small in number, but each goal is a major one. So here we go:

1. Find an amazing career-related job in:

• creative development
• marketing
• advertising
• print/web design

2. Successfully create and implement my own design firm featuring:

• web/print design
• marketing/advertising - creating new material to aid in a person or company’s success
• photography/art
• new ventures in social media

3. Be health conscious - This is more than just working out or losing weight. This is about being mindful of everything I put in my body.

4. Travel - Europe, San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta for starters.

5. Enter at least 3 photography contests to further develop my artistic style.

So there you have it. What’s your list look like?

A Lesson in Brevity

So as of today I am applying for a creative internship at Crispin Porter + Bogusky. I was going about the process, filling out their application that had questions like “What’s your favorite holiday?” and “What was the last book you read?” These were pretty easy to answer, and I did so without hesitation. Then I came across this: “Tell us your life story. Use six words.”

Ah, crap.

So I googled it, asked some friends and brainstormed a little. I’m still stuck, but I’m going to come up with something soon. Here are some examples: http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/

Reaching Out

I phoned my Dad the other day and asked for some advice. He said the best way to get a job was through networking. While this may seem obvious, he urged me to take it further. When reaching out to people you know, you reach out to everyone. There is no use in being selective. If a contact doesn’t know of an available job, they might know someone who does.

After listening to his advice, I made a list of all the possible people I could reach out to. The list is actually pretty long which was surprising to me. Today I will use my time wisely to call or email these people. In the meantime, I’ve decided to also use Tumblr as a way to reach out.

Here’s the deal. I’m a really hard-worker and I learn new tasks super fast. I’m fun and friendly, and I love working with people. I already have a good skill-set especially with anything creative - be it writing, designing, photographing, editing said photos. And even better than that, I’m really organized. (I’m proud of this one because it took me quite some time to master organization.)

So if you know of anyone that needs to hire a really great person to work diligently for them, please give them my info:

Allison Boozer
512.970.4705
Allison.Boozer@gmail.com
www.allisonboozer.com

PROFILE
TAM (Technology Arts & Media) graduate from the ATLAS program at the University of Colorado at Boulder with a bachelor’s degree in Photography and Digital Art. Friendly, hard-working, detail-oriented and focused. Loves learning and enjoys challenges. Enthusiastic, passionate and creative. Successful in effectively communicating ideas and developing abstract concepts.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
-Creative Director for Making of Extreme Cutover: Corporate Edition - a corporate sponsored 10 minute promotional video highlighting the company’s enterprise software products.
-Artwork from Senior coursework featured at Praxis Gallery in Boulder, CO.
-Hired for several freelance photography assignments for both individual and corporate clients.
-Maintained permanent and full-time employment throughout college; promoted during the period.

EXPERIENCE
Shift Manager, Starbucks, Austin, TX/Boulder, CO — May 2005 - Sept 2009
Hired as a barista and was promoted to Shift Manager. Maintained a fun, friendly and clean atmosphere for customers and co-workers. Assisted Store Manager with daily operating procedures such as partner coaching/development, maximizing financial contributions and maintaining quality store operations.

Creative Director/Photographer, Martin Group, Kentucky — May 2008
Managed, organized and implemented the creative production and development of Martin Group’s promotional video for Making of Extreme Cutover: Corporate Edition. Responsible for photographing all events while on location. Photographs used on Extreme Cutover website: www.extremecutover.com

Photographer, Martin Group, Denver, CO — Aug 2008
Independent photographer responsible for showcasing Martin Group’s annual Client Show held in Denver, CO. Photographs used for brochures and other marketing material.

EDUCATION
University of Colorado at Boulder 2009 — BA in Photography and Digital Art, TAM

Relevant Coursework
Advertising
 1-2
Extensive courses in writing
Digital Art 1-3
Digital Media

 1-2
Photography 1-4

SKILLS
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Proficient in Adobe programs (Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Dreamweaver, etc.)

Microsoft Office
HTML (web and e-mail)

Darkroom and digital photography

Multitasking/Organization
Problem-solver that works well under pressure

REFERENCES
Niles Emerick - (303) 949-6383
Jim Odom - (605) 995-1553
Leslie Wing - (303) 494-5109

Today’s Lesson: Battling Unemployment

Not having a job is pretty hard. The first few days feel more like time off, but really you’re just in denial. As the days go on you become increasingly more bored (there’s only so many times you can do laundry and organize your closet in a week…) and you start to long for some serious work-related stress. So, you hit up craigslist and try to find your dream job. The first day I did that, I sent my resume to about 30 people in one hour. You know what? I did find my dream job, one that would be perfect for me and vice versa. But this is where the confusion and the hiring game begins…

Someone from this dream job called me up and we had a little chat about possibilities (this is the part where I start to imagine wonderful things and get my hopes up). It went well, not perfect but it seemed promising. Now I’m in the waiting zone. How many times can I call before I start to get annoying? Why haven’t they already called me back? It’s a lot like the first month you’re dating someone you realllllyyy like. The urge to call them every 5 minutes just to see what they’re up to is strong, but you resist. You have to maintain this delicate balance between mystery and availability - you never want to be too available but you want them to know you’re interested. On the flip-side, you don’t want to be too unavailable either. And here lies the delicate balance.

As if all of that isn’t enough to drive someone over the edge, you also have to acknowledge the fact that you are actually unemployed, not just taking a break. Freelance is an option and might keep you afloat but it’s never reliable. So here you are with all this free time on your hands and all these unpaid bills, and that can be a liiiittle daunting.

Here’s what I’ve decided. I’m going to really embrace this part of my life and realize that even the tough stuff is beneficial, a blessing in disguise. When one door closes, break into the nearest window…. no, wait.

To further convince myself of the benefits of unemployment, I made a list. I’ll share the list with you:

1. Forced me to be brutally honest with myself about where I want my career to go
2. Has given me plenty of freedom and LOTS of time to pursue my dreams
3. Making me stronger every day (they break you down just to build you back up again)
4. Has given me time to build up my portfolio and better my craft
5. It’s almost like a vacation, but with no money (sweet…)