I don’t like elevators. But when I took an elevator to the 25th floor on my first day of internship, the elevator was the last thing I thought about. I was nervous and excited. As soon as I went inside, Evan welcomed me and said, “Hi Smriti. Welcome to JLL!” He not only knew my name, he pronounced it right.
I felt seen.
Then I met my workspace, notebook, and favorite JLL cup, and I met Kelly. She helped me join the office meeting, and I introduced myself. Then Madi, my mentor and a senior designer at JLL, came to the office. She talked to me, showed me around (the kitchen has the best view!), and I shadowed her. She has a sign on her desk that says “Sweet as Honey”; that is how I would describe Madi in three words.
I felt welcomed.
There are weekly meetings of designers at JLL. I had the chance to meet all the designers in the meeting. They were all the people that I greatly admire—weavers of art, who have spent their lives creating and making, seeing through the lens of design and lines and shapes and patterns. If art and skill was quantitative, the sum of art and skill in that room would have been cosmological. I told them about Cornell and its block plan and they had the same reaction as most of us: “How is it possible?” The team introduced themselves and shared about their college major(s) (most of them being graphic design).
I felt like I belonged.
I am learning a lot, especially, a lot of shortcuts. Moving from one-page flyers and designs to designing 50-page-long documents felt challenging at first. But by the end of the second week, I now enjoy the challenge. I am also learning new tools, techniques, and skills. I am grateful for having all the resources to improve my design skills, and for having the opportunity to pursue this opportunity. This experience is also a reminder for me that I still have so much to learn, improve, and create. The world is never going to get rid of creativity (you can’t replace art, AI!), and I am glad to be a part of it.
The experience of working as a graphic design intern is giving me a perspective of how my life would look if I pursue graphic design as my career. Even though it's tiring to not have the privilege of others doing house chores for you and having to look at 3 screens all day, I don’t feel like I am working while I am working. It’s when work doesn’t feel like work that you realize that it is your passion. I have realized what mine is.
I feel happy.