FRESH MINDS #002
#002
September 2024
Intro
Welcome to pumpkin spiced latte season, Brat Girl Fall and issue no.2 of FRESH MINDS!
We’ve had a mad month of holidays, flat moves and a new job, so hopefully your Septembers have been a little smoother!
This edition, our fresh minds are offering thoughts on some more serious subjects: their experiences of race in the workplace; the trials and tribulations of starting a new job as a junior; plus some topics of interest to them.
The submissions we received for the first prompt are an important reminder that opening up conversations around race in the workplace is only the start, and that DEI in our industry has so far to come. The fact we don’t hear about it every day, does not mean it isn’t still fundamental to the day-to-day experiences of POC and minorities. It is important to listen to those affected, to actively learn and engage, and be part of actual, not performative change.
FRESH MINDS is in its fledging era, so we 2 missions for you, our wonderful readers:
Please share this newsletter, and encourage any juniors in your network to consider writing for us - October’s prompts are HERE.
Any seniors in our readership ranks, what do you wish you could ask the juniors of our industry? Let us know and we may pose it to our contributors in next month’s prompts.
Thanks again to our epic FRESH MINDS contributors and supporters.
See you next month!
Another day, another slay,
A&Z
Topic 1:
“I do appreciate my white colleagues in trying to foster a more welcoming environment for me by listening but unfortunately, this really isn’t enough“
Talking race in the workplace…
Cue the disappointed groans.
This is the sound effect that plays in mind when I bring up the hard issue of racial diversity in the workplace with my mostly-white colleagues.
Don’t get me wrong, they’re more than happy to lend an ear to whatever rantings I have about the recent EDL riots, or the raging Sinophobia during the Paris Olympics, but it stays at that.
Some of them aren’t even aware of the terms in this lexical field and I suppose I can’t blame them because a) HR’s mandatory DEI training doesn’t cover the nuances of race relations and b) they never had to experience any sort of hate crime or microaggression in their life.
In Adland, specifically, this is an issue I’ve noticed. In an article from The Drum last year, it found that 43% of UK agencies are 100% white and there is a marked underrepresentation of Asians in the industry. This isn’t surprising to me as in my experience in the UK, I’ve always been one of the very few Asians in the room, let alone Southeast Asian, which isn’t the most comfortable situation to be in.
I do appreciate my white colleagues in trying to foster a more welcoming environment for me by listening but unfortunately, this really isn’t enough.
I wish they’d probe, I wish they’d not only listen but engage in these kinds of discussions.
At the same time, I understand that the workplace isn’t supposed to be a political field but at the end of the day, if you’re trying to include more DEI practices and talent in the workplace, as well as creating output that’s supposed to speak to a diverse audience, then I’ve got some news for you — at the end of the day, everything is political and we all need to be allies of each other.
- Ally Azizi (Junior Strategist)
“Every opportunity or time someone takes me under their wing, I'm at risk of ‘pet and threat’ or becoming the ‘token black’“
I was the only black person in my entire uni course.
I studied marketing and would sit in a lecture hall of 300 people and see no-one that looked like me.
I think that's pretty indicative of the industry. Honestly, being so early into my career I don't fully know how race will impact my experience, but I regularly consider it.
Whether that's opting for a more anglicised or "palatable" nickname - something I know could impact my personal brand and opportunities when applying to jobs or networking.
Whether I'll continue actively seeking out spaces and communities outside of work that provide diverse representation.
Or even, whether (despite being a British citizen and living in the UK since I was almost 3,) I'll keep questioning if some so-called cultural truths we tout, discuss and base strategy on are really British cultural truths. Or rather, white British culture truths.
Whether every opportunity or time someone take me under their wing, I'm at risk of "pet and threat" or becoming the "token black". Now, I've accepted that this and more are things that I'll simply always have to consider.
- Ibukun Oluleye (Marketing Brand Executive)
“It is always something that POC notice as soon as they join a new place“
I think the interesting thing about race in the workplace is that it is always something that POC notice as soon as they join a new place.
Somewhere I worked recently severely lacked diversity, of all kinds not just race, and it was so noticeable that you just stop noticing it.
As POC you gravitate toward the people who look more like you and create those solid bonds and have that as safety net when you’re in room and meeting as the only one.
- Giesle (Junior Creative)
Topic 2:
“Nobody wants a junior”
Starting out as a junior is tough. Every brand agency or company wants an 18-year old with 20 years of experience. But nobody wants to train a junior into a role, cause that costs money, and doesn't provide a stream of income for an agency.
The consequence? A huge gap between graduated juniors and midweights/seniors with experience. There is a chance that in a few years, there will be no more branding industry because nobody wants a junior. That's depressing, isn't it?
- Joost (Creative Strategist & Copywriter)
“If you’re an introvert, time to convert sweetheart”
I have been a junior for over a year now at a small agency. The structure is very different to that of a much bigger agency, in the way that it is one another (senior) designer and I, along with a managing director and design director.
My experience is probably quite the unicorn in terms of structure; I am not sure there are many other agencies where it is just a senior and a junior designing together. I quite enjoy this though, and I am an optimist (and quite the extrovert) so I have learnt to love it and actually; it is a blessing. The close-knit nature of the team is nice, and I have found my year of experience thus far to be helpful and important to my development. For example, I am always learning new and better ways to design. I gain insight and knowledge from the other designer, whose guidance and patience has been invaluable. They know niche bits about the software, best practices, techy bits and tricks that I don’t.
I am not a fan of the label ‘junior’, but I get that it helps in terms of team hierarchy — however I don’t really feel that where I work. I am encouraged to design in my own way and my ideas and views are welcomed. I’m manifesting that you also work somewhere like this - maybe you already do (cha ching!).
I enjoy the moments where I can teach them something too - whether that be through my own niche nuggets of information, design thinking and software knowledge.
I like the information exchange, and I am learning to breathe in (and eventually out) when hearing constructive criticism. I find myself giving it by instinct, so being able to take it too is definitely an invaluable skill for any junior starting out in the industry.
You learn to become more patient, and vocal; e.g. if a brief isn’t clear enough, ASK for more info! Don’t be shy.
I am learning not to take things personally, too, and not to get emotionally attached to my work. I stay humble and listen to opinions.
If you’re an introvert, time to convert sweetheart. Joking - be your authentic self, however that be. Honestly, never use AI to write anything that you should write yourself, i.e. your emails to clients. AI is brilliant tool, but I feel for client emails it is best to write them authentically via your own tone of voice.
I enjoy every* day at work, and if you don’t, then, it’s time to rethink what you want to do with your life. Not to sound all “omg what am I going to do, help me”...but, yeah, please make sure you are happy in what you do <3
Love, Tab x
*sometimes days are tough and that’s 100% OK, ofc.
- Tab (“Junior“ Graphic Designer)
“You should be able to make mistakes“
Starting a new role as a junior and imposter syndrome go hand in hand.
There is nothing more scary and exciting at the same time.
Especially in today's work culture, where even interns are asked 2+ years experience it's easy to feel "not enough": not prepared enough, not eager enough, not capable enough. But the reality is that as a junior you should not know everything, you should be able to make mistakes, you should mess up, and you should definitely not be judged for it, and if you are, well, you might want to look for a better place to grow.
- Giorgia Amatemaggio (Junior Strategist)
Topic 3: Musings on…
Fashion as a personal refuge
How does contemporary fashion respond to a world on the edge? With wars raging, populism rising, and elections looming?
Rather than confront the turmoil head-on, designers like Henry Zankov aim to create beauty and order amid chaos. The Russian-born, American designer, who works in New York City, has built a cult following with his exuberant collections that “feel like a hug.”
His latest collection „Hold Me Closer“ for fall 2024 is built around this momentum: Zankov creates a cocooning sense of comfort, with knitted fabric softly folding around the body, merged with elegant silhouettes.
What fascinates me about this? It is the way how fashion, in turbulent times, goes so far beyond style. Fashion becomes a personal refuge where ones beauty is protected from chaos.
- Emma (Junior Strategist)
Branding as ‘meaning and bullshit’
Lately I've read this book about branding, from the Dutch writer Stephan Ummelen, about ethics in branding.
It's called 'betekenis en bullshit', which translates to 'meaning and bullshit'. It's about the meaning of branding, the true value for customers and employees. That branding is about internal values, core values… but that these values often mean nothing.
Really recommend reading for my fellow Dutchies.
- Joost (Creative Strategist & Copywriter)
Collab posts
We can now collab post on TikTok and I think this is where things may take a turn for the worse for users in general but a turn for the better for ad and marketing people.
Why? Because I think brand are going rinse it and ruin the vibe for creators’ content.
It's going to be interesting to see if the FYP algorithm starts suppressing collab posts or favouring it…
- Giesle (Junior Creative)
Resources & tips from our FRESH community:
B-DigitalUK has a fab Black in Marketing community you can sign up to if you reach out on Instagram or LinkedIn!
Nounproject has every icon you could need
Thanks for supporting FRESH MINDS
Have some POVs to share? Check out the next month’s prompts HERE.
We’d love to hear your feedback: freshminds2024@gmail.com