I truly feel like I have really grown as a PR practitioner as well as a person by going through this class. I am not gonna lie, it has been hard. There has been late nights, really late nights and some early mornings. I was stressed most of the days and always thinking about how to do better and how to learn quicker and more efficiently and how to create better designs. What I have really learned is that it takes time. I can’t rush my work and my creating. It is very important to get things turned in on time and meet deadlines, however you should not put anything off until the last minute.
I learned the earlier I started a project, the better it turned out and less stressed I was. I have picked up on not overdoing anything. I must complete everything and feel comfortable with my submissions, however do not lose sleep over these assignments, it is not that big of a deal. You will get through and you will survive.
I think I wish I would have known how much work I needed to put into this class and how much time to set aside. I needed to designate more time to this class… almost like a full time job. But, I think I finally figured it out toward the end of the semester. Heck, at least I hope I did. I enjoyed learning all the design outlets and learning more about myself. I learned the way I like to create and design and I learned which outlets I like and did not like.
I REALLY have been enjoying blogging… I want to continue to blog once this class is over. I send most of my blogs to my family and they always hype me up, haha. But I really enjoy writing and I think I am finding my own voice throughout this process. I would love to be a sports blogger or maybe a traveling blogger. Not sure exactly, but this has been tons of fun. I also think I have gotten quicker at writing and getting my ideas down and out of my brain. The more I write, the better and more comfortable I feel doing it.
I also learned to not compare myself to others in this class, we all design and create different and that is what makes us great! I took a lot of pride in the assignment that I created for my old gymnastics gym... Empire. I loved the letterhead and envelope I made. I even ran the ideas by the owner and I really felt I did a good job.
I see now that I probably spent too much time worrying about being perfect on some assignments that I need to just commit too. I could have put more effort in the discussion posts… I sorta just rushed through those I think.
The million dollar question: How did you grow this semester as a public relations practitioner?
The ways I grew were immense. I learned so many things technically, but I also learned so many things about myself. I had a couple meltdowns this semester. But I learned to not handle everything on my own. Yes, I am independent but I learned to ask others for help, advice, or even just some encouragement. My mom really helped me and also my PROS therapist at OU. My good friends, Matt and Jazzy, also really helped me through this semester. I learned time management, how to ease anxiety, how to not be a perfectionist, how to handle stress, how to get my work done and also how to enjoy my life and also excel in my studies as well.
The tips I have for designing PR publications is :
be patient
start early
look ahead to future jobs
find a motivator
find what matters to you
find your voice
put your head down and go to work
be where your feet are
If you have enjoyed these posts, keep following along! I have more to share:)
Godspeed.
-JMD