Farewell, Summer Interns!

As another season of interns comes to a close, I wanted to get some perspective from them and see what their experience this summer was like. These are their answers.

As my internship with Julie comes to a close, I wanted to write and reflect on the past couple of months that I've worked for her and get a chance to discuss my appreciation and gratitude to Julie for allowing me to work for her.

Coming into this internship I had no idea what to expect in terms of not only what experience I would gain, but also what kind of work environment I would be in. I quickly learned that not only did Julie have a lot of skills she could pass on to me, but she was going to do it in a way that made me excited to come into work. I'm grateful for the social media and marketing experience I gained, because I learned a lot and have a lot to talk about in future interviews. Though, what I really enjoyed was just getting to talk to Julie and the other employees all day.

From dance parties, to painting, to talking about the weirdest things (shout-out to the placenta), Julie immediately made me feel welcome and like I was an important part of her team and business and a day at work was never the same. I'll miss Julie's openness and effort to make me feel included and I can honestly say that this was the most fun I could've had working this summer and I will miss getting to be around the art studio all day.

Working with Julie this summer taught me a lot. This internship taught me practical things, like how to work around Instagram algorithms, how to create a marketing plan, and how to use a heat gun. It taught me fun things too, like abstract painting techniques, and how to let go of a stressful workday and take a moment to dance it out. It also taught me the importance of openness, weird conversations, and that its okay to take a lunch break.

Although I am grateful for this internship and all that it taught me, it also gave me something unexpected. I was pressed for time with this internship and a job, so it became clear to me pretty quickly what was important in my life, and what was not. I began to make time for friends, self-care, my own personal projects, and developing my career. During this internship I published a magazine which has been a passion project of mine for some time now. I published on July 15th, and the support and enthusiasm I got in the studio was so encouraging. It meant the world to me, hearing that my work connected with other people.