so, here i begin, in the first person singular, with a syntax that would cause my eighth grade english teacher to revoke my Grammar Queen title. perhaps this is the next phase i will soon regret. writing a personal essay like this is a huge risk, with blatant authenticity just out here on the internet for everyone to read and possibly dislike. are we curious or are we cringing? hard to tell. 

but it does feel like the two of us are having a conversation, right? it feels risky to toss out all the rules about capitalization and proper use of a semi-colon and comma splices and god forbid oxford commas etc etc. is it worth it, though, if you can read both my words and my personality? 

anyway

i’m at the stage of my career that i have deemed Swiss Army Knife. i’m not entry level, i’m not a full fledged project manager. not a butter knife, not yet a cleaver. 

so, let’s take a look at a bulleted list:

• i can illustrate a whimsical rendering, draft a scope of work, correct a redlined detail, and estimate probable costs all within a day. 

• or i can review playground equipment specs, draw a series of conceptual plans, model a series of seat walls, and craft an effective engagement survey. 

• or i can map characteristics of a park system, research local sources of DG, do a punch walk, and compare integral concrete colors. 

• or i can lead a brown bag about taking the LARE, consider the priorities for office improvements, mentor a new designer, build a sheet set with templates, and diagram a set of alternatives.

you get it.

this list (of actual examples) goes on. and on and on. if it is being asked of me, i’m interested in learning how to do it. 

formerly, i talked about where i am with hesitance. because, frankly, it’s awkward to not know exactly where you stand. how do I say that where I stand is actually in a few different places, all at once? 

it’s not that i’m lost, it’s that i’m adaptable. it’s that i’m experienced but always still learning. those of us in the middle, we can contribute to all aspects of a project fluidly. i’m the point between PM and the junior designer, usually directing my younger colleagues. and I can take on the tasks of both senior and junior levels where needed. 

there are pros and cons to existing in the fuzzy, undefined middle. yet, i’ve fully embraced the upside of taking on a new challenge and becoming a better designer because of it. 

a (further) note on style with some Big Ideas

i can send a “Received, Thanks!” to An Important Client like the best of them. but my choice of graphics and words are intended as portfolio umami, conveyed saltiness to make the heartbreaking truth of screen communication feel a little more satisfying. 

in a perfect world, the style would speak for itself and this explanatory section could be cut. but this is my micro manifesto, you see. i (daresay we?) bemoan the state of screen takeover. but what can we do if this reality isn’t shaping up to change? my current answer is to stop writing like a Professional and start writing like a person. of course, only where appropriate i.e. on my own website. 

i (daresay we?!?!) are purveyors of the the physical world, planting leafy green shrubs and placing aggregate-speckled pavers. why type language that reads nothing like the sound of language we hear and feel? 

when all is colloquially said and done, i love to write and, yes, proofread for errors. so, i suppose i’ll continue to dwell in a few stylistic places all at once. 

With Warm Regards always, emily <3