Advice for those starting out their ad careers.

It’s not just you. Everyone, if not most folks, are looking for an escape route out of the ad game. At least the ones I’ve spoken with.

Stop glamorizing being a freelancer. It’s not for everyone. Nothing is wrong with you for not wanting it.  Like everything in life, there’s high highs and low lows.

Unpopular opinion: It’s not about working at a big name, trending ad agency. It’s about who you work under.

Like the millions of others on this platform, my job was affected. My time spent at BBDO NY was nothing short of phenomenal.

“I should be at xyz agency. Not making banners.” – Junior
“I should be a senior creative by now.” Mid-level creative
“I should be making six figures.” – Everyone underpaid in advertising 
“I should have an award in advertising by now.” – all creatives

It always grinds my gears when people 💩 on junior creatives. We were all juniors once, where is the compassion?

One thing I wish I was told upon my first lay off—the biggest obstacle you will have to tame is your mind.

As a writer, our inner critics will berate us worse than anyone out there. It’s like these voices in our head are mentally preparing us for the worst to be said yet paralyzing us with crippling fear at the same time. 

I am so disheartened by the huge swaths of people losing their jobs on our feeds. Not just big tech layoffs, every lay off, from individuals who work in small businesses to mid-size firms and entrepreneurs who have had to shutter their doors.