Take the Cake

Its hard to believe my time at Phillymag is over.  It seems like just yesterday I was applying for the position.  Although the past few months have gone by rather quickly, I have learned some valuable lessons and worked on some very cool projects.  Being that my last day was last week, I have had some time to reflect on these lessons, and projects I was a part of.

One thing I learned was to be ambitious and willing to take risks.  It is important to realize, that as college students, we do not know everything.  Knowing this is key, but it can also be discouraging.  The only way to learn and grow as professionals is to take on projects that require us to push ourselves.

When I first started, I was very hesitant to do this.  I feared that I would fall short of expectations and let my superiors down.  However, as time went on, I began to take risks.  Although it was a little overwhelming at times, it proved to be worth it.  I can honestly say there was never a time when my bosses were disappointed with me.  As an intern, you should want to be pushed and get as much out of your internship as possible.

One project that required me to push myself was for Philadelphia Wedding, Phillymag’s wedding publication.  I was given a bunch of pictures of cakes and asked to write creative descriptions about the cakes.  I remember sitting there absolutely blank.  I thought, “what the heck do I know about wedding cakes, how could I possibly write a good description”.

I could have went to my bosses and told them I didn’t know anything about cakes and therefore probably couldn’t write a good description, or I could’ve taken on the project anyway.  Despite my lack of confidence for this project, I took it.  I spent some time researching wedding cakes and the various symbols of love represented within them.

I then sat down and wrote descriptions for the cakes.  I was unfamiliar with this type of writing, but did my best.  After handing the descriptions in to my boss, she looked over them and was very pleased.  She also appreciated my willingness to take on the task.  In the end, she combined my descriptions with hers and it was a collaborative project.

If I wouldn’t have taken the risk on this project, I wouldn’t have learned this writing style.  Not only did this project provide me with a unique learning experience, it provided me with a writing sample I can include in my portfolio.  I still can’t say I know much about wedding cakes, but I know that I can write about anything if I push myself.