On Being Social Media'd Out + How That Relates to Hot Chocolate

Hi friends. As some of you may or may not have noticed, my posts have been increasingly less frequent. When I realized this, many excuses came to mind like being busy with my new job, having no one to take photos of me, Calgary being too cold and so on. While those things may be true (especially the last one!), it finally dawned on me the REAL reason for my lack of posting. I'm social media'd out! And while I did just make up that term, it really is the best way for me to describe what has happened. I'm not saying this as an excuse or a complaint. In fact, it's really the exact opposite. In my job as a marketing coordinator, a large part of my daily to-do list is doing social media. This varies from long term strategic thinking and planning to day to day posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and even the odd blog post. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love this about my job but it is now part of my job. I think a large part of me took to social media and this blog as a creative outlet when I wasn't getting that in my daily life. Now I do get it, each and every day and I couldn't be more thrilled. I'm not ready to let go of this wee little blog quite yet but I do have to admit to and be okay with the fact that I won't be posting on it as regularly as I had initially set out to do. In the meantime, if you miss me too much (and I won't hold that against you!), please come visit me at the Triple Flip blog! While I may be writing to tweens, it's still me coming up with the ideas and I bet you'll enjoy a thing or two over there.

Oh yes, why am I posing with hot chocolate you ask? Great question, I would've asked the same thing! The answer, in short, is because that is just how awesome my job is. I get to make delicious hot chocolate recipes, bribe my mom (with hot chocolate, of course) to take photos of me doing it and then call it a blog post. This is my job! This hot chocolate post will be up on the Triple Flip blog on Tuesday, December 3, so take a look if you want to learn how I made them.

j.

Working with Eleven Year Olds

 

plaid shirt & sweater {Old Navy} - jeans {RW&Co} - booties {Steve Madden}

It's been a long while and for that I am sorry! 

Things are off to a smashing start at my new job, I really couldn't be happier. A couple weeks ago, I organized a double photo shoot, which is two girls in the morning and two girls in the afternoon. While this may sound like a piece of cake to you, I can assure you that it's not. I can also assure you that I now know why my coworkers looked at me like I had fallen from the crazy tree when I suggested this plan. Anyways, they let the new girl play crazy (joke was definitely on me...) and I had two sets of eleven year olds come in and model a couple outfits each. Now, I had been around models here and there when I was in NYC but this was just a bit different. First off, these girls weren't models because we use real customers and fans of the brand as our models. Second of all, they were eleven. Each set of girls were best friends, which makes it really fun, but it also makes it challenging. Challenging in the sense that fighting over which washroom to change in and competing for best pose are normal occurrences. If you've spent any time around eleven year old girls, you may have an idea of what this double photo shoot was like. Don't get me wrong, the girls did great and we got a ton of awesome photos. But it was four straight hours of high pitched chatter, references to One Direction, and lots and lots of giggling! Besides needing an endless supply of energy, I did learn a few things throughout the day. First, never give them the choice of what to wear (and if you can tell that one girl didn't love her first outfit, make her second outfit really special). It's also quite important to keep them focused and on track - never let them look at the photos during the shoot and don't be afraid to kick mom out of the room (politely, of course!). Help them let their guards down by letting yours down too - if you want them to be goofy, you better be goofy yourself! And last but certainly not least, brush up on your tween pop culture because once they tell you they don't listen to One Direction, Selena Gomez, Katy Perry or The Biebs, you will have NOTHING. Nada. Nilch.

As crazy as having back to back photo shoots was, they were a ton of fun...so fun that I'm having another one on Friday! (only a single one though....I did learn from my crazy)

j.

Seriously Flipping for My New Job!

sweater, jeans & boots {Gap...didn't even plan that!) - necklace {gift from kiki}

I have some seriously great news to share! I've finally landed myself a job and it's not just any old job. It's THE job. The job I wished for, the job I would've happy danced for in NYC, the job I never thought would come along in little old Calgary. But it did, and I got it! Certainly not for lack of trying either. It was a long and intensive process, involving videos, a couple of interviews and on the spot brainstorming challenges. It's everything I hoped for and more, and the thoroughness of their hiring process only confirmed the type of company I thought they were and the caliber of the people who work there. Without further ado, I am so pleased to tell you that I am now the Marketing Coordinator at Triple Flip!

Triple Flip is an activewear company for young girls - aged six through twelve (or so). It was founded in Calgary in 2005 and has seen impressive growth over the past eight years. We (we!) are about to open our eleventh retail store in Toronto and also have an e-commerce website. The clothing is fun, vibrant, athletic but still stylish and everything I would've flipped for when I was a young girl. I've only been there for about a week and a half but already I am loving it (huge understatement). I get to do everything from social media to organizing photoshoots and even naming new products and describing them in what we like to call our "flip voice". For those of you who know me, know that this is basically the cat's pyjamas/bee's knees/peanut butter to my jelly. Yeah...so I'm excited.

The owner/founder/CEO (this woman!) is unlike anyone I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. She is an extremely savvy businesswoman (obviously) but also has such a passion and energy for what she is doing. She is the most involved CEO I've ever heard of, which is so refreshing, because she genuinely cares and has an interest in every aspect of her business. She is an expert communicator, listens to what you have to say and shows a vested interest in you. The last thing I'm going to share right now is about how she introduced me to the whole company. She sent this incredible welcome email out to everyone that basically described everything I've done and where I've come from - the stuff that my resume shows as well as what I'd added in my interviews. I know none of the things she said were news to me, but it was how she said it and interpreted it that blew my mind. She made me sound really, really amazing. I mean, this email you guys was so amazing that I may have forwarded it to my parents (since they're the only ones I can not so humble brag to) and am thinking about printing it out and framing it (ok...not really...but maybe printing it). There was one line in it that had me so excited because it has been something I have never known how to put into words. She defined my personal style, just by listening to what I said and adding her own twist. She described me as a "fashion curator for my wardrobe, which is a thoughtful and eclectic mix of treasures found and patterns mixed". And that, my friends, is where all my dreams came true and my heart burst into a million tiny pieces of pure joy.

Needless to say, I am beyond excited to have this amazing challenge and opportunity ahead of me, and this company and the people behind it make me want to be better and do better each and every day.

j.

Some Advice to a Younger Me

sunnies {OASAP} - necklace & shirt {Target} - shorts {Jacob} - belt {Loft}

Oh, hi guys! So, as we all know from the amount of DIY projects I have instagrammed lately, I still don't have a job. This week, though, I heard from a company that I would love to work for. It's a girls' clothing company and as part of the interview process I had to make a video that embodied the brand's image. Well, I live for this stuff. I felt like I was back at school and was just assigned a cool project (nerd alert). I don't want to give too much away because I will show the video here (eventually) but this assignment has me jazzed. It really made me realize how much I was missing being challenged creatively. 

Over the past two days, I have been recording some female friends and family answering the question "if you could talk to a younger you, what advice would you give her?". It has been the most fun! Everyone is getting into it. There has been a lot of laughter, the best facial expressions and a healthy dose of awkwardness. The themes so far have definitely been "be yourself" and "be nice". Having only been thinking of this for the last 48 hours, I thought of a few other things to add.

To 13* year old me,

Learn what it is you love to do and do it. Never belittle your passion. Know that this is only the beginning of your story and you have the power to change it. You're not as awkward as you think (okay...maybe you are). Also, don't worry because everyone feels the same way you do.

Love,
27, almost 28 year old me

j.
 

*this is my chosen age because I felt like this is when I would want to give myself advice.

Waiting it Out for the Life You Imagined

jacket {Jacob} - blouse {Old Navy} - jeans {RW&Co} - sandals {Aldo}

For someone who prides themselves on being a pretty good multi-tasker when it comes to school or work, when it comes to looking for a job I am a one-task wonder. What I mean by this is that I usually find one opportunity that I set my heart on and I have a hard time pursuing other options while that dream job is on the table. This may be a generational way of thinking because both my parents have been heard saying that I should be lining up offers and putting them on the back burner, just in case. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate their advice (well, most of the time) and I can see where they are coming from but I just can't help but focus all of my efforts on landing the perfect gig. 

I believe in the power of positive thinking and envisioning your life the way you want it. I have a hard time seeing the value in taking a job just for the sake of having a job (please note that I realize that sometimes circumstance prevents us from having the luxury of choice, and I know that I am lucky to be in a position right now where I don't need to take whatever job comes along). If being in NYC taught me anything it's that I know I want to work in a creative environment that fosters growth and out of the box thinking. I believe it is better for me, in the long run, to hold out for a job that fits this criteria. Most people search for a job that is best suited to their education or the subject that they specialized in. For me that would be marketing. But finding THE job for me is so much more than finding a job in marketing. I know that I could market for almost any type of company, but the thing is I don't want to. I believe that waiting it out for a job in marketing in the right kind of environment will lead to more job satisfaction, personal development and growth and long-term opportunities than I ever could have wished for. I know that I am worth it and I know that the perfect job is out there for me.

This may come across as privileged or lazy and I certainly don't mean for it to be. I am a dreamer and a believer and I set out two years ago to create the life that I had envisioned for myself. So, I can't help but ask, "why stop now"?

j.