If I had style

I have notoriously been a person with no style. In Colorado I lived in jeans and old soccer t-shirts. Not kidding. I looked horrible—all the time. The good thing is that I blended right in!

But in Chicago I've been trying to make more of an effort. Mostly because I work with some gorgeous people—welcome to advertising—and I don't want to be that frumpy girl in the corner.

Here are a few of my recent efforts to look presentable in the big city. Sorry for the weird and blurry bathroom shots.

Thoughts? Feelings? Suggestions for improvement?

I’m a Writer.

No, seriously. I am officially a “writer.” One of my long-time dreams has finally come true!

I was recently promoted at work and my new title is Associate Writer/Editorial Services. I can now tell people on the street, “I’m a writer” and not look like a crazed coffee-house addict.

Though I’m very experienced in working with publications, I still have a lot to learn. For a long time I was in a dead-end job and I thought that I’d never be able to have a career as a writer or editor, so I stopped writing. I haven’t really written for a long time. (As seen by my steady drop-off of blog posts.)

But that has all changed because I’m now a writer!

I have many goals for this new position. As a “writer,” I’m going to write them down here:

• Get a firm grasp of AMA (American Medical Association) style. I work at a medical advertising agency and while I’m familiar with Chicago Style, I will need to become bedfellows with the AMA Manual of Style.
• Take courses and become involved in membership organizations to improve my writing and understanding. A colleague recently forwarded a set of classes and conferences that all appear to be very helpful.
• Become intimately involved in the accounts I work with so that I will be seen as a resource for that product or marketing goal.
• Most importantly, write! It’s incredibly nerve-wracking to put my work out there, waiting for it to be criticized. But that’s the only way to learn, right? Right.

Signing off from my throne (before the reality of hard work sets in),
Claire

New Haircut

I’ve blogged before about hair. Women and their hair is a very important subject.

I have been growing my hair out for the last two years to the point that it was longer than I’ve ever had it before. For a while, it was a lot of fun! I felt flirty and feminine. There's nothing better than that sassy little flip of your hair. However, with the hot and humid Chicago summers I found myself pulling it back every day---especially after my 5 am workouts. The last thing I wanted to do then was spend a half hour drying and straightening my hair.

So I chopped my hair and dyed it blonde! The hairstylist took off 11-inches and I will be donating it. Though it is a little weird to be carrying around a chunk of hair in my purse...

Everyone loooooves new my hair. All my coworkers have consistently told me all week how great it looks. How it fits me so well. How chic it is. Hurrah! Except that with all this praise, a little part of me wonders, Did I look that bad before? Was I frumpy and no one said anything?

On the other hand, there are numerous reports, studies, and even hotly-contested debates about how “prettier” women consistently earn more than their “plain” counterparts. New question (filled with vanity and greed): Will I receive a significant raise soon?

The front

The back

Out for drinks with my old friend, Brian (aka Teammate)

Personal Branding

In keeping up with the social media scene, the current buzz word seems to be "personal branding." For example, check out this Mashable article by Dan Schawbel. How do you present yourself to the online community? What are your interests, goals, and experiences? More importantly, what is your personal or professional expertise?

This last question is where I struggle. Specifically, I have trouble with the word "expertise." In my mid-20s I don't consider myself an expert on anything---and I don't see this as a weakness. This is the time to explore our interests, goals, dreams, and desires both personally and professionally.

Do I know a lot about my profession? Of course. But, I am nowhere near the level of "expert." In fact, I am learning new things every day. That's one of the things I love about what I do. There's always new authors, new topics, new manuscripts, and new business challenges and I have to treat each task separately. Hardly an "expert" mindset, I'm sure.

Despite this, I think that there are good reasons to network yourself through social media. Am I an expert? No. But am I an intelligent, dedicated, and interesting person? Absolutely. Hopefully this latter part shows through my online portfolio.

Learning New Things About... Myself

Despite the 20-some-odd years of living within my head, I'm still learning new things about myself. My thoughts, emotions, likes and dislikes---you name it. It's all fascinating, and sometimes a little shocking.

Things I've recently learned about myself:

I bought a dress (gasp!). I never wear dresses unless attending a formal event, such as a wedding. I love this dress and I feel like I belong in the show Mad Men while wearing it. Except that it has been sitting in my closet for 3 weeks. For some reason, I can't seem to wear it in public. Sigh.

I don't like coconut milk (or anything coconut flavored, really). I made this great spicy Thai Green Curry recipe. Except that it calls for coconut milk to mix the curry. Coconut is a giant mask that covers the taste of everything surrounding it. It's like crop-dusting your food with coconut-foul. The leftovers are now sitting in my fridge, untouched. Next time, I'm using broth instead of the abomination that is coconut milk.

The Denver Art Museum has free admission on the first Saturday of every month. I need to go more often. I recently killed some time just wandering around their gift shop and it took everything in me to not buy out their print and card collections.

I often pride myself as being a very motivated and hard-working individual. But some days I need a little help getting out of bed when the alarm goes off. (More days than I'd like to admit, actually.) So I took some cornball advice and created a motivational poster. The magazines I clipped from also tells you something about me: Better Homes & Gardens (thanks, Christy!), Runner's World, and Oxygen. There is a lot of blank space because I plan on regularly adding to it. This poster has only been in my life for a couple of days, but I already love it! It's amazing what a few words and a little bit of glue can do for you.

From Eco Street

Moving. Moving is scary, scary shiz. First, though, I need to find a new position that suits both my interests and my skills. I'm excited about the prospect, and a little nervous. But if it isn't hard then it isn't worth doing, right? Right??

In the end it'll work out. It always does.

And I'll have fun learning new tips and tricks about myself along the way.

I'm Not Sorry

By Pete Scully

I've realized that I say "I'm sorry" too often. Even when an apology isn't necessary. It just comes out.

In fact, this is a problem for many women. Ms. Career Girl, a blog I follow, calls it "The Pleasing Disease." Many women, myself included, are too quick to say yes even when we can't take on any more projects. We're too quick to say sorry about anything and everything. Heaven forbid that we hurt someone's feelings.

All of it is unnecessary. Both personally and professionally.

In fact, a good friend said to me recently, "You back down too quickly. I like it when you're sassy." And he's right. There's nothing wrong with speaking our minds and with saying no. In fact, it should happen more often!

So my goal for this next week is not to say sorry. Not once. Not even on the soccer field.

Professional Friendships vs. THAT Guy

Where’s the line?

Specifically, where’s the line when it comes to your personal and professional relationships with other people? Can you make personal friends in a professional setting or should you keep the two firmly separate?

I have a good friend at my office. I helped plan her wedding and even threw her bachelorette party. The party was a damn good night!

There should be nothing wrong with friends in the workplace!!

The women at my company constantly exchange new family pictures or briefly talk about our weekends. We’re all friendly and cordial, but there is a professional line. No one is showing up at each other’s doors uninvited.

But then this happened....

Our janitor came to my indoor soccer game last night. Seriously. This man, though he owns his own company and is obviously successful, can best be described as “creepy.” While I was working late and he was cleaning up, he started asking about soccer and the next thing I knew I had told him where the indoor place was. I honestly thought that he was interested in joining a team himself or something of that sort.

Stupid on my part, I know. And naïve.

So now what? Should I be concerned that this 60-year-old creepster (who has also confessed that he wants to ask out my boss… and he’s married!) is a problem or is this just a one-time experience?

I’ve been asking around and these are the responses I’ve received:

1. It’s my fault for speaking with him about any aspect my personal life in the first place. This is obviously an untrustworthy man looking for information.
     - They’re right.

2. I should inform my boss that he came to the game, uninvited, and make sure that this doesn’t happen again.
     - But, I’m no longer playing on Tuesday nights for a while—is it worth getting my boss involved? I feel like this whole situation was preventable if I had paid more attention.

3. Make sure that I don’t work late when he’s supposed to clean (on Tuesday and Saturday nights). And, especially, don’t be here alone.
     - Yes, this all makes sense, but doesn’t it seem a little drastic? He’s not a stalker… yet.

Is all this worry and hooplah necessary? Even on my own part? It’s all creepy and slightly disconcerting, yes, but I made the mistake of giving him even the slightest amount of information. Besides, I don’t feel like his actions are specifically geared towards me. He’s just THAT guy.

Then again, maybe I should tell my boss… he does a crap-ass job of cleaning as it is.

Workaholic

I work too much.

Honestly.

I'm salaried and I constantly pull 10- to 12-hour days with no overtime pay. The company has also put a freeze on salary increases. I'm often burnt-out and frazzled. In short: What The Hell Am I Doing?

I need to get a grip on time management. The problems are that 1.) I usually get much more done after 6 pm when everyone is gone; 2.) My boss comes in late and works late and thus expects me to stay as well; and 3.) I honestly don't know what to do with myself if I'm home at 5 or 5:30.

I recently read an amazing guest post on Ramit Sethi's I Will Teach You To Be Rich (buy his book, by the way, it's amazing!) about how to be accomplished and successful while working an 8-hour day. It's all about time management and productivity. I'm good at my job and I enjoy what I do, but I have to admit that I need to be more focused during the time that I am there! My new goal is to get a lot done, progress within my company, and still enjoy my personal hobbies.

Maybe with a 40-hour work week I will actually have time to get through my reading list. I could run more, make time to see friends, study for the GRE, cook, sleep, and even (gasp!) relax. I have seen so few movies and tv shows that it is hard to hold a casual conversation. True story.

Work less? That shouldn't be hard, right? But it is, trust me. Society commonly defines people by their occupation and we often become emotionally invested in our jobs. Personal success and failure determined by a paycheck. Not good.

Balance is the goal. Time management is the key. And being happy—both at the job and away from it—is worth the fight.

So, this next week my goal is this: To work my a** off (as usual), but in a consistent and productive manner for 8-hours a day. And then go home. This will be hard, and it may take some time, but I think both my personal and professional lives will benefit from it.

It's gonna get interesting.

Being a Professional and Your Hair?

I dyed my hair today. I dyed it brown. I grew up a blonde and have been fighting to keep it light for years. But I’m attending a professional conference in two weeks and I feel like having dark hair will help me to look older and more professional. Unfortunate as it may be, young blondes aren’t exactly embraced in academia.

I never knew that hair was such a tricky subject! Some of my favorite conversations from this afternoon:

From my mom: “Was this something you'd been thinking about or was it the result of over-partying?”
My response: “Over-partying? Really? I promise that I’m not sipping vodka at my desk or even in the salon chair.”

From my sister-in-law: “The hair rules are: Going lighter- use a professional. Going darker- can be done from a box. Another reason us brunettes are so awesome. We're a cheap date.”

My response: "If that’s the case then I love being a brunette!"

From my coworker: Instead of saying, “I like it” he asked, “Do you like it?” which means that he doesn’t like it.

In any case, the point is this: How can you be a professional, stylish, young woman without going over the line? Long hair vs. short hair; blonde vs. brown; heels vs. flats; too much makeup? not enough?

Is it possible to win?

A quick google search shows that this is a very real question for women in the workplace. One of my favorite style blogs, Wardrobe 911, projects a feminine yet professional image. But clothes are expensive! $200 for a skirt or pair of slacks? Impossible for a young professional who is just trying to make rent.

My office is pretty casual, but I still try to make an effort (most days). Equally so, I look ridiculous if I overdress at work when everyone else is wearing jeans and khakis. A fine line.

Despite the hilarious one-liners from my family and friends, I’m going to have to wait and see the response from my boss and from conference attendees (authors, industry professionals, etc.).

I’m asking for respect despite my age. If the color of my hair is one step closer to that professional acknowledgment then I’m willing to make the sacrifice.