The Diary of a Fashion Intern is a new weekly series where you can read the inspiring stories of fashion interns.
After taking us with her during the first week as a Fashion PR intern, Lilly today goes deeper into the real intern life and how hard it could be sometimes.
It has been quite around me during the last couple of days… Or have it been weeks already?
I cannot tell, but that exactly is the thing which annoys me and takes the wind out of my sails.
I am that kind of girl that constantly watches out for ways on how to push her career and chase her dreams. I am aware of what is happening around me, who my competitors are and what kind of skills would be useful to adapt in order to be the best version I can be. I know that interning is one of the main sections. Mainly in the beginning of your fashion path. Being inspired and surrounded by people that push you and give you tasks that challenge yet better you are helpful for your future in fashion.
The first few weeks have been exactly what I expected them to be like: Hectic and fast but positively challenging and satisfying.
Tasks like organizing the shelves and managing samples obviously included. And I am aware of the fact, that these tasks are completely normal during an internship and do not stop being asked for.
However, I cannot even precisely describe or perfectly sum up my impressions and feelings about the last two weeks.
I consider myself lucky to work together with clients from Germany and being some kind of bridge connection to our second office. I also love my current task of putting together an Accessorize Report SS19 with all the trends that have been seen and featured during Fashion Week. This is exactly what I love doing. Being involved and getting the opportunity to be creative.
What happened to me and what I have to start remembering again is, that I am on the first step of my career ladder. There is so much more to come and I cannot take 20 steps at a time. I should rather appreciate the fact that there are tasks that challenge me whilst I also stick to things I feel safe with and not just claim that the normal tasks still exist… Even though they might not be inspiring yet normal daily tasks like doing groceries or organizing cupboards. I mean: What did I expect? To be upgraded to a higher position after three weeks? That is not how it works.
I think that many of you might understand what I am trying to express. If you are creative and constantly focused on your goals and inspired by your surroundings, you somehow get distracted by your own visions. One starts to get boisterous and blends out the fact that it is still an internship which obviously provides you with certain toolkits, but also expects you to overtake and fulfil typical intern tasks.
I started complaining a lot about everything and began to lose my motivation and focus.
The phrase I always kept telling myself “Focus on your dreams and work hard to achieve them, even though you might not always be 100% happy with what you have to do” disappeared slightly.
Why to give 100% when nobody really realizes how I fulfill tasks?
But that is absolutely wrong and I of course did not start to wishy-washy through my tasks… ALWAYS give 100%.It is not only for the company and an opportunity to be THE intern that was able to deal with everything. Also for yourself! As soon as you start to be unsatisfied with your current position or tasks you begin to lose your focus which originally has been the reason why you applied for an internship.
You ALWAYS learn and even though there might be tasks that are being on constant repeat: That is absolutely normal. If you would constantly be confronted with new challenging things and a steady rise of expectations, you would never really be able to calm yourself and getting into a routine which actually helps you to bare the execution of tasks and tools in mind.
But this is the reason why you intern. You get an insight and understanding of actions connected to the job you want to do in the future.
Stay focused. It is normal that we have a week or a day that pulls us down and that makes us doubt our decisions. Could not everything go a lot faster? Shouldn’t we just quit the internship and start working on our own visions?
We have our whole life and career ahead of us! Internships exist to introduce us the ups and downs and to “smoothly” push us into the industry.
Not everything is pink and beautiful, but it leads us to a bright future.
And if you feel uninspired or tired of your daily tasks sometimes:
I read an interview about a famous VOGUE stylist who worked as an assistant for the secretary of VOGUE and she kept stapling bills.
We are doing well… And even if one day we would have to execute the task mentioned above, in order to chase our dreams and get in touch with useful people: We would all do it. Wouldn’t we?
It all happens for a reason. Never forget about that!!!
Keep doing your very best and do not give up just because the first or second internship is not the one of your dreams. All the things we do now -and might they be tiny boring little things -… They prepare us for the whole big industry.
Even knowing which cleaning spray to use in order to vanish spots on a fabric: Maybe one day Anna Wintour will ask this question, none of her assistants can answer and you are able to impress.
Life and fashion are two unpredictable things.
Make the best out of them both!!!
It all starts in your MIND
