Suit or No Suit?

Last week's lecture saw Pentland Brands Creative Director, Katie Greenyer share her journey in the creative industry. The lecture was not only inspirational, but also engaging and thought-provoking.

A number of anecdotes mentioned by Katie stayed with me long after the session, one of them being the manner in which she landed her first job. She was brave enough to ask for what she wanted - from the CEO of the company,no less - and she rewarded for it when she managed to demonstrate her passion and resourcefulness. This makes me wonder if being bold and unconventional is the way to stand out from the hundreds of other talented creative professionals in the industry. Each individual, no doubt has their own style and design language, but could we do more to not box ourselves as eager hopefuls looking for any opportunity? Self-confidence, charisma and an intuitive understanding of the world could serve better in finding one's place in this industry than being overly logical and/or practical.

Another incident shared by Katie that caught my interest was of a designer who turned up for an interview in a restrictive suit and failed to make an impression. Having realized the same, he requested for a do-over, for which he presented his authentic self - and aced the interview. The man's self-awareness and the sheer gall to request another interview is what convinced Katie to grant him a second chance. The common theme here that I'm most captivated by is clearly bravery and confidence. But also, this incident proves that being unapologetically you is the best, nay, only way to be. At the cost of sounding trite, life's too short to pretend to be the person we're expected to be over the magnificently flawed and uniquely beautiful individuals that we are.