I have a new blog! Check it out..
www.citiesanddreams.tumblr.com
Back to making years by semesters...
Fall is knocking on the door. For many of us that means heading back to school (if you haven't already..) From what I have noticed on tweet-backs etc, I believe that many of you pretty followers are considering a job in the PR industry. As I am a PR major and have been for the past 3 years, I can tell you a little bit about what courses that should be on your schedules. If not...I suggest you take an evening course on the side for a wider knowledge!
Although I have been working in fashion PR during the past year, there are a lot of different PR agencies out there. Financial PR, political PR, beauty PR and lifestyle PR just to name a few. Therefore, it is important to learn a little bit about each field.
- English - what I have learned so far is that writing and communication skills are essential when it comes to pursuing a career in Public Relations.
- PR programmes - what is a press release, a pitch, a blast?
- Writing for Public Relations - how do I write a press release, a pitch or a blast?
- Marketing - know the difference between traditional and digital marketing. Marketing is closely linked to PR and in order to create a successful PR campaign, one need to know good marketing. Who is your target audience, where do you reach your them and what message will they listen to?
- Advertising - it is important to know the other side of the business.
- Media Relations - as an intern I had to deal with media relations on a daily basis. Who should you reach out to, what is newsworthy and who is the one to decide that it's news?
- Social Media - we all know how important social media is in today's society. In order to reach a wide audience, companies use twitter, youtube, blogs and facebook. Know how to use these social media sites!
- Media Law - learn about confidentiality and do not say or publish something that's not supposed to be said or published.
- Finance and accounting - in the future, you might find yourself analysing company accounts and manage budgets.
Rainy days..
I'm heading to the library. The 20 days I have left before starting school will feel like 40 in workload.
Oh na na what's my name.
We all know the awkward and embarressing moment when;
at a party, on the street or in the office, one forget the other person's name.
It has happened to me and I'm sure it has happened to you.
And of course we all would get offended if
we realized that the one we...thought we knew..
or work/worked with misspelled or even forgot our name!
I mean, all the time we have spent drawing and
coloring our names in kindergarten
and on our notebooks in high-school,
our name is extremely important to us.
Personally, I carry a necklace with my name on it everyday
and to be honest; if I would receive an email or
a facebook message from someone misspelling my name
I wouldn't have that much interest in reading any further.
Because the person much have a) rushed the email or
b) don't know me.
So anyways, the other day while sending
away an email to a potential employer here in Sweden
(if I am home for a month before going back to school I thought
I might as well make the most out of my time here..)
I did a big as in BIG mistake.
Yes, I misspelled the name of the employer!
Aaaah!
Where to next?
Wanting to work hard in school and striving for good grades has always been a part of me. In fact, I love school, learning, my university friends and professors. That being said, I never thought I'd hear myself say this but...but...I don't want to go back to school. No, not this year. Why? Well..because, being offered a job in Los Angeles, wanting to go back to Los Angeles, wanting to start writing (like, really writing..and with this I mean; for a magazine and on my book) makes me wish that I had that diploma in my hand already. But we all know that we don't always get what we want in life and the fact of the matter is that heading back to England for a final year of University is not an option; this is something I just have to do! So next on the agenda - the UK!
The summer is drawing to a close and in a couple of weeks time I'll be on another flight...
Saturday Reading.
I have always been interested in cooking but while living in Barcelona, this interest transferred into a hobby. I loved the Spanish ingredients! The country's fruits and vegetables were just to die for. Anyhow, I am not here to tell you about cooking but while flipping through a book full of great recipes, I found a few more valuable secrets on how to keep your skin flawless!
First of all, we all know the obvious - no coffee (drink tea intstead!), avoid alcohol and too much sun (as this will dry out your skin..) and don't eat too much meat. Instead, look into makeup with high SPF and keep a recipe book filled with great fish and chicken dishes. Furthermore, one of the most important components of skin health is vitamin A as well as food with high antioxidant content such as blackberries, blueberries and strawberries.
Buy yourself an umbrella. Too much sun is never good!
Not that I am a food expert but I have learned a lot recently and I thought I'd share my knowledge with you. Sharing is caring, right?
So, this is what I think you should do:
- Skribble down what I just wrote.
- Drink a lot of water: 6-8 glasses a day.
- Start your morning with hot lemon water..drink a glass 20 minutes before your breakfast.
- Two times a week, apply honey on your skin. Not only in the face but on other areas such as legs and arms. Honey is in fact a great natural ingredient for skin treatments. It works as a natural moisturizer, drawing pure moisture into your skin to help hydrate, smooth and soften.
Hydration..
Are you like me - wandering around Sephora and Macy's, looking like a questionmark browsing through brands such as Biotherm, Lancôme and Clinique in order to find that perfect day - and night cream? If you ask me, I believe this is a pretty hard task. Ofentimes, when a sales person asks me "what is your skintype" I answer something like "hmm..I really don't know?" Anyhow, I am a follower of Lauren Conrad's beauty blog, where I just found this amazing beauty secret! The ingredient is called Hyaluronic Acid (HA). Hands-down the best instant hydration ingredient available. In fact, this ingredient is actually created in your own body and "can be found in almost every single cell." "Unfortunately though, its half-life is between 1-3 days before it is broken down and excreted" However, many scientists have bottled 100 % HA for us to apply on our skin - making your skin hydrate instantly! If you drank too much caffeine or alcohol, were on a 15-hour flight, studied all night...you name it.. just apply two drops of HA on your skin and you're moisturized back to as you just left the facialist. You will find this ingredient in pracitally any skin care or make up lines. #Justsaying!
Something Sweden
Ah, the crisp smell of fall is amazing! Especially here in Sweden. Yes, I am home..but before I write anything else I would like to (once again) apologize for being the bad blog-updater(?) that I am. I mean, I might even consider shutting down my blog. No okay, that last thing was a joke as I love to write. But seriously...
So, I am here to update you. Let's see...what has happened in my life in the past hmm..three weeks or so? I kinda got a great job offer in Los Angeles which I unfortunately had to write a "thank you I would love to be considered for a position in your PR department but unfortunately I have to go back to England for a final year of school. But let's definately stay in touch!" email to. Let me just tell you one thing: I CAN'T stand bad timing like that!
What else...I have wrapped up my year of internship and moved my suitcases from Barcelona to lovely Sweden and my summerhouse. It is amazing to spend time with family and friends, be out in the nature and just relax.
Mirror, mirror on the wall....
..these are chic looks for fall.
I'm home! (In Sweden that is...)
Beautiful Summer.
Summer here in Barcelona is heating up. Not just the temperature but also all the adventures and things I can do now when not working. My friend from Sweden has arrived and after a long run in the park yesterday, we started this morning with a power-walk in the park and around the beautiful El Born neighborhood. Just opposite my apartment, on the other side of the sidewalk, there is a cute little tea shop that serves ice-tea for free (!) My go to shop every morning.
If it wasn't 70 degrees today, this is what I would be wearing (taken from the Sartorialist.com)..
. 
Why intern?
Okay.
What is the point of having an internship?
This is something I would base my assignment on (if I had the chance..)
because I would be able to give my professor the best answer.
However, I need to be more specific than that when writing my paper.
So, I decided to talk about it here.
I mean, after all, it's my blog so here we go!
I believe the main question is:
how do you get experience without any experience?
I have a friend who often asks me:
"how would I get an internship without a previous internship" and
"how do I get a job without a relevant internship to back me up"
Well, anyone looking for an internship or job today
has more resources than ever before.
I am talking about social media sites such as
linkedin, facebook and twitter.
You just have to get out there. Be creative.
Create contacts, tweet back to companies
you would love to work at and follow their tumblr accounts.
Believe it or not but many companies actually tweet back!
However, the bad news is that the competition is tough.
Actually, I don't think you can graduate college in this day and age without
some relevant internships listed in your resume.
My year of internship(s) has come to and end but
if I could, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!
Yes, it has been a whirlwind at times and working unpaid for
an entire year is something many people believe is insane.
But I tell you one thing:
the people I have met, the places I have been and the things I have learned
make it all worthwhile.
I mean, hey..I have even learned some Spanish.
I want an apartment with a built-in bookshelf
Whether I am writing about fashion or travel, I am writing. And I love it.
Fashion: it's actually funny how I ended up writing about it.
Once upon a time I was one of those people that thought
that anyone involved in the fashion industry was shallow and superficial.
At the same time though, I was wearing the latest
designers and rocking my studded stilettos.
So for all intents and purposes I was being a bit of a hypocrite.
A little more contemplation and I arrived at the conclusion that
in fact I like fashion, and that 'fashion people'
are often deeply artistic people, creating visions and
forms that directly influence culture and society.
On a personal level, fashion can change your mood and inspire you,
and that intrinsic power can be amazing.
One of my favourite designers, Oscar de la Renta once said:
"when a woman falls in love with something
so much that she wants to wear it -
it is as that point when it becomes fashion".
Starting my fashion PR career in Los Angeles I soon realized that
'fashion people' are interesting and unique in many ways
and my internships gave me an unparalleled look into their world.
I attended fashion events and shows, talked with fashion editors,
met people from all aspects of the industry, traveled a lot and saw
the inner workings of the fashion magazine world as well.
DKNY's PR girl once wrote the following on her Tumblr page:
"We know PR stands for 'Public Relations' but I believe
it also stands for 'Personal Relations".
I quickly recognized the truth in this statement.
There is so much more to fashion PR than
just glamour and glossy ad spreads.
The key to the industry, at almost every level, is collaboration, and
creating and nourishing these relationships so they heed fruitful results.
Thanks to the explosion of social media, and our world shrinking in general,
we have more tools than ever to create these relationships.
Of course, it doesn't hurt to have impeccable
writing skills, but those can be harder to attain.
You usually have them, or you don't.
So where am I going with all this?
For as long as I can remember I've wanted to become a writer.
As a child I would sit and flip through fashion mags and pray that
one day my name too would appear at the top of one of their stories.
My first mentor in high school was an editor and she
instilled in me the belief and determination
that if I wrote, every single day that I would one day reach my
goal of becoming a professional writer.
So I headed her advice and worked H-a-r-d.
I'm not a motivational speaker, but the advice
I can offer to aspiring authors is two-fold:
Always wear your passion (this will bring you new opportunities)
and always follow your dream no matter how daunting it might seem.
Do whatever it takes to get there!
As for myself, whether I'm writing about fashion,
food, or travel, I am writing, and I love it.
It doesn't matter if I do it in my Louboutins or my sneakers.
Drama, drama.
There's been so much drama in my life lately. Good and bad. Anyhow, my friend from London just left today (I will miss her so so much!) and after a day at the beach followed by sushi at my favorite restaurant here in Barcelona, I have spent the evening shopping and cleaning my apartment. Speaking of drama, I just watched an episode of the Hills on TV of when they were living at the Villas (aka the Hillside as they call it in the series). It made me think of all the good times I had when living at the Villas and with my roomies, all of our fun adventures and road-trips. Even though I love Barcelona, I can't help of missing LA and California from time to time.
