12. letting go
The following could be analyzed by war strategists.
1/5/23
hello linkedin, i am writing to you from my 2014 macbook laptop because i’ve just been let go. I would’ve written sooner but it took me awhile to dig out the old charger from my closet. I guess the last time i opened this thing was dec of 2017.
Anyway, like i said I’ve been let go which as a high performing, chronic overachiever, meticulous deck-maker who’s never missed a deadline and over delivers on every assignment (i’ve got a list of past coworkers who could vouch for me on this!) this is a brand new experience for me. And truthfully, i’m kind of enjoying the dramatic change, it makes for a better character arc.
The past year, I’ve been working on a 360 campaign launch for a national brand which I will be delighted to share with you all in March. For now, I can only ambiguously and vaguely describe it’s ambition to you, which I’d love to do in an interview :)
No condolences needed, but a few compliments in the comments wouldn’t hurt.
And please do send my portfolio to all your favorite recruiters for any short or long term freelance gigs!!
ALSO, I live in LA now 🌸😎
1/10/23
Hello friends, I am proud to be typing from my brand new MacBook Pro 14” this time. To say I’m overwhelmed by the amount of warmth I received from everyone on here would be an understatement. I am SO FREAKIN EXCITED that life brought you all into mine. I can’t wait to work + collaborate with so many of you.
I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want the next portion of my career to be like so that I can be as clear as possible when talking to future employers, coworkers, collaborators, etc, etc.
What I know so far:
-I want to work with as many people as possible. This has always been my favorite part of the job but also, life. I love learning from people what I don’t know and I love teaching people what I do know. Plus, human dynamics will forever fascinate me.
-I want to work with as many businesses as possible. I want to see how far and wide I can flex my creative talents. I’ve worked on sooooooooooo many brands, more than the ones you see on my portfolio and getting to know each individual business and coming up with an insight/idea fit for only them is such a fun exercise for my brain.
I know that instead of working FOR one company I want to work WITH multiple businesses (ideally, small businesses but I’m not going to be super picky at the start). AND I want it to not just be on your terms, but on my terms too, which means I’m telling you how much I want to be paid and either you pay it or you don’t get to work with me. I will not negotiate my value with one more ad agency. I know enough people in this industry to know exactly what my worth is at this point and you won’t convince me otherwise. BUT start-ups and small businesses, you have my ears because I like passionate people trying to do something different.
Over the next few weeks, I’m going to work with my aunt Anne Madonia who’s a corporate attorney and knows a lot more about contracts and taxes than I do, to launch my LLC and make sure I’m setting myself up for success to hit the ground running in February.
Tomorrow, I’m going to sit down with a big pot of coffee and go through all the messages and emails I received and reply to every one of them and begin discussions with the ones I think are most interesting. Today, I have to help my cousin upload his one of a kind NBA vintage collection onto a purchasable website before he leaves for his NBA stadium tour visiting different markets of fandoms in February. Wish us luck. 🌸