Internship Diary: Certainly Not Unqualified

Photo by: Solomon Mabry

Growing up, I knew I wanted to do big things and in return I would need to push myself as far as I could go. This concept of stepping outside of my comfort zone is a scary one for me, because as big as my dreams are and as much work that I needed to put in to get there, GIRL STRESS IS REAL. 

Pre-pandemic, I had plans of moving to London followed by attending my dream art school across the country and then came the stay at home order and I felt my dreams get crushed. Being stuck in Indiana was not a part of my dream and there was absolutely nothing I could do here to get me where I wanted to go. I thought I just needed to wait until I could get out of my hometown before I could step into the fashion industry, but little did I know, PATTERN was right in my backyard.

After a few difficult months, I started to look for things that would push me outside of my comfort zone, you know that terrifying concept I talked about earlier. I decided to go out on a limb and apply for the PATTERN internship, hoping that if it was supposed to happen it would…and it did. As soon as I heard I got the internship all I could think of was “I’m so unqualified,” and with that all of my excitement was replaced with fear. I was not looking forward to my first day and honestly my expectations were low. 

Once the internship started, I (the youngest intern and seemingly most unqualified) soon learned I was certainly not unqualified and I clung to the truth that my ideas are important and my creativity is special. The little girl inside of me with those dreams of making it big in the fashion industry, pushed me to step into uncomfortable territory and let my ideas shine. From brainstorming concepts for shoots, discovering a love for creative directing, and collaborating with the fellow interns and teams on the editorials I styled, I started to become more bold In my purpose here at PATTERN and in the fashion industry as a whole. 

I started to love my mornings heading downtown, I looked forward to grabbing coffee and feeling like a real life Carrie Bradshaw, walking through the city streets in my most fashionable attire. I learned to parallel park and got good at it. I met the most talented interns that quickly turned into friends. I am so grateful that I was able to step outside of my comfort zone, make my ideas happen, and realize that I am in fact qualified! 

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