Archive for August, 2009
Under Pressure
Posted by: | CommentsOne of my favorite college professors once made a bold statement that has stuck with me since my freshman year of college. He said, “you have all chosen Journalism as your major for two reasons; one, you hate math and are horrible at it. And two, you are procrastinators and love to work under pressure.” At the time I laughed at the irony of the statement and thought to myself “wow, I’m not the only one.” The first part of that statement couldn’t be more accurate. When I look at numbers or am forced to do a math problem I immediately get anxiety and do my best to steer clear. The second part of that statement, however, has made me think more than a few times.
When I was 18-years-old and analyzing that comment, I figured that it was just something I would grow out of. I was wrong. The pressures of work and just life in general make me get things done. If I don’t have a deadline, the project drags on. If I do have a deadline, the project drags on until the day of or just hours before it’s due. As I breakdown that concept today, I ask myself if that’s a good trait to have or a bad one.
Everyone works under pressure but in the PR field deadlines and the ability to multitask is a MUST. If you don’t meet a deadline, you lose your chance for coverage. If you can’t balance the ability to talk on the phone, write an email and text all at the same time, get out, there’s not enough room for you. Ok, so maybe that’s a little dramatic but you get the point.
Some days, the pressure of everyday life and workload excite me and I am able to not only meet my goals, but excel at them as well. But, then there are the days that are few and far between where the deadlines seem to build up and that’s when the pressure builds as well.
When the pressure increases, the everyday tasks get lost and mistakes are made. Is this normal? Is working under pressure and constantly needing a deadline a good trait to have or is it something I have become too dependent on?
Wow…What a Summer
Posted by: | CommentsThe summer of 2009 will go down in memory as the fastest summer on record, having passed in what seems like the blink of any eye. In just two months, July and August, I attended more events than I normally would in a year, all thanks to our wonderful clients and their phenomenal programming. I was working at a few events, but for the most part I was enjoying live music, theater, dance and even meteor showers at dawn.
My must-do events this summer included Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure” at the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, “Broadway Night” at the Lake Tahoe Music Festival, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet at Artown and Tommy Castro at the Reno-Tahoe Blues Fest. But amongst the planned activities a few more crept in, like Salsa Celtica during Artown’s World Music Series. The performance was great, but the experience was unforgettable, picnicking in the park with a new friend, watching couples salsa dance on the sidewalk, seeing cultures merge together through music and audience interaction. I also witnessed a bit of the Perseids meteor shower before the sun bathed the sky in shades of pink and gold during an early morning news interview at Rancho San Rafael Park, something I would never have risen for if not for work.
It’s one thing to check items off of an activities “to-do list” and quite another to just get out and experience life. This summer art was my catalyst for the latter, and I couldn’t be more grateful to my career and clients for having provided that opportunity. I’ve always believed that life becomes more saturated when you surround yourself with art—the sun shines brighter, nature’s colors are more vibrant and crickets chirp louder. Now I’m convinced.
