Q. How did you know you wanted to work in advertising? What barriers did you face as a woman entering this field?
I knew very early on I wanted to go into an arts field. My dad was an art teacher, and I wanted to go into teaching as well. In high school, I was fortunate enough to have had advertising classes that taught me the Adobe programs and quickly changed my direction from teaching to advertising/art direction. As a woman entering the advertising field, I knew the history of "the boys’ club." This was something I watched for when interviewing. Plenty of places I saw the same thing — men at the top of the chain. So, when an opportunity came up to work for a female creative director, I jumped at the chance. It was an incredible experience and taught me that you can break into “the boys’ club” — a lesson I have carried with me in my career.
Q. How does being a mom in this industry affect you? What are the challenges?
Being a first time mom with eight-month-old twins has been a huge lesson in balancing work and life. Coming back from maternity leave, you are a new person with new responsibilities, and it takes time to adjust. Pre-babies, I could hop a plane at a moment's notice for a shoot or take a meeting any time of day. Post-babies, things just take a little (ok, more than a little) extra planning. What I have found has helped me at work so far is to (1) Plan as far in advance as possible for travel, important meetings, etc., (2) Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it, no one will judge you! and (3) Block time on the calendar — I have some time blocked every night to feed and put my kids to bed.
Q. What is one piece of advice you would give to someone looking to get into advertising?
A lot of women won't apply to a job posting because they don't think they are qualified. I've done it. I have friends who have done it. Don't be afraid to be bold. Apply to anything that interests you. What is the worst that could happen? If they aren't interested this time, you just stay in touch. You never know what opportunities might come up in the future.
