Embrace the Unknown

My name is Noah Horas. I’m going into my senior year at Temple University. This summer, I secured my first internship as a graphic designer at Art of Living, Primamedia, Inc. Exciting stuff, I know. A few things stick out in my mind as learning points.

If there is one thing that my experience interning has taught me it’s that in order to be successful in advertising, collaborating is a must. Without the ability to work with others you are without value altogether. Another primary takeaway from my internship was that designing doesn’t have to be so strict. There is plenty of room to have fun with your designs. In most cases, enjoying the creative process will even yield better designs.

An eye opening moment for me while getting experience in the working world is that not everyone is a gremlin, for lack of a better word. I grew up seeing movies depicting the working world as a cut-throat, treacherous environment demanding the utmost ability to succeed. Up until actually interacting with others in a professional environment, I really believed this false perception that was stuck in my head. I was immediately shown how wrong that perception was the instant I started communicating with fellow employees. Asking questions about things was not only welcomed, it was encouraged. Anyone who had more experience than me was more than willing to offer guidance or answer questions I had. Me, not knowing exactly how to do some things was the very reason I was interning in the first place. It was nothing to be ashamed of. I think that was one of the most important lessons to come from this experience. Not knowing something is simply an opportunity to learn something new. If no questions arise, you are simply not trying enough new things and testing your capabilities. Embracing the unknown allowed me to cultivate an immense amount of knowledge throughout the experience, something that would not have been possible had I not expressed the curiosity I did.