Well, there goes my “plan” and somehow I ended up in Colorado. Whaaaaat?
Six months ago I said goodbye to New York City. After seven years of living in the Big Apple it was time for me to go home. My dad flew out to meet me at my Murray Hill apartment, we packed up the rental SUV, I sold off the last of my furniture thanks to Craigslist, said goodbye to my roommate and we began our 12-day cross country road trip back to Central Coast California. We had an amazing trip, driving 5,200 miles through a total of 15 states. It was definitely an experience I will cherish forever.
Once I arrived home in Morro Bay, California my body physically shut down for the next month. I literally could do nothing, but binge on Netflix and HGTV. My legs felt like lead and I was glued to the couch. The thought of even opening my computer or looking at my phone made me nauseous. I guess NYC really had taken it’s tole on me and it was time to recoup and rejuvenate.
I had been pursuing an acting career in New York and I was exhausted from the hustle and bustle, and roller coaster of emotions and thinking I put myself through:
“I booked something. Yay life is great!”
“No auditions. What’s wrong with me? Am I too fat? Too ugly? Am I horrible actor? What am I going to do to make money? I don’t want to wait tables. I just want to act.”
“No need to stress. Everything will work out. It always does. You’re smart, talented, creative and you will book work…. But what if I don’t? I’ve put so much time, effort and money, my PARENT’S MONEY into making this happen. What if I don’t make it? Will they be disappointed in me? Will I be a failure? What if, what if, what if?!”
I was driving myself crazy with my neurotic behavior, and deciding to come home has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. I needed to distance myself from the acting world and really think about what I wanted out of life. So I put moving to Los Angeles on hold and tried listening to my body for a change. I had been on the go so much that I had to teach myself how to relax again. And thank God I had this opportunity to literally “chill out.” I wasn’t going to take it for granted.
After the first month home my energy levels were beginning to come back. I started going back to Barre classes, which I became addicted to in NYC. I was eating healthy, getting at least 8 hours of sleep, journaling and just simply taking care of myself. And go figure, all of a sudden the thought of watching TV started to make me nauseous. It was my sign post from the Universe that relaxation time was over and time to get the show on the road.
Feeling refreshed, I was able to accept that tabling acting was for the best. It didn’t mean I would never pursue it again, but I realized I wanted to explore other opportunities that could be just as creatively stimulating, challenging, and fulfilling, as well as offer me more job security.
After watching every HGTV show ever produced that last month, I thought getting into remodeling and fixing up homes might be fun. So I enrolled myself into Introduction to Construction at Cuesta Community College and began studying for the California Real Estate Exam. I also signed up for a wood making class because I was desperate to find a new hobby. I quickly realized that construction wasn’t for me, but I made a commitment and stuck it out for the rest of the semester.
During this time, I investigated other careers, interviewed people in those careers, job shadowed and talked to everyone I met about what I was trying to do. I welcomed feedback left and right hoping someone would say something that would turn on a light bulb.
And finally it happened. My brother was accepted into Hack Reactor, a prestigious 12-week bootcamp in computer programming. He suggested I look into other accelerated programs available. And so began my research and discovery of UX/UI Design. I had never heard of UX/UI design before, but from what I could tell it was definitely something I’d be interested in.
Fast forward 2 months and I was on a plane to Boulder, CO to check out BDW’s program in UX Design and Product Development. BDW was having an open house and I had the opportunity to observe a class. I was in awe of what was going. Students were tasked with the challenge of coming up with new concepts by merging two randomly selected APIs and then prototyping these these concepts. All of this was done in a couple of days. The ideas, creativity and quality of work was absolutely amazing. I felt like I was in a room with the next Mark Zuckerbergs and Peter Thiels of the world. The prototypes looked phenomenal. So not only were these people coming up with original concepts, but they also had the technical skills to create digital prototypes. I knew right then that I wanted to learn and do what these people knew and were doing.
Fast forward 2 months later and I was again on a plane to Boulder, CO, but this time to move. Myself and five other new students were accepted and invited to join BDW’s current cohort for the last eight months of the program. We had our first day of class on Monday and good Lord have I been thrown into it. There is so much for me to learn, and my experience here is going to be nothing less than challenging. But that’s why I am here. To learn and to be challenged.
On the first day we were tasked with putting together a presentation on brand engagement concepts for TAGHeuer and the Apple Watch. We were split up into pairs and I was a little worried my partner would be upset he was paired up with a “new” student, but I could not have been more wrong. He was enthusiastic, patient, encouraging and more than willing to show me the ropes. What a great introduction to BDW!
Our next project consisted of breaking down the content strategy of one of three websites to choose from. I chose Redbull.com, but had no idea what “content strategy” even meant?! FML. Luckily, our teacher could see that I was struggling, probably by the look of utter confusion on my face, and took me aside to explain the basics of earned, paid and owned media. Another reminder that I have a lot to learn.
Next was Front End Development Part 2. Ummmm what happened to Part 1? Again FML! But it’s going to be ok. The support of the teachers and students make me feel confident that I will catch up, eventually… In the meantime I’m excited to know that I’ll learn the skills to make website from scratch plus much more. I just need to make sure that learning Java is on the top of my to-do list!
Next in our Studio A class we have been asked to completely reinvent medium.com. Yup, this website. Using three different vernaculars we must design and prototype a new site. My vernaculars are: Happy, Female and Skeumorphic. The activity is to teach us how to work and think in vernaculars, as well as how think about a brand’s visual presence. I guess I’ll be doing my Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator tutorials all weekend long.
Yesterday we had our first mini design sprint, or dash. How fun! Our prompt was to explore ways of strengthening the connection amongst the BDW community, including current and past students, faculty and board members. Just another example of how BDW fosters an environment of doers who don’t sit around and talk, but actually get their hands dirty and create. I was so impressed with each group’s ideas. Alumni even showed up for the event and provided us with feedback on our ideas and presentation. I feel like I’ve learned more in this past week than I did in all of college, and I double majored in Psychology and Communications.
Needless to say, the first week was very intense, but I could not have planned it out better. We hit the ground running leaving no time for me to fret or worry about my skill levels. This program is about doing and it’s definitely going to kick my ass, but in a good way.
I was really looking forward to enjoying a warmer winter after enduring seven years of NYC’s bitter cold, but life has a funny way of working out. If you asked me six months ago if I’d be living in Boulder, CO I’d say you’re crazy. But here I am. I am exactly where I am supposed to be and I couldn’t be happier.
I am currently a student in BDW’s 50 week program. Check out my acting stuff at www.mackenziehawkins.com
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