Deranged Artist to Determined Marketer: A Renewed Realization
- Hayley Allred
- Sep 15, 2017
- 3 min read
I walked into this computer class on my first day of tenth grade, already dreading that I had to be there at seven in the morning. I knew deep down the only thing I was decently good at was art. I decided to take this computer class because I knew it offered certifications that would look good on my resume applying to college, and I needed an elective. The moment that my teacher, who later became one of my favorite, started outlining what we would do throughout the course, I instantly fell in love with the concept and idea of Graphic Design.
As the class progressed, learning the programs Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign came easy to me. This boosted my confidence a lot because I found another area I could excel in. I took my test and received all my certifications. While bored in class from finishing all my assignments, I designed a logo for my neighborhood swim team since the current logo looked like something found on clipart. I sent my logo to the head of the swim team and she loved it. They have continued to use my logo ever since for their swim team.
Around this time, Instagram just began getting popular. As a girl who likes art and photography I created an account. I quickly figured out the formula to how these accounts with lots of followers were growing so quickly. I then proceeded to grow accounts with followers by posting meaningless pictures such as teen bedroom ideas or outfit ideas. Once the accounts were over twenty-five thousand followers, I sold them to anyone interested and willing to pay money for a large Instagram account. I was clever and payed attention to trends, which made me excellent at social media.
Through my high school years, I was a swim coach, swim instructor, manager for Triangle Aquatic Center, and life guard. Once I entered my first year of college I knew I wanted to be a graphic designer, since it’s something I loved to do. I wanted to focus on branding and advertising for companies, which I found out later that the Graphic Design program at App is a little too conceptual for me. I wanted the business aspect of Graphic Design, not to be a free-lance artist. I decided to make a strategic career move and switch my major from Graphic Design to Communication Advertising. By doing this, I have more opportunities to land the jobs I want in the future.
My summer before going back to my junior year I was looking for any Graphic Design or Marketing Internship. I noticed the company I worked as a manager for, Triangle Aquatic Center, had an opening for a Social Media Marketing Internship. No student was really jumping on it since it was unpaid. I decided to interview and for the rest of summer 2017 I was the official Social Media Marketer for TAC. I created posts, photos, videos, live videos, found sponsors, analyzed analytics, and conducted interviews all to post on the TAC Facebook and Twitter accounts. I had the opportunity to go to every meet held during the summer so I met many Olympians who were trying to get cuts for the Olympics.
By doing this internship, I realized I have a knack for Social Media Marketing. I realized that I also chose the right major to go into at App State and I couldn’t be happier with my decision. This semester I started my first communication classes and I’m eager to be able to graduate early due to my major change. That’s my story of how I found my passion and how I would like the peruse it! Thank you so much for reading!
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