My own connect-the-dots
1
My artistic family
Creativity is in my blood
My family is full of artists — animation, traditional art, film, acting, and graphic design. I have always had a creative side to me but paired with a logical left-brain sort of contradiction and I was never able to find the balance that satisfied both the analytical and the creative sides to me.
2
Not quite right jobs
Beauty to Bartending
When others my age were going to college and finding their own life-path, I was trying out a multitude of jobs that never seemed like the right fit. I went to makeup school, considered an architecture career, studied psychology, worked as a bartender and had many beauty industry and retail jobs (I still love the beauty industry to this day though!) But I never quite knew where I wanted to land.
3
U.S. Army
Learning to ask why and dig deeper
So, I ended up doing something that was completely out of my comfort zone and I never imagined doing— I joined the US Army.
My job title was “Human Intelligence Collector”. This job trained me to read and understand PEOPLE. I loved it. It fed my curiosity of understanding human behavior and allowed me to investigate creative avenues when studying people’s motivations on such an emotional and empathetic level.
4
Deployment
Life contemplation
I deployed in 2013 and spent 9 months in Afghanistan. Here, I was able to use my job to explore a new culture, their people, and a new environment. I was also able to forge deep connections with my fellow soldiers.
While deployed, I spent time really evaluating my life and what I wanted next. It was here I decided I would pursue a business degree with a focus in marketing.
5
Marketing
On the right path!
Unbeknownst to me, marketing and “collecting human intelligence” are different jobs with the same goal, understanding people/ consumers. I got my marketing degree from a university in San Francisco, and it was my launching pad into the world of marketing and advertising.
I started slow with an entry-level marketing role in a small company. I realized quickly that I like to be challenged, to do something different every day, and to explore and learn many different brands, versus just one. This is where I decided agency-side was more for me.
6
Strategic Insights!
It just feels right.
After researching what interests me and what avenue in advertising I could take, I was quickly pointed in the direction of strategy! My deep curiosity of human psychology and my creative background makes me a perfect fit for this line of work. I finished the
Strategic Planning Bootcamp
at Miami Ad School and I loved everything about it. I knew I was on the right path and this is the direction my career should go in.
Shortly after finishing the bootcamp, I worked with a seasoned Group Strategy Director to assist KiwiCo. in differentiating their messaging for an eight-product D2C subscription portfolio and an e-commerce store.
Then, a Sr. Research Analyst for Talk Shoppe
(September 2021 - October 2023) where I was able to apply strategy to our findings as we conducted comprehensive market research and competitive analysis for major clients, including Meta, Google, Snapchat, Pinterest, and Disney, to identify market trends, opportunities, threats, consumer journeys, concept testing, and usability testing.
What will my next "dot" be?
Hopefully working with you!